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Grinding Button Tops To Be Flat And Not Slippery, Crowdfunding 3D Prin


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http://www.youtube.com/edit?ns=1&video_id=QYfT8eCsZnw

 

'For easier playing: the video shows me grinding off the smooth rounded tops of the buttons of a Stagi tenor (English model) concertina. It's easier to play now.

 

I found the buttons too slippery, so I've used a Dremel tool to grind the tops flat/slighly concave, rough rather than slippery, and give them a perimeter edge that helps orientate the fingers during playing. Possibly you could use a sander rather than this method, for a gentler job, but this worked fine. Playing became easier also because slightly lowered the buttons, reducing travel, making the buttons less wiggly.

 

The buttons are still too wiggly though. That's because they are in a conical seat hole. I may one day put some sort of conical-cancelling sleeve that makes them ride much straighter (the existing holes probably are conical to make it easier to reassemble the concertina for 20 seconds, ignoring the owner's needs when playing it. Possibly i could replace the piece of wood with the holes with another piece drilled with non-conical holes, or even do something good with metal. If anyone's got a contact with the Stagi designers, please tell me, I'd LOVE to talk to them.

 

Ideas welcome about collaborating to design and create a cheap, excellent-tone concertina for the masses.

 

After 2.5 years of playing four different concertinas from cheapest to a good antique, I think it would be good to seriously 'rethink' the design, considering modern day materials and resources and methods (including 3D printing). Possibly we could do a crowdfunding production (people promise funding on condition that the project gets enough funding to proceed, refund otherwise, and they get one of the resultant concertinas. What do you think? Are you a firm traditionalist or do you think a redesign could greatly improve ease of playing, and cost to get an excellent-sounding instrument?

 

Bruce (Tomo) Thomson20 Lyndhurst St. Chelwood Village,Palmerston North

64 06 357 7773 021 176 9711 palmytomo@gmail.com

 

 

 

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I think it would be good to seriously 'rethink' the design, considering modern day materials and resources and methods

 

 

Some current makers have made forays in this direction (rethinking or discarding some traditional design elements); Dana Johnson comes to mind - he got fed up with crushed wood in century-old reed pans and did his a different way.

 

Some time ago Bob Tedrow posted an essay about how to put metal sleeves and new delrin buttons in a Stagi to fix the wiggle. It vanished off his site, but we (I, really) should repost it here (part of the now big archive project of the old C.net static pages) - he gave us permission to do so. One of these days...Keep asking!

 

Ken

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'The buttons are still too wiggly though. That's because they are in a conical seat hole.'

 

Bruce, What do you mean by 'seat hole'? in your statement above.

Perhaps it is a local Kiwi term meaning toilet ? ;)

 

Check out other colloquialisms on C.net .. the latest I spotted was on Warren Fahey's concertinas for sale advert (in the ' sale'forum).. where he says he is going to "choof off"..... :wacko:

Edited by Geoff Wooff
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Living in the Real world Tomo,

I dont think there is enough of a market for Stagi to be bothered to improve their product any further and doubt they care about wiggly buttons.

 

With an English Concertina... wiggly buttons are one of the worst things you can have.They also usually go along with clackity noises too.

 

The conical end plate holes will reduce friction and allow the buttons to still work when they get loose on their moorings and start to go up and down at ever increasing angles.

 

Very few Concertina makers offer new EC's because there are, or have been, so far enough good old ones to supply the market.. and that is my suggestion.. cut your loses and buy a good vintage instrument and BE HAPPY :)

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I also thought of toilet humour, but perhaps more anal. I also wondered if Bruce meant the inner relief (pun intended) of the end plate holes,but it did not seem to match the expression used, hence the question.

 

Traditional concertinas avoid what our local expression would describe as 'headache' by having a three point alignment, the key's guide peg, the lever arm and the end plate hole. Each one has an easy, indeed two are often padded, fit. we also limit key travel to 3mm (1/8 ins).

 

Dave

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"After 2.5 years of playing four different concertinas from cheapest to a good antique, I think it would be good to seriously 'rethink' the design, considering modern day materials and resources and methods (including 3D printing). Possibly we could do a crowdfunding production (people promise funding on condition that the project gets enough funding to proceed, refund otherwise, and they get one of the resultant concertinas. What do you think? Are you a firm traditionalist or do you think a redesign could greatly improve ease of playing, and cost to get an excellent-sounding instrument?"

 

"Ideas welcome about collaborating to design and create a cheap, excellent-tone concertina for the masses."

Well, I've repaired concertinas for 20+ years and have made them for over the last 14 years. I believe I have succeeded in making them with excellent tone etc, but I'm still struggling to know how to make them with any reasonable amount of financial compensation. I still figure I am making below minimum wage, but can afford do this because I have an excellent teacher's retirement pension. The fact is, concertinas are extremely labour intensive, if you want to make one that you will be proud of that will bear your name plate. There are ways to reduce costs a bit by utilising modern manufacturing methods, but the market will not bear the large numbers of product necessary to entice businesses to manufacture your parts at a reasonable price. Then there is the time involved in assembly, finishing, tuning etc. These all take time. Then there are all the different types of concertina---English, Anglo Jeffries, Anglo Wheatstone, and numerous duet types, custom fingerings etc.... Only when concertinas become as popular as the ubiquitous guitar will there be any hope of "cheap, excellent-tone concertinas." At that point, they will all be made in China, or some other low-wage country, and we will have lost our craftsmen who can make excellent instruments. No, I think that cheap, excellent-toned instruments are a bit of a fantasy, but I could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time!

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