Bob Tedrow Posted May 24, 2005 Posted May 24, 2005 31 button c/g Anglo; d/d drone; mahogany body; Aeola style; sunburst burled maple ends; Jeffries fretwork with matching mahogany case http://hmi.homewood.net/hath
Greg Jowaisas Posted May 24, 2005 Posted May 24, 2005 Outstanding work, Bob! How about a close up of the case label? Greg J
Mark Evans Posted May 24, 2005 Posted May 24, 2005 Beautiful. Does the case have a handle? I would love to see a close up of the label as well.
Bob Tedrow Posted May 24, 2005 Author Posted May 24, 2005 I have not decided about a handle. I built two with leather handles that connect over the top, secured to the sides. I like the simple design. The label is just my business card, nothing to fancy. Does the veneer look good on your computer screen? It's purty in real life but my photography may not do it justice. It is the same veneer as the top of the concertina.
Chris Timson Posted May 24, 2005 Posted May 24, 2005 This is going to sound carping with the case being so beautiful and all, but as it is it rather encourages the owner to store their concertina on end, which I was always told was not a good idea because of the effect it had on the valves. Ay de mi, but it is pretty though. Chris
d.elliott Posted May 24, 2005 Posted May 24, 2005 I was going to make the same comment as Chris, but he got there first. Its a superb bit if craftsmanship, and a fitting (sorry about the pun) tribute to the instrument within, but..... Bob, do the valves used on accordian reeds not have the same vulnerability? are these valves supported by plastic flap springs, or are they just synthetic? Is this droopy valve concern just not an issue on your design of instrument? Dave E
Bob Tedrow Posted May 24, 2005 Author Posted May 24, 2005 I have a few questions on this issue. If you place a concertina on it side are not some valves "upside down" no matter how it is positioned? Are they not arranged in a radial manner on a traditional concertina? Is it not so that the only position in which a valve is not affected by gravity is when the concertina is on its end and the valve is parallel with the earths surface? Are not good valves designed not to fall away from the vent? Can the owner of a concertina not store the concertina however he wishes in any case that has a flat side?
JimLucas Posted May 24, 2005 Posted May 24, 2005 Is it not so that the only position in which a valve is not affected by gravity is when the concertina is on its end and the valve is parallel with the earths surface? No. Just the opposite. When the length of the valves is parallel to the Earth's surface is when the effect of gravity is greatest, pulling the upper valves down against the reed pan, but pulling the lower valves away. Only the one end actually pulls away, of course, since the other end is glued, but that's what causes the valve to develop a permanent curl, such that the free end stands away from the reed pan even when the instrument is held in the playing position. On the other hand, when the valves -- whether arranged radially or in rows on the reed pan -- lie in a plane perpendicular to the Earth's surface, then the component of gravitational force pulling them away from (or toward) the reed pan is zero, so they won't move, and they won't develop a "curl". (I said this using other words in this post.) Are not good valves designed not to fall away from the vent? I know of no way to "design" something to be insensitive to gravity. Can the owner of a concertina not store the concertina however he wishes in any case that has a flat side?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Indeed, but the design can influence what he "wishes", by making one side appear more appropriate than the other sides, and I think your design does that.
JimHarvey Posted May 24, 2005 Posted May 24, 2005 First we had ceiling fans and now we have gravitational forces and vectors. Concertinas are much more complicated than I thought! No one told me about an educational requirement to play them.
Chris Timson Posted May 24, 2005 Posted May 24, 2005 First we had ceiling fans and now we have gravitational forces and vectors. Concertinas are much more complicated than I thought! They are that! I think there is a natural law in operation here, along the lines of "complexity expands to match the number of concertinas available", (Timson's free-reed corollary to Parkinson's Law). No one told me about an educational requirement to play them. No-one told me either. Oh dear ... Chris
RELCOLLECT Posted May 25, 2005 Posted May 25, 2005 Are we overthinking here? How long would this take to affect the valves? If we're talking harming the instrument in a year or two, that's bad...if we're conceeding that most concertinas are playable 50+ years later and have been stored God alone knows how, then should we really be worried? Replace the springs every couple decades or so. Forgive my ignorance if this is a stupide set of questions....
JimLucas Posted May 25, 2005 Posted May 25, 2005 Are we overthinking here? How long would this take to affect the valves? If we're talking harming the instrument in a year or two, that's bad...if we're conceeding that most concertinas are playable 50+ years later and have been stored God alone knows how, then should we really be worried? Replace the springs every couple decades or so.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> One of the marvelouos things about Wheatstone-Lachenal-etc.-design concertinas is that if properly cared for, they do not have to be given a major overhaul every decade or so. The valves on a 100-year-old concertina that's been stored in the right position don't curl. I don't actually know how long it normally takes the valves on a concertina that's stored on its end to curl, but I have one instrument with new-looking replacement valves that are curled, and it came in such a case. As for springs, in my experience, replacing one spring -- never mind the whole set -- on even a 150-year-old concertina is the exception rather than the rule. That being the case, why would I want to have springs that need replacement in a decade or so?
RELCOLLECT Posted May 25, 2005 Posted May 25, 2005 Jim: Since all I have is a soft case, what about rotating the "down" end? Alternating left and right ends down would negate the effect, wouldn't it? (Providing of course, that the box spends equal amuounts of time in each position) 2 day w/ gravity pulling down the valve, then 2 days pulled flat, etc.... I don't want to store this on it's side, as it tends to roll that way....
JimLucas Posted May 25, 2005 Posted May 25, 2005 Since all I have is a soft case, what about rotating the "down" end? Alternating left and right ends down would negate the effect, wouldn't it? (Providing of course, that the box spends equal amuounts of time in each position) 2 day w/ gravity pulling down the valve, then 2 days pulled flat, etc.... I really doubt that rotating like that would help, though it might slow the curling process and cause both sets of valves to curl. If you've ever tried to straighten a curled ribbon, you must know that what's needed is more than just pressing flat, but a curling in the other direction. I don't want to store this on it's side, as it tends to roll that way....<{POST_SNAPBACK}> May I suggest that when you're storing it -- at least at home -- you put the case in a box. The box shouldn't roll.
RELCOLLECT Posted May 25, 2005 Posted May 25, 2005 I'm obviously a little slow. Sorry to trouble you, but I do appreciate the explanation. I mistakenly assumed that gravity would curl the pad down (away from the mounting) on one end, then "uncurl" it TOWARDS the mounting when reversed...
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