Opening A 20b Lachenal Anglo

[Henk van Aalten]

Hello,

 

For those that are interested: yesterday I opened my 20b Lachenal Anglo. I made photo's and you can find the result at this page.

[david dufficy]

Hello,

I am curious, just what makes this concertina less than pleasing to you?

It looks to be in fairly good condition.

Dave

[Henk van Aalten]

Hello,

I am curious, just what makes this concertina less than pleasing to you?

It looks to be in fairly good condition. 

Dave

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In general this concertina is not airtight. You can only play a few notes during one push or pull movement. Some small leaks in the bellows and/or poor pads could cause this. On top of that some reeds need a lot of air before they are going to speak. Finally there is one reed that is not simply "out of tune" but completely "out of scale".

I must agree with you that it looks in good condition, but I think it needs some professional repair before it plays in a pleasant way.

[Frank Edgley]

Ther are probably significant "internal leaks". i.e. Air is escaping around the edges of the reedpan. Also, with a 20 button Lachenal, Brass-reeded instrument, the reeds are probably not very sensitive, and require better air efficiency to make them work.

[Theo]

Ther are probably significant "internal leaks". i.e. Air is escaping around the edges of the reedpan. Also, with a 20 button Lachenal, Brass-reeded instrument, the reeds are probably not very sensitive, and require better air efficiency to make them work.

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And there is a visibly cracked joint on two edges of the right action board, this might allow some air to escape.

 

The pads look as if they might be quite old. Old pads can look ok but leak because of moth damage. The mothe larvae eat the felt only, and leave the card and leather looking untouched. Then there is not enough support for the leaather so you get a bad seal. You can often see signs of this if you look closely. If the felt looks ok in places but elswhere it is very thin then suspect moth damage.

 

Theo

[Daniel Bradbury]

Hello Henk,

 

While you have gotten a lot of technical feedback, I wish to tell you that you have presented a very clear picture of how to take apart and examine a concertina.

 

Well done!

 

I'm sure that many on the site who have been reluctant to take their instrument apart might be more encouraged to do so and feel more comfortable in the process.

 

I would only add that when taking the instrument apart, care should be taken to make sure the bolts are marked in a way that they are returned to the same holes from which they came.

 

regards,

[Alan Day]

Well done Henk,

A few additional points on concertinas I have opened up.

Sometimes the action board is screwed to the handle, the screws going through pillars.This is not a bad idea as it gives additional strength, as the handle is taking the pull force and not the fretwork.Also I have always removed the screws around a concertina as if I were removing the head of an engine, each screw given a small turn in sequence across the diagonals and not all unscrewed one side. If the action board or reed pan was warped it could cause cracking if the removal was uneven.This is just my theory it is something I have always done when taking a concertina apart.

Al

[Henk van Aalten]

I would only add that when taking the instrument apart, care should be taken to make sure the bolts are marked in a way that they are returned to the same holes from which they came.

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Also I have always removed the screws around a concertina as if I were removing the head of an engine, each screw given a small turn in sequence across the diagonals and not all unscrewed one side.

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Daniel, Alan

 

Thanks for your positive comments. I must admit that (for a great part) I made this page to find out if I am still capable to make such kind of illustrative pages. I was very active in making pages like this about 5-8 years ago. It's great fun!

 

Now to your quoted comments:

Daniel I mentioned in the page that I left the bolts in place, but I admit that this remark is maybe not clear enough. I will try to put in some extra words on this subject (but at the same time I would like to keep this page within one screen).

Alan, I follow your method when I open and close a concertina, but did not mention in on the page. I will try to include this as well.