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I have an old concertina that by the looks of it most would throw it away. Buttons missing, strap damaged, bellows worn, but there is something that intrigues me about it and I'd love to restore it. I just think that sending it to a professional who could restore it properly would be prohibitively expensive.

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You mention several other items that need repair, but not the reeds?  I suppose the need to replace the reeds was implied by the original question, but what is their condition?  Missing, broken, rusty, dirty, or just out of tune?

 

I've not heard of anyone making traditional concertina reeds in shoes, except those builders who also manufacture their own concertinas.  The concertina reeds are considered to be a significant portion of the total cost of the instrument.  If you do find a source of reeds, make certain that they will fit your particular instrument.  The reeds and shoes for each particular note are not all identical in size and configuration from one maker to another.

 

I understand being intrigued by a particular instrument though, and it could be an interesting project.  But if your reservation about a professional restoration is the cost, I expect that your best course of action would be to have a professional restorer take a look at the instrument, to see what is really involved to either just bring it to playable condition, or to fully restore it, and discuss what each option actually would cost, as well as what portions of that project are advisable for you to take on yourself, either for you to learn or save on the overall cost.  You may indeed be advised that the instrument is a lost cause and not worth the expense, but you may find it will cost less than you fear, and in either case you should get some advice that aids your efforts or even prevents accidental damage from an ill-advised action.

 

I'm nothing like an expert though, just interested.  There are others who can much better advise you, including previous responders in this thread!

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Thanks for your reply Ted, I appreciate your help.

I'm not sure what condition the reeds are in, but judging by the state of the rest of the instrument I'd just assume they won't work. I also thought the reeds would be the most difficult part of the repair and therefore the most expensive. If I could gauge the price of the reeds I think it would go a long way to determine whether or not it's worth it to proceed. 

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Take the ends off and post lots of photographs of the innards and the outards then you might get some good advice on what needs fixing and how to do it.  Right now everyone is guessing at what you need to do.

 

You can use something like this to clean and de-rust the reeds:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fibreglass-Abrasive-Cleaning-Pencil-Refills/dp/B003YSWJDG

 

Judging by the photograph that you already posted it looks pretty good.  You should get a copy of Dave' Elliot's Concertina Maintenance Manual before doing any work on this box.  

Edited by Don Taylor
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2 hours ago, Daniel Hersh said:

I agree with those who say you should work with your existing reeds first - but to answer the original question, here's a source for new reeds: https://www.harmonikas.cz/en/dix-concertina-1#obsah .

 

Although they are unlikely to be the right size to fit an existing reed pan without a significant amount of work.

 

Generally the best thing is to clean up and tune the existing reeds. If a few of them have broken or heavily rusted tongues, a good restorer can easily make new ones to fit the existing frames. If one or two reed assemblies are entirely missing, you may be able to source a used one that is close to the right size and retune it to the right pitch, or some of the modern makers who make their own reeds can make a custom reed assembly to fit your existing pan. If a large number of reed assemblies are missing it is likely not going to be economical to repair.

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11 hours ago, alex_holden said:

 

Although they are unlikely to be the right size to fit an existing reed pan without a significant amount of work.

 

Generally the best thing is to clean up and tune the existing reeds. If a few of them have broken or heavily rusted tongues, a good restorer can easily make new ones to fit the existing frames. If one or two reed assemblies are entirely missing, you may be able to source a used one that is close to the right size and retune it to the right pitch, or some of the modern makers who make their own reeds can make a custom reed assembly to fit your existing pan. If a large number of reed assemblies are missing it is likely not going to be economical to repair.

 

I agree with all of this - I just wanted to answer the original question as a courtesy.

 

To the original poster: you wrote, "I'm not sure what condition the reeds are in, but judging by the state of the rest of the instrument I'd just assume they won't work."  Have you tried playing each button, one at a time, on both push and pull?  That will tell you whether each reed "works".

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On 8/22/2019 at 12:44 AM, Chris Ghent said:

Don’t give up on the reeds; clean them and de-rust them. 

Thanks for your reply, I was just about to ask how to de-rust when I read Don's post, thanks for that post also Don.

The photos I posted was not of the instrument in question, but rather another one that will play. The one that needs repair is in poor condition. Not only are you folks guessing what is needed to be done but so am I!!!  The reason I mentioned the reeds is due to it not making a sound. This could be due to the bellows but I'm not sure. I've been quite tentative due to inexperience but mostly condition.

On 8/22/2019 at 9:03 AM, Daniel Hersh said:

I agree with those who say you should work with your existing reeds first - but to answer the original question, here's a source for new reeds: https://www.harmonikas.cz/en/dix-concertina-1#obsah .

Daniel, I really appreciate your info as my own inexperience is becoming glowingly obvious!

On 8/22/2019 at 11:39 AM, alex_holden said:

 

Although they are unlikely to be the right size to fit an existing reed pan without a significant amount of work.

 

Generally the best thing is to clean up and tune the existing reeds. If a few of them have broken or heavily rusted tongues, a good restorer can easily make new ones to fit the existing frames. If one or two reed assemblies are entirely missing, you may be able to source a used one that is close to the right size and retune it to the right pitch, or some of the modern makers who make their own reeds can make a custom reed assembly to fit your existing pan. If a large number of reed assemblies are missing it is likely not going to be economical to repair.

Alex, thanks for your reply. I'm not even sure how a reed could get broken nevermind missing but I feel you are getting a true feel for the state of repair! No sound from the instrument at all is usually a bad sign, though those who have heard my playing may disagree. Not sure how buttons have gone missing, maybe during transport and although I do feel that the instrument is beyond economic repair, due to the high number of quality new instruments, I feel obligated to at least attempt some sort of restoration. 

Best case scenario would be a few buttons and possibly bellow repair rather than the seemingly more expensive reed replacement.

 

Thanks to all for your help and support. ?

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Just an update folks as I now have my hands on it. It was made by Rock Chidley, London and appears to be an English concertina with four, yes FOUR, bellows. I say appears because it plays several notes on the push and pull, at the same time!? and that is without pressing any buttons. On the plus side, there is only one button missing but the valves, some, not all, are lifting. There also seems a little damage to one side of the fret work. Not to mention the missing thumb strap!

Thanks again for all your help, much appreciated one and all!!!

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If you want to play ITM then this concertina, an EC with 4 fold bellows, is not for you.

 

If you want to learn how to restore a concertina then this would be a good one to practice upon.

Edited by Don Taylor
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13 hours ago, Don Taylor said:

If you want to play ITM then this concertina, an EC with 4 fold bellows, is not for you.

 

If you want to learn how to restore a concertina then this would be a good one to practice upon.

Thanks Don. I'm not sure what you mean by ITM though. I get the general feeling that it's maybe not the best quality of concertina, so I reckon you're right re: restoration, though it limits maybe what should be spent on it.

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If your plan is to keep costs down then new reeds should be the last thing you consider, they are the most valuable  part of the instrument. If the rest of the instrument is beyond repair, the reeds are the parts most worth keeping as spare parts.

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17 minutes ago, Irish Newbie said:

I'm not sure what you mean by ITM though.

 

It‘s a common acronym meaning „Irish Traditional Music“, played in a specific and well-established style, usually on a CG Anglo, as far as concertinas are concerned.

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