Torn bellows - temporary fix

[fatt_mazio]

Accordion-player here, but had been interested in something more portable, and just recently acquired what appears to be a Lachenal 48 key English tutor. When I received it, however, the first fold (nearest the right end) of the bellows appeared to be glued together. Thinking that this may have just been sticky from years of sitting and potential sun/heat exposure, I took to prying it apart a little, only to find that the valley had fully torn. Is this glue a viable part-time fix? It essentially turned it into 4-fold bellows...

 

Anyhow, I took it apart and managed to partially seal it by throwing a little tape on the inside of the valleys, thinking the most likely way forward will be new bellows, and now have 5-folds, but a little breath-y sound to it...

 

I don't have a picture of when it was glued before, but have one below of how it looks now

 

I searched the forum a little but didn't find a specific situation like mine, so thought I'd join and make a post. Thanks for any insight!

[alex_holden]

No, I wouldn't call gluing a fold together a viable fix. New bellows are probably your best option, but it is possible to temporarily repair torn valleys by gluing new hinges on the inside of the valley (made from linen or thin flexible leather) and a strip of very thin leather into the valley on the outside.

[fatt_mazio]

Thanks Alex, more or less what I figured. I'll look into some spare leather parts, as I'll probably need to do patchwork down the line, but it seems that new bellows are probably in order.