inking on Buttons

[Stephen Selby]

For the 'beginner' concertinas that had the names of the notes stamped into the buttons, what was used to ink them in?

[Stephen Selby]

Huh! No answers!

 

So any suggestions? I don't want inks because they could leach into cracks in old buttons. It needs to be a paste that would set hard and be proof against sweat and wear.

[Devils' Dream]

Stephen: why not make a note chart and "learn" the buttons? There are plenty of them already out there and near all the method books have them. Or a lot of folks these days learn at first from tablature (Gary Coover has excellent and easy tabs).  Very few players, even absolute beginners seems to "need" the buttons marked...

(why exactly do you want to do this?)

[Wolf Molkentin]

1 hour ago, Devils' Dream said:

why not make a note chart and "learn" the buttons?

 

My understanding was, simply for historic accuracy conc. the given model ?

[Stephen Selby]

I'm restoring an 1880s Lachenal concertina to mint condition. I've even done the gold blocking on the straps. It's only for historical accuracy: I already know where the notes are ? 

[kenneads]

Hi Stephen. Something to consider would be Engravers Wax. Engravers use it to infill lines engraved on metal, mother of pearl, abalone and wood.

You can buy it here: https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Inlay_and_Pearl_Cutting/Laskins_Engraving_Filler.html or just google it.

Cheers

[alex_holden]

3 hours ago, kenneads said:

Hi Stephen. Something to consider would be Engravers Wax. Engravers use it to infill lines engraved on metal, mother of pearl, abalone and wood.

You can buy it here: https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Inlay_and_Pearl_Cutting/Laskins_Engraving_Filler.html or just google it.

Cheers

 

I know someone who does something similar with home-made sealing wax to decorate the handles of wooden spoons. I believe she over-fills the engraving with molten wax, then scrapes it flush after it hardens.

http://www.chatquilit.com/spoons.html

[Devils' Dream]

Stephen, my ignorance...

Related question, tho, regarding "restoring":  cannot "original" buttons be found?

[Stephen Selby]

Thanks for that advice. How do you think those letters were put on the buttons in the first place? Surely not carved? Pyrography (burned in with a brand)?

[Don Taylor]

If the numbers were branded into the tops of the buttons then maybe that is also how they were blackened, by being burned.

[Roger Hare]

On 5/3/2019 at 6:38 AM, alex_holden said:

 

I know someone who does something similar with home-made sealing wax to decorate the handles of wooden

spoons. I believe she over-fills the engraving with molten wax, then scrapes it flush after it hardens.

http://www.chatquilit.com/spoons.html

This sounds a little like the technique used on high quality Japanese chess pieces. to 'fill-in' the engraved kanji.

The point being that the Japanese use 'lacquer' for this - perhaps the OP should look at 'lacquer' for this

application?

 

Roger

[JimLucas]

21 hours ago, Devils' Dream said:

Stephen, my ignorance...

Related question, tho, regarding "restoring":  cannot "original" buttons be found?

 

Any "original" buttons from some other vintage concertina may be expected to be similarly "worn".

 

I assume that these are the original buttons, but that (some of) the coloring in the incised lettering on the buttons has eroded (from contact with previous players' fingers) and that Stephen wants to restore these original buttons to their former glory (coloring and contrast).

[Devils' Dream]

I understand.  Not likely to find near "NOS" from the 1880's....

Is there a picture of what Stephen is looking to do, i.e. the originals anywhere, that I could see (cure my ignorance) 

[Stephen Selby]

I've ordered the wax from Stewmack and I'll let you see my test run.  I have a lot of worn old EC buttons to test on.