Concertina Smelling

[JimLucas]

Never smelled anything like the Crabb that Mark Davies brought back from Ireland. Definitely major overtones of canal water.

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Well it didn't smell of canal water when I sold it to its former owner 25 years ago, and the nearest it has been to a "canal" in the meantime has been the ferry between Cleggan Pier and Inishbofin Island.

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Or is "Canal water" some sort of euphemism? Considering the Irish word for "water", I wonder if there is somewhere a Canal Distillery.

[Pete Dickey]

Well whatever the smell, it was really quite something. However it didn't seem too bad last time he had it with him.

 

Do you think at least some of the smell could have been caused by biological breakdown of the animal materials in the concertina, such as the leather and glue?

[Dave Prebble]

When it was new, my new Dipper smelt of mothballs. Does that help?

 

Chris

 

Hi Chris,

 

Maybe, just maybe, you have hit on the answer as to why we have to be so patient waiting for a Dipper and perhaps one reason they are so good ....

 

They must all be 'mothballed' to mature for at least three years before release

 

 

Dave

[Guest]

I was once told that a good way of getting the smell of stale tobacco out of an instrument case was to wrap it in newspaper for a week, and then wrap it fresh newpaper for another week, and repeat until the smell is gone.

 

I don't know if this would work for a concertina, and I certainly would hate to miss all that playing time whilst I waited.

 

For the record, my Norman concertina smells like leather.

 

Cheers

Morgana

[David Barnert]

I have an antique clay ocarina that smelled of mold and cigarette smoke when I got it. Someone suggested piping ozone through it to oxidize any biological matter that might be causing the smell. I wonder if it would be safe to do this with a concertina.

 

Edited for typo.

Edited April 30, 2005 by David Barnert

[Henk van Aalten]

Someone suggested piping ozone through it to oxidize any biological matter that might be causing the smell. I wonder if it would be safe to do this with a concertina.

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David

 

I certainly would not do that! As ozone has a very strong oxidizing power, organic macromolecules (a.o. in leather) will break down. The effect will be an accelerated ageing of the bellows. When organic dust is present, a mixture with ozone can even result in an explosion . Just the thought of it: an explosion inside your concertina !!

[JimLucas]

Just the thought of it: an explosion inside your concertina      !!

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And if you were playing heavy metal music at the time, you might be hit by shrapnel.

[RELCOLLECT]

And if you were playing heavy metal music at the time

 

I hate to admit it, but the first thing I did when I got my Jackie was sit down and figure out "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple....still one of the classic bass riffs of all time, in my opinion!

[brightfield]

I've recieved looks for smelling a concertina first

 

This was so far off the topic I thought we should start a new thread... when I recieved my Jackie (and still today) it smells strongly of something....is it cedar?

It rather reminds me of a cedar chest my parents had....or perhaps that was just mothballs? Anyway, it was quite pleasant, but I can't place what it is! Any thoughts?

 

Greg

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My Jackie doesn't seem to have much of a smell. Maybe its just my nose. I got those old anosmia blues. I just passed it to my wife to have a sniff and she says it smells of plastic.

 

(anosmia - Loss of the sense of smell)

[Mark Davies]

My John Crabb anglo still smells and has been put away in its case for a few weeks with a Lapsang Souchong tea bag(Twinings) placed either side of it.Has anybody got any better ideas?I'm sure if concertinas were like dogs the John Crabb would be very attractive to other concertinas!

 

PS;At a concertina smelling session in Crotty's pub during the 2004 Eigse Mrs Crotty Shay Fogarty's small scale Dipper anglo was voted the sweetest smelling instrument,smelling like a very high class perfume.

[Pete Dickey]

My John Crabb anglo still smells and has been put away in its case for a few weeks with a Lapsang Souchong tea bag(Twinings) placed either side of it.Has anybody got any better ideas?I'm sure if concertinas were like dogs the John Crabb would be very attractive to other concertinas!

 

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But your John Crabb doesn't smell as bad as it did by a long way!

 

I wonder if sprinkling some of that powder you put on carpets to get rid of dog smells would help, although you've got to vacuum it out afterwards- nothing like sucking a few pan supporting blocks into the hoover

[Stephen Chambers]

... Shay Fogarty's small scale Dipper anglo was voted the sweetest smelling instrument,smelling like a very high class perfume.

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You remind me of an Æola tortoiseshell Chidley-system duet that I was shown in London, maybe 30 years ago. K.V. Chidley, of Wheatstone's, had made it for his wife, and apparently it wreaked of her perfume for many years afterwards.

Edited May 3, 2005 by Stephen Chambers

[bigsqueezergeezer]

Had a surreptitious sniff of my concertina over the weekend, smelt of shoe leather and beer and smokey pubs.

 

The leather smell was significant, the rest was understandable, especially as I was in a smokey pub drinking beer at the time.....

 

Derek

[Stephen Chambers]

... The leather smell was significant, the rest was understandable, especially as I was in a smokey pub drinking beer at the time.....

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So, does that mean it smells of canal water ("eau de canal") the rest of the time ?

[bigsqueezergeezer]

Dunno mate, I haven't sniffed it in the boat. The boat (as far as I am aware) doesn't smell of canal water!

 

The canal water smells sweet enough where I moor, well most of the time anyway....

 

Derek J

 

That is meant to be a smilie with a snorkel.

Edited May 4, 2005 by bigsqueezergeezer

[Helen]

Clever use of smileys, Derek.

[Stephen Chambers]

And speaking of "smelling of canal water", I made a shocking discovery when I was up in Dublin on Friday, though perhaps I should first explain that I was born in Burton-on-Trent, "the brewing capital of England", renowned for the natural high quality of its water for brewing :

 

I was visiting offices beside the Grand Canal, when I was told that Guinness' draw their water supply from it, so its (filtered) canal water !

 

It's enough to make a bloke go back to Burton-on-the-Booze !

[Mark Evans]

Stephen, thank you for a morning laugh that nearly made me pass out. Believe I'll pass up the stout for a few days at least and stick to good Scotish "booze".