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If You Could Design Your Own Concertina Case...


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I have seen cases of this sort protect the instruments inside in spite of various forms of "abuse", including:

... Impacting various objects, while swinging from a shoulder strap.

... Being knocked from a table to a concrete floor.

... Falling from the top of a car as it drove off.

... In two cases (pun acknowledged), being driven over by a car.  In both these instances the case was destroyed, but the instrument suffered minimal damage.  In the one, a small area of the fretwork caved in.  In the other, one thumbstrap thumbscrew was sheared off even with the wood of the end, but otherwise there was not even a scratch.

Jim, good buddy, remind me never to lend you my instrument.

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I have seen cases of this sort protect the instruments inside in spite of various forms of "abuse", including:

... Impacting various objects, while swinging from a shoulder strap.

... Being knocked from a table to a concrete floor.

... Falling from the top of a car as it drove off.

... In two cases (pun acknowledged), being driven over by a car.  In both these instances the case was destroyed, but the instrument suffered minimal damage.  In the one, a small area of the fretwork caved in.  In the other, one thumbstrap thumbscrew was sheared off even with the wood of the end, but otherwise there was not even a scratch.

Jim, good buddy, remind me never to lend you my instrument.

David, good buddy, I didn't say those cases were mine, in my possession, or under my care at the time of impact.

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I'll add my soft-case opinion here...

 

I use a Tamrac lense/accessory case (don't remember the number) and have for the past 8+ years. It is padded internally and I have added a plywood bottom (for shape) with some closed-cell foam padding over that (where the concertina always rests). The case has room for some extras (preamp, mic cable, screwdriver, tums, batteries, bones, etc.). This bag holds up really well (very heavy cordura) and has the most important benefit, a shoulder strap. I have replaced the strap a coupld of times (it gets the most wear) and really like the Eagle Creek 'best strap in the world' (or some such).

 

I appreciate the tales of bangs, falls, bumps, trips off a car roof, etc. My Suttner has made a trip or two to the pavement in the bag (unscathed), which tends to roll as it hits the ground, oddly enough. However I feel strongly that a case (soft side or not) that isn't too big/heavy -and- has a shoulder strap keeps the concertina close to your body the most (which affords the most protection, accident and theft). You don't tend to leave it on the car roof, under a chair, or in the aisle. It's just too easy to sling it over your shoulder.

 

Oh additionally, make sure that whatever case you use/build, it fits conviently where you normally travel (car, airplane, train, etc.).

 

;) And an additional bonus I've found is when on a plane I am carrying a (wink, wink) expensive camera that -must- (and is normally allowed) be with me (underseat or wherever). AA seems to use this the most (don't tell the stewardess it's an instrument, which enjoys no special handling, but that it's a camera, which can be treated with special care apparently).

 

~dave

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I have had this problem. I use a square silk scarf, which I place inside the case, then put the concertina inside the scarf. Diagonally opposite corners can be knotted.

 

- John Wild

 

John, dear man, you've solved a problem for me. I've recently acquired a concertina with its original hexagonal, end-standing case. I'd like to keep the instrument in this case, but am aware of the need to "lay it on its side". I've bought a bag to keep the it in the right orientation, but was turning over in my head how to extract the instrument from the case with minimal strain to the bellows. I have the perfect scarf for the job, too! If the whole thing seems rather fancy dress, then believe me, the instrument is worth it!

Samantha

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The foam should be covered with fabric, as well as being of a sort that doesn't deteriorate for many decades, at least.  Or... no foam at all.

 

None of my hard cases have padding.

They all have blocking, to hold the instrument firmly in place.

In all cases, the blocking is wood, not foam.

They all have the interior lined with velvet or something similar, which also covers the blocking material.

My Wheatstone case contemporary with David's has wood blocking, and no foam.

A hard case without padding or any shock-absorbing material will transfer an outside impact almost directly to the concertina. In a previous post I described what the result can be.

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John, dear man, you've solved a problem for me. 

I have the perfect scarf for the job, too! If the whole thing seems rather fancy dress, then believe me, the instrument is worth it!

Samantha

 

Glad to be of some service - at least you will not have to explain how you come to have a silk scarf. :rolleyes:

 

- John

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The hard shell helps disperse exterior energy across the surface of the case. If that's all you're worried about, padding isn't so important. However, the energy is also interior, as the instrument's inertia is resisted by the impacted object. Extensive blocking might provide enough surface area to disperse enough of the energy, but I prefer firm padding in addition to extensive surface coverage, so the energy is dispersed both by the elasticity of the foam and the surface area. With only blocking, the acceleration of the instrument is awfully fast: it goes from whatever speed it was traveling to a complete rest in VERY little time, so delicate parts could be jostled around. With foam, you cut that acceleration down considerably.

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Someone early wrote that theywere thinking about lining their case with velvet.

A word of warning against that. The dyeing process for many velvets uses a

sulfur based agent. The off-gas from velvet causes metal to tarnish faster, which

wouldn't be good for your concertina (especially for one with metal ends).

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An easy(ish!) way to make a hexagonal case is to rout 60 degree V grooves most of the way through a thin sheet of MDF at the required corners. Apply glue to the grooves (except the one which will be hinged) and then bend the sheet round to form the hexagonal tube.

 

Corrugated cardboard panels covered with fabric are lightweight, slightly shock absorbant and can be mounted on each internal face with doublesided carpet tape.

Edited by sloth linow
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What would your ideal concertina case be like? 

 

I use an old smallpipes case with added partitions. Minimal padding, fairly rigid foam about 2cm thick under velvet lining. Holds 2 concertinas (baritone and treble), the usual assortment of tools and leaves enough room for 3 bacon sandwiches ................ ideal for me!!

Edited by sympathy
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Someone early wrote that theywere thinking about lining their case with velvet.

A word of warning against that. The dyeing process for many velvets uses a

sulfur based agent. The off-gas from velvet causes metal to tarnish faster, which

wouldn't be good for your concertina (especially for one with metal ends).

 

Thanks for that. Thank goodness both my concertinas are wooden ended!

 

I must say though, that I've not noticed any problem with my own instruments in velvet lined cases & it's a common enough lining for pipes cases.

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The dyeing process for many velvets uses a sulfur based agent. The off-gas from velvet causes metal to tarnish faster, which wouldn't be good for your concertina (especially for one with metal ends).

I must say though, that I've not noticed any problem with my own instruments in velvet lined cases & it's a ommon enough lining for pipes cases.

Well, Patrick said, "many" velvets, not "all". Maybe it's a matter of using the right kind of velvet (one dyed without sulfur), just as one needs to select the proper wood, steel, leather, etc. for best results in making the different parts of the instrument.

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  • 2 years later...

I have a wooden box which I'd like to turn into a concertina case. It needs the interior "furniture" so I am reviving this thread to invite further comments.

I am mulling over this question at the moment:

Wooden blocking

or

Expanded polystyrene covered with an appropriate fabric

or

packing foam (as used in camera cases, etc)?

 

Any suggestions?

Samantha

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When I made the case for my main session instrument I used corregated cardboard to provide a lining with a little give (about two layers between the instrument and the wood of the case). I made the blocking by gluing layers of corregated cardbord and then trimming them to shape with my bandsaw. The whole thing then got a layer of quilt batting and got covered with velvet. It gives me a snug case which has nothing hard in its interior to damage the instrument and which keeps it secure. I'll admit that the reason I used corregated cardboard was that I had a lot of it around because of the shipping boxes that mail order stuff (including the concertina I was making a case for) came in and that I find cardboard easier to work with than foam. I also remembered reading an article in some craft magazine about making furniture using correcated cardbord glued together and then brushed for a soft finish.

 

There's a picture of this case in my post at

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php...ost&p=35551

Edited by Larry Stout
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