As if I dont have enough projects on the go. I wish to learn how to repair then play this stunning instrument I purchased pre Covid

[David in Aust]

Greeting to you all where ever you are in the World. Thank you for allowing me to join your Forum. 

 

A quick bit of background on me:

 

a. in my whole life I had never played a musical instrument, not even a piano despite our family owning a upright French Metal framed Piano Circa late 1800's, that was there from the day I was born, for over 50 years of my 72 years alive.

 

b. around 2012, on way back home after visiting the love of my life for +18 years, whom was yet again back in Hospital,  I stopped at small 6 shop, shopping center; in Ringwood East, Victoria, Aust. for some food. Low and behold there was a new to me, Second Hand Collectables and Antique Treasure Chest Store that I could not resist looking it to. After wandering around for a while, this musical instrument caught my eye.  I was in a locked cabinet. The owner got it out, I cautiously explored it. I own many unique antique things, some family heirlooms, others I bought during my World travels with work. 

 

I had retired and this item was expensive for me at time, being approx $300, which was a due car registration payment.

However "It" called me as I cautiously tired to coax sounds from it. 

 

Bottom line I purchased this instrument with an over a number of months payment plan.

 

I am led to understand is a French Flutina style circa 1860's ? made by or sold by W. Winrow & Sons Accordeon Makes, Hollow Stone, Nottingham UK. per a label I located inside it.

 

It needs some TLC, and I have the life learnt practical skills to restore it. 

 

But I know there will be things Artisans that work with the materials the Bellows and Reeds are made of,  can guide me about. FYI what is the safest and best long term methods and materials/chemicals that would not degrade nor react badly with the what materials this beautiful instrument is made from.

 

I have started to read though the Forum posts last year and felt 2nd half of 2024 is now the time to allocate some hours/days to repair this instrument to playing order, then learn to play it over the next few years.

 

I have fallen in love with the musical piece Comptine d'Un Autre Été, and wonder how this could sound with this instrument ? Of course the old adage of walk before your run applies,

+ my 72yo fingers are not as flexible as they were in my youth.

 

I have attached some photos I took over 6 years ago; plus the link to my Imgur post from the time.  Sorry for their poor quality, & I need to take some new photos with a better camera.

 

Again thank you for looking at my post.

 

https://imgur.com/a/ckQay

 

[d.elliott]

It is a Flutina, not a concertina. I think you will need to make your own way with this one. Reed tuning will be as per concertina, ditto valves and pad facings. The rest will be applied common sense, and logical craftsmanship.

[hjcjones]

David has beaten me to it. This is a flutina, an early precursor to the melodeon (diatonic button accordion).  It is not a concertina, although it belongs to the same family of instruments and there are some similarities. A better place to ask for advice would be melodeon.net.  However I don't think they are much played these days, as the melodeon took over.

https://forum.melodeon.net/

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2024 by hjcjones

[Oberon]

He acknowledges it is a flutina in his post, it didn't seem like he was mistaking this with a concertina but just demonstrating his interest in repairing it and it's similarities to concertina repair. And indeed, it does have some striking similarities in parts of it's construction and some parallels may indeed exist with concertina repair. 

 

I wish good luck with your repair sir! Though you should also grab a concertina at some point, as they are different beasts overall even if there are some similarities. 

[DaveRo]

20 hours ago, David in Aust said:

I have fallen in love with the musical piece Comptine d'Un Autre Été, and wonder how this could sound with this instrument ?

 

8 hours ago, Oberon said:

...you should also grab a concertina at some point...

Perhaps a duet concertina?

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Try out that tune you quote on instrument, because all free reed instruments can play anything you want, other than the traditional approach, or repertoire.. limited only by the player🌝

[David in Aust]

17 minutes ago, SIMON GABRIELOW said:

Try out that tune you quote on instrument, because all free reed instruments can play anything you want, other than the traditional approach, or repertoire.. limited only by the player🌝

Thank you. I will need to do some repairs to it first to stop air leaks

[hjcjones]

24 minutes ago, SIMON GABRIELOW said:

Try out that tune you quote on instrument, because all free reed instruments can play anything you want, other than the traditional approach, or repertoire.. limited only by the player🌝

But limited more by what range of notes their instrument has. An instrument like this can play only a diatonic scale in one key, so any tune with accidentals may contain notes which the instrument simply doesn't have. Players can sometimes find workarounds to avoid the occasional accidental note, but more chromatic tunes, or tunes which modulate into different keys, are a problem and may be impossible.

 

I have only listened to a brief section of Comptine d'Un Autre Été.  From what I've heard the melody doesn't appear to have accidentals and may be possible on the flutina (although you might have to transpose it into the key of the instrument). However you won't be able to play the underlying chord sequence, as the instrument itself can't play these chords  That isn't necessarily a problem, it should still sound musical, but what you play won't sound quite like the piano versions.

[SteveS]

I have a flutina and the one thing that really got me stuck was the fact that the instrument plays in the opposite sense to the one-row melodeon - that is a push note on the one-row is pull note on the flutina.

 

A project I have in mind is to make new reed pans and arrange the reeds so that it plays as a one-row melodeon.

[Theo]

Quite a mix of advice  there!

I repair both concertinas and melodeons and find there is very little in common with the construction of a Flutina.  The reed pan is similar in its principles to a concertina reed pan but otherwise it’s best thought of aa a distinct  member of the free reed family. 

I have worked on a small number of Flutinas and I’ll share some of my experience.  Reeds and valves are very similar to concertina parts.  Mechanism is unique the the Flutina, and I’ve always found it very difficult to work on.  It’s fragile, and difficult to dismantle.  Bellows are beautifully made but the makers seem not to have considered how they might be repaired.  A bookbinder would have the skills and materials to do repairs.

I’ve now stopped even attempting Flutina repairs except for the simplest tasks.  If you want to learn free reed repair the Flutina is probably not the instrument to learn on!