loose thumb strap on EC

[RonnyB]

The strap on my concertina keeps working loose looks like the middle screw has sheared off at the bottom and cant be tightened just held on by the other two screws .

Ron

[Geoff Wooff]

If the bolt has  sheared off ,or is not gripping  in the wood,  you'll need to  open up  and  take a good look  inside.  It is the long bolt that  takes the force of  pulling  on the strap. The little screws  alone  will   put too much strain  on the  end  plate.... which can be a big problem  for   wooden ends  but even in a metal ended  concertina  the  central  bolt  needs to  do its job.

 

 

 

If in doubt  as to what  you should do... consult  a   concertina repair person.

 

Good luck.

Edited July 31, 2019 by Geoff Wooff

[Wolf Molkentin]

I have once replaced the non-gripping central screws (LHS and RHS) with machine screws and nuts. I had to cautiously bore through the action board and drill out a hole for the nut in order not to compromise the tight seal. Worked perfectly well.

 

Caveat: You will need (or have to fit) a screw of the exaxt lenght, the nut would of course not have to sit entirely on the screw, which gives you a certain range for the lenght...

 

Best wishes - ?

 

Edited July 31, 2019 by Wolf Molkentin

[RonnyB]

Thank's I have got someone to look at it not a job to do myself

[JimLucas]

22 hours ago, Geoff Wooff said:

The little screws  alone  will   put too much strain  on the  end  plate.... which can be a big problem

 

Indeed!  I have seen an Aeola where the lack of the long screw (a result of a former "repair") resulted in the fretworked end being pulled apart.

 

The man who did the repair created a whole new end -- copying the original fretwork -- rather than try to put back together the pieces of the original end.

[SteveS]

6 minutes ago, JimLucas said:

 

Indeed!  I have seen an Aeola where the lack of the long screw (a result of a former "repair") resulted in the fretworked end being pulled apart.

 

The man who did the repair created a whole new end -- copying the original fretwork -- rather than try to put back together the pieces of the original end.

I have repaired a similarly damaged end, where for the lack of a long screw, the end was irretrievably damaged.

[Wolf Molkentin]

55 minutes ago, SteveS said:

I have repaired a similarly damaged end, where for the lack of a long screw, the end was irretrievably damaged.

 

That's what I had pictured myself too, and thus decided to better rely on machine screws, which is IMO the way the thumbstrap should have been secured right from the outset.

[d.elliott]

So many people seem to misread the purpose of the the long screws under the thumb strap and the finger slide. The damage that can result from omitting them, or fitting shorter screws can be catastrophic to the aged and brittle fretting. 

 

Equally, missing the spacing pillars and/ or omitting the  card shims on top of the pillars can be just as destructive. I know that working out the depth of the pillar and the amount of shimming is a bit of a faff, but it is important.

 

Dave

[SteveS]

On 8/4/2019 at 4:48 PM, d.elliott said:

Equally, missing the spacing pillars and/ or omitting the  card shims on top of the pillars can be just as destructive. I know that working out the depth of the pillar and the amount of shimming is a bit of a faff, but it is important.

 

Very true - conversely, I've seen too much shimming destroy an end.

Edited August 9, 2019 by SteveS

[RonnyB]

Good news took my concertina to Martyn White Essex www.melodeonrepairs.co.uk  who had to replace the missing post under the thumb strap drilled it and replaced the long screw ,it plays so much better now I can highly recommend Martyn for repairs.

Ron 

[RonnyB]

Thank you all for your advice 

Ron