Conditioning Bellows Leather

[lildogturpy]

I have a wheatstone english system treble concertina I bought from Barleycorn Concertinas four months ago. I have noticed over the last few weeks that the bellows now make a creaking sound - like new shoes. Should the bellows leather be conditioned to keep it supple. If so, what with and how often. Do you apply the conditioner from the outside or inside?

[Frank Edgley]

Are they new bellows? If so, try spraying a light mist of silicone on them and wiping off any excess.

[Ken_Coles]

Someone once had this problem at Noel Hill school with a new bellows, and the suggestion was shoe polish (we found some neutral color polish) lightly applied to the gussets, with the excess wiped off. Overnight it cured the noise.

[Robin Harrison]

Hi Ken...inside or outside or both. ? Robin

[Ken_Coles]

Oh, just on the outside. We certainly didn't go to the effort of opening it up! I should add that in the U.S. shoe polish is usually a dense paste. I have no idea what passes for shoe polish elsewhere (though I know it has come up in past threads).

[spindizzy]

On the same subject - what treatment (if any) should I give to leather bellows?

 

I've heard everything from nothing at all, to shoe polish, to whatever you do don't use shoe polish becuase the modern stuff contains silcones (gasp!)

 

(I currently do use a bit of shoe polish on the gussets - maybe as an annual spring clean)

 

Chris

[JimLucas]

...what treatment (if any) should I give to leather bellows?

 

I've heard everything from nothing at all, to shoe polish, to whatever you do don't use shoe polish  becuase the modern stuff contains silcones (gasp!)

I have never applied anything to any of my bellows, and they have not suffered. Then again, they have never squeaked.

 

As for the silicones, I think that's the "liquid" shoe polishes, something I would avoid using because they don't dry to the same consistency as wax polishes. But the surface of good bellows leather already has a protective finish, and I would think using oil on a bellows would be like using oil on a painted table... not at all like an oil finish on raw wood or leather. Wax polish might be helpful if there are cracks in the leather finish, but otherwise I wouldn't expect it to improve anything.

 

(Edited for minor change in phrasing.)

Edited November 29, 2004 by JimLucas

[Paul Read]

Shoe cream is what I have found to work well. Don't overdo it.