Bellows Resurrection

[Graham S]

OK, I know the quick answer to this is "replace it", but I'm too stubborn (or mean!) for that. I've got a Lachenal that has seen far better days. The woodwork isn't at all bad, but the bellows condition is extremely tatty. Several gussets are split, most of the corners are worn through and the leather on the frames is very scuffed and worn, and has actually gone through to the wood in a couple of places, Now I'd like to preserve as much of the original instrument as I can, and I'd also like to use the opportunity to learn a bit about bellows repair and construction, so: is it best to remove as much of the old leather as possible before replacing with new, or should I simply fit the new over the old? Should I remove and replace the split gussets, or is it better to patch from the inside? The card parts actually seem pretty sound. Actually, if it comes to it I might replace with new bellows, but it seems too good a learning opportunity to let pass.......

 

TIA

Graham

[OLDNICKILBY]

It is a fairly thankless task to restore the bellows on a cheapo Lach, however you will learn a great deal Get the leather from "David Leese" and a scalpel some decent P V A and a large jar of patience and then get going. If it is a good quality Lach such as an Edeophone then it is a very different matter. I would recommend very strongly that you buy a copy of the Concertina Repair Bible from Dave Elliott

[Graham S]

Thanks; I do realise that resurrecting an almost defunct bellows is a mountain of work and time and would be completely uneconomic in a commercial environment, but of course my reason fro doing it is as a learning process, and it won't be the end of the world if it all goes wrong. I've already sorted the leather I'll need to order from Concertina Spares and I have the David Elliott book, but though it describes the actual construction of the bellows clearly and deals with minor repairs very well it doesn't cover the points addressed above except for saying that new top run can be fitted over the top of the old but that it is something of an in extremis measure.

 

Cheers

Graham

[Theo]

I have the David Elliott book, ....... except for saying that new top run can be fitted over the top of the old but that it is something of an in extremis measure.

 

Cheers

Graham

That can result in a stiffer bellows than is ideal, and is one of the few pieces of questionable advice in the book.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Theo

[RAc]

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Edited March 4, 2016 by RAc

[Graham S]

Thanks both; I'm well aware of the size and complexity of the job, having been a builder of violins and other string instruments for a number of years and also for the last few years doing my own tuning, repairs and restorations on melodeons, so I'm not coming at it as an over-enthusiastic raw beginner. Thanks, Theo, for the heads-up on the double-decked top run; that was what I suspected, and it's nice to have it confirmed.

 

I have been through Bob Tedrow's photo-essay a couple of times; very interesting and instructive, I have a photograph of the bellows as I got the instrument, roughly patched with all sorts of odds and ends of leather of all kinds of thickness, and will photograph the process as I work through it - mainly for my own benefit, but the record may be of interest to a few others down the line.

 

I'm hoping to get started on stripping away all the nasty bits tomorrow....

 

Cheers

Graham

[RAc]

 

Thanks both; I'm well aware of the size and complexity of the job, having been a builder of violins and other string instruments for a number of years and also for the last few years doing my own tuning, repairs and restorations on melodeons, so I'm not coming at it as an over-enthusiastic raw beginner.

well you could have mentioned *that* before... now I feel sheepish... again...

 

I have been through Bob Tedrow's photo-essay a couple of times; very interesting and instructive, I have a photograph of the bellows as I got the instrument, roughly patched with all sorts of odds and ends of leather of all kinds of thickness, and will photograph the process as I work through it - mainly for my own benefit, but the record may be of interest to a few others down the line.

That would be grand, I always enjoy looking at how people put heartblood into something dear to them (and also to see creative ways to overcome some of the obstacles). best of luck to you!

Edited March 19, 2015 by Ruediger R. Asche

[Graham S]

well you could have mentioned *that* before... now I feel sheepish... again...

 

No need - the advice (all of it sound) was welcome; experience with one type of instrument doesn't imply expertise with a completely different animal. And I usually like to keep a few cards close to my chest.........

 

Will try to keep you posted.

 

Cheers

Graham

[JimLucas]

I'm well aware of the size and complexity of the job, having been a builder of violins and other string instruments for a number of years and also for the last few years doing my own tuning, repairs and restorations on melodeons, so I'm not coming at it as an over-enthusiastic raw beginner.

 

My advice is from a theoretical viewpoint, since I haven't yet built a bellows myself nor done major repairs to one, but considering your experience:

You must know that repairs are often both more difficult and more sensitive to error than simple construction. It seems to me that starting with the repair job is rather like teaching yourself to ski by going to the top of experts' slope and starting down. With your woodworking experience, why not first build a new bellows complete with the wooden end frames (and leather lining) to hold the reed pans? I think that would give you a much better "feel" for the process of repairing the old bellows before you start. If the repair goes wrong, then you'll still have a good bellows (though also an extra set of bellows frames) and a playable concertina. If the repair works, you'll have an extra bellows, but maybe someday you (or someone else) could use it to build a new concertina.

[Graham S]

There's a lot of sense there - but I have a bit of a "thing" about conserving as much of the original as possible in any restoration. It was the same years ago when I had 2 or 3 old MGs; I've done it with car-boot sale Victorian and Edwardian furniture, and with assorted musical instruments. The problem is the "5 new blades and 6 new handles" in the 200-year-old knife, which is essentially a replica, even though all those replacements might have been made as a matter of routine maintenance. In this case, actually the bellows frames are in decent nick and could have a new bellows fitted to them, but doing that wouldn't put me in the head of the bloke who sat down and put that bellows together a hundred-and-odd years ago. My hands wouldn't be working on the very same materials that his hands did, and junking and replacing as opposed to dismantling and rebuilding doesn't tell me anything about his working methods. Good job I don't do this for a living..........

[Graham Collicutt]

There is a short section showing bellows making factory style at around 1:00 minute: http://www.britishpathe.com/video/concertina-factory-aka-concert-in-a-factory/query/wheatstone

[Theo]

There's a lot of sense there - but I have a bit of a "thing" about conserving as much of the original as possible in any restoration. It was the same years ago when I had 2 or 3 old MGs;

The analogy there would be with long term consumable items. On a vintage car you would not expect original tyres, brake linings or clutch linings to last forever. They are replacable parts and when the rubber is perished, the friction materials contaminated with oil, or simply worn out, then you replace them. Bellows are the same albeit with a longer life expectancy. Once the leather has deteriorated to the point of splitting gussets then its time to say thank you and goodbye to the bellows.

[Graham S]

True, but when I relined the brakes and clutch on my MGs I didn't chuck out and replace the drums, shoes, pressure plate etc, and replacement tyres went on to the original wheels.......... The tyres and friction materials are the expendable parts, not the underlying structure.

[JimLucas]

True, but when I relined the brakes and clutch on my MGs I didn't chuck out and replace the drums, shoes, pressure plate etc, and replacement tyres went on to the original wheels.......... The tyres and friction materials are the expendable parts, not the underlying structure.

 

I think at least some of the difference of opinion here has to do with different concepts of what constitutes the "underlying structure".

 

I myself would liken the wooden bellows frames to "the original wheels" but the bellows itself to be more like the "tyres" themselves... complete with multiple layers.

 

I don't know if you would prefer retreads to entirely new tires (my American "English" spelling ), but surely you wouldn't try to do piecemeal replacement of spots in the various layers of the "original" tire, which is what you're proposing to do with your bellows.

 

But in the end, if you do it the way you propose, the worst that is likely to happen is for you to need a complete new bellows, anyway. So good luck to you.

[Graham S]

Thanks Jim; that was exactly the way I was looking at it. At best I'll end up with a nicely restored though not valuable instrument and I'll have learned a lot, while at worst I'll end up with a nicely restored though not valuable instrument and I'll have learned a lot. The only difference is in outlay of finance and time - and I have more of one than the other!

 

Cheers

Graham

[d.elliott]

Thanks both; I'm well aware of the size and complexity of the job, having been a builder of violins and other string instruments for a number of years and also for the last few years doing my own tuning, repairs and restorations on melodeons, so I'm not coming at it as an over-enthusiastic raw beginner. Thanks, Theo, for the heads-up on the double-decked top run; that was what I suspected, and it's nice to have it confirmed.

 

I have been through Bob Tedrow's photo-essay a couple of times; very interesting and instructive, I have a photograph of the bellows as I got the instrument, roughly patched with all sorts of odds and ends of leather of all kinds of thickness, and will photograph the process as I work through it - mainly for my own benefit, but the record may be of interest to a few others down the line.

 

I'm hoping to get started on stripping away all the nasty bits tomorrow....

 

Cheers

Graham

 

 

Re-binding is a perfectly legit way of extending bellows life, there is a little stiffness which soon plays in, and it is not really noticeable after a week or so. Depending on the thickness of the re-binding leather it can add bulk to the bellows, again not really too detrimental, but it is worth being aware of.

 

As a repair option rebinding can add years of life to a time expired set of bellows.

 

Dave E

[Graham S]

Thanks Dave

 

I've got the worst of the cobbled-up patches off, the bellows separated from the frames and the frames cleaned up - they're in far better nick than I'd feared. Some of the original leather has come away anyway in the process of removing the frames, and I'm honestly amazed at the good condition of the grey cardboard underneath.

 

Cheers

Graham

[d.elliott]

The greater enemy of bellows cards is the leather or fabric internal hinges when they split and the bellows start to break up inside, the pulling of the outer coverings onto the cards panels can cause the card to split by de-lamination, and the folds points to collapse with one outer fold edge tucking under it's adjacent edge on the corner.

 

I cannot stress the importance of checking the condition of the inner hinges at any and every opportunity

 

Dave E