Lachenal Tuning Bellows

[Geoffrey Crabb]

Often, due to thead drift or parallel posts, comments and information become buried and difficult to find resulting in the information having to be repeated.

As I consider the Lachenal Tuning Bellows, mentioned elsewhere, of probably more interest as an Historical item than practical, I have attached what I know about these pieces of equpiment in this sub-forum.

 

 

 

I have referred other current posts to this one.

 

Geoffrey

[Dirge]

Often, due to thead drift or parallel posts, comments and information become buried and difficult to find resulting in the information having to be repeated.

As I consider the Lachenal Tuning Bellows, mentioned elsewhere, of probably more interest as an Historical item than practical, I have attached what I know about these pieces of equpiment in this sub-forum.

 

 

 

I have referred other current posts to this one.

 

Geoffrey

That's good stuff, thanks Geoff

[alex_holden]

This document seems to be missing, does anyone still have a copy handy?

[Geoffrey Crabb]

Here it is again, for a while.

 

 

 

Geoffrey

 

Attention, on page 2, the first line, paragraph 2, should read:

 

'The reed to be tuned is initially placed in holder 4'

 

Apologies.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Geoffrey Crabb

[alex_holden]

Thank you very much Geoffrey. It's difficult to tell from the photo, but it looks to me like the left two holders are slightly bigger than the right two; perhaps this particular tuning bellows had two pairs of holders to accommodate a wider range of reed sizes?

 

Would it be helpful if I put a copy of the file on my own server and linked to it from here, so it's not taking up space in your account?

[Geoffrey Crabb]

Thank you very much Geoffrey. It's difficult to tell from the photo, but it looks to me like the left two holders are slightly bigger than the right two; perhaps this particular tuning bellows had two pairs of holders to accommodate a wider range of reed sizes?

 

Would it be helpful if I put a copy of the file on my own server and linked to it from here, so it's not taking up space in your account?

 

Alex,

 

Point 1, you may well be right. With these holders, one size doesn't fit all.

 

Point 2, I will send a PM.

 

Geoffrey

 

PS Please see edited previous post above.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Geoffrey Crabb

[LeadFingersErnie]

Fascinating!

 

Thank you so much Geoffrey for sharing this info with us all.

[Stephen Selby]

Is the document "Lachenal Tuning Bellows.doc" still available for download anywhere? I am interested in knowing about these devices, which firms made them and who used them.

 

[Stephen Selby]

For any who are still interested in these (i.e. the one illustrated in my previous post), I have a receipt for a new one dated 1905. The price was twelve shillings and sixpence (sixty pounds in today's money). The receipt specifies that the tuner is for an English concertina. It comes in a hexagonal case with faux leather covering and red paper inside.

 

The other item on the receipt was for a "solid leather case for an English concertina". Also twelve shillings and sixpence.

[Geoffrey Crabb]

I have updated and modified the original 2012 document.

 

Lachenal Portable Sounding Bellows.doc

 

It is a draft so please excuse any typos etc.

 

Geoffrey

 

 

[Stephen Selby]

Thank you for uploading this useful article. I shall come back with some comments and questions.

[Stephen Selby]

It has been a pleasure reading Geoffrey Crabb’s two articles, ‘Lachenal Portable Sounding Bellows’ and ‘Pre-Electronic Age Method of Tuning Concertina Reeds’. I should like to add some observations of my own.

I have two sets of these thingies. One is just the tuning bellows by itself, while the other is a set with its original carrying case and sales receipt. The receipt dates from 1905 and was issued by Joseph Wallis and Sons Ltd. of 133-135, Euston Road, London N. W. The description is ‘4 Hole Tuning Apparatus for Eng(lish) Conc(ertina)’.

From the the description, one might surmise that there were models with more or less holes, and for concertinas other than English. The sales price was twelve shillings and sixpence (about sixty pounds in today’s money). A cheaper model English concertina in 1905 cost two to three pounds. It is unlikely that an ordinary end-user of an English concertina would justify spending so much on a tuning apparatus. As far as the market is concerted, apart from the piece-workers mentioned by Mr Crabb, they must have been sold to suppliers and repairers in the provinces or the colonies.

The apparatus illustrated in my post and Mr Crabb’s article are almost identical. All have three-fold bellows with the Lacunal star burst pattern in white. It should be noted however, that contrary to what one correspondent observed and Mr Crabb surmised, the reed shoe holders are all identical in size on both sets of apparatus. However, in my two sets, the pairs of blanks are not the same size, one set being much bigger than the other. All the blanks (two blanks are present on each apparatus) seem to be original.

One notable difference between my two sets of apparatus, not greatly noted by Mr Crabb in his articles, is that in one set, on the brass tongue on the right hand side, where the reed shoe and reed can be secured for filing, the brass tongue is furnished with a brass stud, rounded at the top and standing 1/16” proud of the bass tongue. (See my photographs). One set of apparatus only has this stud.

I believe that this stud serves to secure the reed shoe for filing the root of the reed to lower the pitch. The stud will allow the reed shoe to sit on the brass tongue without slipping forward while the reed is shaved from the root in the direction of the tip. This avoids the problem that Mr Crabb warns about in his endnote of not forcing the reed onto the tongue right up to the root, where permanent damage would be done.

The box supplied with one set of apparatus is similar to lower-end Lachenal hexagonal concertina boxes, but one third of the length. It is made of deal, with leather paper on the outside and red paper on the inside. There is a hook-and-eye to secure it, not a lock. There is no handle or strap.

Apart from allowing the note of the reed to sound for longer, I think that these bellows also have an advantage in supplying a pressure gradient similar to that of a real concertina (subject to the limitation that the reed is not inside the reed pan.)