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W J Thomas 2 row


jim troy

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Is W J Thomas a recognized maker or could it be a Lachenal.  It looks a bit like one I have.   Serial # 16946 which is labelled as Barnett Samuel      I have a photo here somewhere.  

IMG_0070.thumb.JPG.2420761b4908f9e3d2b04bc0cf13c595.JPG

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I have just become the owner of this, so I can start stripping to fix the leaky bits.

It does play, although leaking like the new time, but has a nice ould fashioned sound.

The buttons on both sides, have a number stamped on each one

 

Should I post pictures of the pan, etc. ?

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Yes indeed, Gedi, looks identical, even to the odd looking partial shading of the wood.

Had an interesting evening applying wax to the pad thingy, on No 1,  having stolen bits of wax from a crashed out accordion.

 

Any recommendation as to what to ask for, and which type hardware store, as regards wax for fixings ?

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A word of caution Jim.     Any lubrication may attract dust & grit which may be detrimental to your instrument.    Please read as much about maintenance on this site before proceeding. 

I am a new member too since september, '18  and find these guys & girls a wonderful forum with a vast amount of experience and knowledge.   All given with a generous helpful intent on enjoying our concertinas well into the future.   Another great resource is David Elliott's book on concertina maintenance and repair.    Cheers Gerry

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13 hours ago, jim troy said:

applying wax to the pad thingy, on No 1

I don't understand what you are saying here.  A picture would help a lot.

 

I would be surprised if (accordion) wax was used anywhere in your concertina so be very careful that you do not ruin a vintage instrument.

 

If you really need wax then you need accordion wax and not some stuff that you buy at your local hardware store, google 'accordion wax' to find an online supplier if there is not an accordion repair shop locally.

 

Do not even think of using modern high tech glues like super glue or epoxy.  PVA is sometimes used, but it is not reversible.  Animal glues like fish glue and hide glue are safe bets.

 

Since you are in Ireland, there must be someone nearby who knows about concertinas...

 

Don.

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Best I can do with my Lenovo 7''

The blob on the pad thingy, is definitely wax, and that's what I meant as regards what to look for, in the field of waxy supply.

 

Someone nearby who knows about concertinas...

You couldn't throw a nine coupler, but you'd hit one.

 

That said, I would like to know the maker and year of this 

Tipping around with it, I get the feeling it's like playing flat pipes.

Everything is in B or C.

 

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Jim

 

Your picture did not show up but ...

 

Assuming that you are talking about a round leather and felt pad that raises and lowers with an arm ultimately attached to one of the buttons then these are not normally attached with wax, probably because the wax would not last too long being flexed repeatedly.  There are various schemes but there is usually a small round leather grommet or doughnut at the end of the lever arm and this grommet is glued to the top of the pad.  This is one area where PVA glue is appropriate because it is an easily replaceable part that needs replacing every few years (or decades!) anyway.  If it has wax there then somebody in the relatively recent past has used wax instead of glue.  If so, then a temporary fix would be to melt the wax with a soldering iron and re-seat everything.  You will not be able to glue anything that has been waxed already.

 

At some point I suspect that you, or a subsequent owner,, will need to replace the pads and glue them properly.

 

As far as tuning is concerned.  There are lots of diagrams available on the internet for what Anglo concertina buttons should play.  Yours might be transposed to a different pair of keys instead of the usual C/G but the notes should still be in the same relative positions.  When you play the buttons labelled for a C scale then you should still get a recognizable major scale but maybe starting on a different note.

 

Another thing you can do is to download a tuning app on your Lenovo 7" and make up your own map of what notes the buttons actually play. 

 

Assuming that your buttons play a different, transposed scale from a common C/G concertina then you can still use any tutorial book for a C/G to learn to play your concertina as long as you do not try to play along with other folks who are playing a regular C/G.

 

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As someone who had no idea when first looking at the brown 'gloop' over the little leather grommets which hold the levers to the pads, I wonder whether what Jim is thinking is wax is actually globs of hide glue.  I thought it was a form of accordion wax when I first saw it.  Similar colour and consistency and no where as neat on my old Crane as the images of modern ones....

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