HansiRowe Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 My Lachenal was playing fine this morning… I went to play it this evening and noticed that the RH3 G note on the C row is not working on the push… just the sound of air. The same RH3 F on the draw sounds fine… any ideas what the problem could be and how I can fix it? Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAc Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 (edited) . Edited March 4, 2016 by RAc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 not unlikely residue underneath the reed. Open up the concertina, locate the problematic reed, slide a normal piece of paper (eg stationery) under the reed and wiggle the paper left and right a few times. Good suggestion, and no harm to be done be that, albeit I'm a bit sceptical due to "the sound of air"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDNICKILBY Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 More likely a broken reed or one that is loose. You will get used to it sooner or later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 Thanks very much guys for your comments, I'll take a look and try the paper cleaning trick once I can locate the reed... Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 Just another quick question… looking at the RH reed pan I'm presuming that the 5 larger reeds would be the C row and the smaller 5 the G row? And then counting along the 5 c row reeds I would pick the middle reed (the G on the push and the the F on the pull) and clean the reeds both on the outer and inner sides of the pan? Sorry, I know this is probably blatantly obvious but I've never done this before, so I'm just making sure that I've got it right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 The reeds should be marked with their pitch stamped on the brass frame. It is probable that your deaf reed with sound of air only is due to it being loose in the wooden slot... did your concertina just arrive from Europe ? Change of climate and the wood has 'moved' slightly ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 (edited) Dave Elliot's 'Concertina Maintenance Manual' If you don't have this, then buy, beg, or borrow a copy. Edited October 1, 2014 by Don Taylor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Crabb Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Just another quick question… looking at the RH reed pan I'm presuming that the 5 larger reeds would be the C row and the smaller 5 the G row? And then counting along the 5 c row reeds I would pick the middle reed (the G on the push and the the F on the pull) and clean the reeds both on the outer and inner sides of the pan? Sorry, I know this is probably blatantly obvious but I've never done this before, so I'm just making sure that I've got it right! IMG_2003.JPG See attachment Geoffrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAc Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I usually take apart the action pan/reed frame combo first, then turn it upside down so when I press the button from below I can see which pad lifts. I then stick some marker type or compatible non invasive indicator to the outside of the casing. After separating the reed and action pans (rappel: Never do this with the buttons on the bottom. You'll be sorry.), I can see by the markers which reeds in which chamber/s are affected. The only remaining question then is which of the two reeds it is. Simple: On push, it's the inward reed (the one on the side of the reed pan facing the bellows), on pull the other one. If in doubt use your common sense and try to visualize the air flow and try to imagine how the valves stop it. The cleaning technique can be used preventivly on all the reeds. As Wolf pointed out: No harm can be done here. Just another quick question… looking at the RH reed pan I'm presuming that the 5 larger reeds would be the C row and the smaller 5 the G row? And then counting along the 5 c row reeds I would pick the middle reed (the G on the push and the the F on the pull) and clean the reeds both on the outer and inner sides of the pan? Sorry, I know this is probably blatantly obvious but I've never done this before, so I'm just making sure that I've got it right! IMG_2003.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Your assumption about which row is which only works for some 20k instruments, better to follow the pad layout to identify the chamber as stated above. Look at the valves, the valve facing the direction of air flow must be shut, so the reed on the same side of the reed pan must be the one sounding. So on bellows push it is the reed on the inner (flat) side of the reed pan, and on bellows pull it is the reed in the chamber. check the reed is firm in the pan slot, and, assuming the reed is not broken, then ping the tip of the reed gently with a needle tip or fingernail. This fixes most things. If still no sound then Check the valve on the other side of the reedpan to the reed at question is not jammed, check the reed tongue has not moved either sideways or into the reed frame's slot (vent). You are absolutely right to ask if unsure. On all engineering drawings (when I was a baby engineer- pre CAD and computers) All engineering drawings used to carry the legend: ' IF IN DOUBT ASK' Dave E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Wow… thanks so much everybody for all that help… it worked! I had a little bit of trouble actually removing the reed pan from the body of the concertina, as it was a very tight fit and looked as if it's been a long time since it was removed. Eventually, and being as gentle as possible, it finally came away and I was able to get at the inner, flat side. I followed your instructions and slid a piece of paper under the offending reed (thanks for that great chart Geoffrey!), and while I was at it I did the same thing on all of the reeds on the inner side, just to make sure. I also cleaned the F on the outer side which is slightly more difficult to get at because of the chamber walls preventing easy access with a piece of paper, but managed it in the end. I was so happy and relieved when, after putting everything back together again, I had a lovely clear tone on the G... Yes, Geoff, the concertina did arrive from the UK about 3 weeks ago but the temperature here has been fairly mild, and the house is fairly cool, so I felt pretty certain that the problem lay elsewhere. Actually, I couldn't see any markings on the reeds but it was fairly easy to work out which was which, especially with Geoffrey's chart. Actually Don, I am still waiting for Dave's maintenance book to arrive, I ordered it ages ago so I'm hoping that it will arrive any day now. Thanks for that helpful extra info Dave, I'm looking forward to your book, und Herzlichen Dank Ruediger, die 'action pad/reed pan' Information war auch sehr hilfreich! Once again, many thanks to you all, I thought that I was going to miss out on my daily practice today but your swift responses have saved the day… and that's another little lesson learnt and I know what to do next time! Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Where did you order the book from? Dave E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Hi Dave I ordered it from an Australian book company thinking that delivery would be fast, but, after waiting 3 weeks I received an email from them saying something like "hooray, you're book has been posted today!" After waiting 3 weeks for them to get around to mailing it, well, I wasn't very impressed. When I checked it out I saw that the Australian company ordered it through a NZ company, who in turn ordered it from the US… which I could have done myself and saved a lot of time! Anyway, apparently it should arrive any day now… needless to say, I don't think that I will be ordering anything else from this company... I'll let you know when it arrives… cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Hi Dave I ordered it from an Australian book company thinking that delivery would be fast, but, after waiting 3 weeks I received an email from them saying something like "hooray, you're book has been posted today!" After waiting 3 weeks for them to get around to mailing it, well, I wasn't very impressed. When I checked it out I saw that the Australian company ordered it through a NZ company, who in turn ordered it from the US… which I could have done myself and saved a lot of time! Anyway, apparently it should arrive any day now… needless to say, I don't think that I will be ordering anything else from this company... I'll let you know when it arrives… cheers, John you could have ordered direct from the publisher mally.com, or from me, but this is small comfort to you. The good news, is that it is a lot of pictures, my drivel is much reduced. Dave E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted October 3, 2014 Author Share Posted October 3, 2014 Thanks Dave… I'm absolutely certain that your drivel will be of the highest quality…! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted October 7, 2014 Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 "The good news, is that it is a lot of pictures.." Dave, your Concertina Maintenance Manual has finally arrived! The long wait was well worth it… wow, you seem to have covered just about everything in a clear and precise way, and I now feel much more confident about maintaining and carrying out minor repairs on my anglo… a great book and I can see why it comes so highly recommended... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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