Oberon Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 I'm not exactly positive on what the terminology for this specific leather component is yet, but I've found two leaks, both at where the binding strips interact with the butterflies and gussets. Please correct my terminology if youd be so kind! I've not had much trouble patching gussets and hinges, but I'm not sure how to proceed here (I'm not in a position to rebind bellows, mind you). I'd considered just trying to work a thin thin layer of pva into the seam and press it closed. Photo for reference. Its that arched line close to the corner, between the papers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Pearce Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 I believe you are referring to the 'Top run' leather. The wider strip of leather around each end is the 'End run'. The glue to use is personal preference. I have used PVA glue to fix these without any problems. Just put a little under the area of leather that is leaking. Smooth it down with your fingers to make it lie flat and expel surplus glue, just as you would for the gussets and hinges. Remove any surplus glue with a damp (not wet) cloth and leave it to dry. If you intend doing more work on your concertina, I suggest you invest in Dave Elliott's Concertina Maintenance Manual. Rod 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oberon Posted January 4, 2020 Author Share Posted January 4, 2020 Thank you kindly for your help, sir! I do have Dave Elliots book and have studied it as deeply as possible, and aside from that I refer folks in the industry and to articles on this site for many other issues, but I couldnt find anything that precisely discussed this 'run' interaction spot. So feeding a bit of glue into the seam will be appropriate after all? Excellent. I guess I should trust my intuition with that a little more, but when it comes to taking care of a very old instrument, I would prefer to double check with folks. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, measure twice, cut once, and all that. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Working a little glue in there will work. If it is an actual leak, putting a little negative pressure into the bellows will suck it into the hole. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oberon Posted January 5, 2020 Author Share Posted January 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Chris Ghent said: Working a little glue in there will work. If it is an actual leak, putting a little negative pressure into the bellows will suck it into the hole. Ooooh, I like that, brilliant! I had attempted to work it in and found it was a bit lackluster a result, but causing negative pressure sounds like it could do the trick. Man, thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 If you want it to suck in it needs to be thin glue but don’t over do it because it might gum things up inside. If the leak is where there is a tiny gather in the top run at the corner I will work the gather open a little more to allow glue to go in and then hold the gather shut (clothes peg) while the glue goes off 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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