Wheatstone 48 Key Tenor-Treble - My Next Resto Project

[SteveS]

Here is a link to a Wheatstone 48 key Tenor-Treble - my next resto project.

 

Serial number 34476 - made in 1937 - model 11a

Here's a link to the price list.

 

48 keys - like a tenor-treble but with the top 8 notes omitted.

It's about the size of a regular treble.

 

Raised ebony ends.

 

This instrument has been used - a lot.

There is a lot of wear around the buttons.

The end bolts have been overtightened and drilled into the wood of the end hoops.

The finish is damaged.

 

But even in its present state it plays amazingly well and has a great set of reeds.

So it has loads of promise.

 

This instrument presents some challenges to restoration - namely the repair of the bolt holes.

It'll need all the usual things addressed, as well as the ends refinished.

The bellows are in good condition.

 

 

[Hereward]

Please do keep us updated on your progress Steve.

[John Adey]

The 48 key tenor has, for some years, been something of a holy grail for me. Few EC players whose interest is folk music ever use the top half octave of a 48 key treble, but many, like me, would like the bottom half octave down to tenor C to add for harmony.

 

i look forward to hearing how you get on with this project Steve. Do you intend keeping and playing or selling post-restoration? I'd be interested if you intend selling.

Edited May 17, 2016 by John Adey

[SteveS]

Yes these types of instruments are quite attractive for folk music, and not having the top squeaky notes keeps the weight down.

 

Right now the end of resto is many months away - but since I quite like the way it plays before resto I'm considering keeping and playing.

 

I've been thinking about how to restore this instrument for some time - and I believe I have a plan that'll work.

 

I'll update my pics as I go along.

[Mike Pierceall]

The concertina is a musical instrument that seems to invite cosmetic restoration though I prefer to leave the normal signs of aging and concentrate on functional repairs. I'd be curious to know how you solve the issue of the embedded bolt heads, particularly if there is thread damage to the point of the screw. I've often wondered how overtightening alone embeds the bolt heads, perhaps the blade of a ill-fitting screwdriver scouring a divot or even purposeful countersinking to reach good thread.

[SteveS]

The concertina is a musical instrument that seems to invite cosmetic restoration though I prefer to leave the normal signs of aging and concentrate on functional repairs. I'd be curious to know how you solve the issue of the embedded bolt heads, particularly if there is thread damage to the point of the screw. I've often wondered how overtightening alone embeds the bolt heads, perhaps the blade of a ill-fitting screwdriver scouring a divot or even purposeful countersinking to reach good thread.

Whenever I restore an instrument I try to sympathetically return it to somewhere close to how it might have been the day it left the factory.

I like an instrument to look good and to play well.

 

My current plan for the embedded bolt heads is:

- remove all finish

- remove side veneers as appropriate

- drill out the bolt holes to a stop just less than the depth of the wooden end hoop

- insert a hard wood dowel into the hole and drill through for the bolt

- the end plates bolt holes to be machine out with an cutter just larger than the size of the damaged holes - these to be plugged with a piece of wood made from pear laminate - stained, glued in position using hide glue

- cut the moulding using a router

- refinish the ends

 

If threads are damaged on the bolts and/or receiver plates, I may make a decision to replace all bolts and receiver plates.

 

Overtightening the end bolts is done to try and cure an air leak (it never works). Air leaks can arise as the chamois gasket flattens over time, damage or warping. Using a larger screwdriver, sufficient torque can be applied to force the bolts into the relatively softer wood of the end hoops. The screwdriver head also serves to open up the bolt holes, making it more likely that the bolt will start to bear down on the wood of the end hoops - as will an ill-fitting screwdriver.

Edited May 18, 2016 by SteveS

[Mike Pierceall]

 

The concertina is a musical instrument that seems to invite cosmetic restoration though I prefer to leave the normal signs of aging and concentrate on functional repairs. I'd be curious to know how you solve the issue of the embedded bolt heads, particularly if there is thread damage to the point of the screw. I've often wondered how overtightening alone embeds the bolt heads, perhaps the blade of a ill-fitting screwdriver scouring a divot or even purposeful countersinking to reach good thread.

Whenever I restore an instrument I try to sympathetically return it to somewhere close to how it might have been the day it left the factory.

I like an instrument to look good and to play well.

 

My current plan for the embedded bolt heads is:

- remove all finish

- remove side veneers as appropriate

- drill out the bolt holes to a stop just less than the depth of the wooden end hoop

- insert a hard wood dowel into the hole and drill through for the bolt

- the end plates bolt holes to be machine out with an cutter just larger than the size of the damaged holes - these to be plugged with a piece of wood made from pear laminate - stained, glued in position using hide glue

- cut the moulding using a router

- refinish the ends

 

If threads are damaged on the bolts and/or receiver plates, I may make a decision to replace all bolts and receiver plates.

 

Overtightening the end bolts is done to try and cure an air leak (it never works). Air leaks can arise as the chamois gasket flattens over time, damage or warping. Using a larger screwdriver, sufficient torque can be applied to force the bolts into the relatively softer wood of the end hoops. The screwdriver head also serves to open up the bolt holes, making it more likely that the bolt will start to bear down on the wood of the end hoops - as will an ill-fitting screwdriver.

 

A sound plan, indeed.