Quick spring repair with a guitar string

[Yvon]

For some unknown reason, the spring of my air button was broken.
As I'm far from any repair shop (and from any shop anyway), I wondered if I could use the string of a guitar to make a new spring.
A simple jig made with a nail driven in a piece of wood has been used to shape the spring.
Suprisingly, my first trial was a success and my air button now works again as expected.

Needless to say that  I ordered a set of brand new springs with the hope I will not need them.
The concertina is a pretty new second hand Sherwood Marion that have not been used more than 6 months. I did'nt expect such a problem that soon.

Is anybody aware of issues with this brand of concertinas ?
 

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Yes that repair job will work, using a piano wire, etc..

I did similar last year to replace a weak spring myself.. nail on a bit off timber, to wind wire round a few times, trimmed off to correct length and it is still working today.

[wschruba]

I've used piano wire (literally, piano wire.  I believe 10/11/12g) successfully.  I also have phosphor bronze spring wire--you can usually buy it from industrial supply houses.  Piano wire should be readily available if you are around any city at all--look for piano technicians.  Piano wire will dull within a year, and will eventually rust, you should be aware.

 

Take note that buying wire by gauge can be tricky (each industry measures their wires differently).  Always confirm by inch/millimeter measurement, or by comparing with your actual needed product, if possible.

[Yvon]

It might be a silly question, but does "piano wire" always refer to real piano wire or is it a generic name to steel wires that look like piano wire ?

[alex_holden]

51 minutes ago, Yvon said:

It might be a silly question, but does "piano wire" always refer to real piano wire or is it a generic name to steel wires that look like piano wire ?

 

It's a generic name for high-carbon steel wire that has been hardened to a spring temper. Sometimes called 'music wire'. There are other kinds of steel or iron wire that aren't as strong or springy as piano wire.

[Leonard]

So not at all a silly question....

[Yvon]

19 hours ago, alex_holden said:

 

It's a generic name for high-carbon steel wire that has been hardened to a spring temper. Sometimes called 'music wire'. There are other kinds of steel or iron wire that aren't as strong or springy as piano wire.

Thanks, it will save me some precious money. I ordered 10 springs from Hopgoblin UK. The unit price was 0.3£ that I considered as reasonable  but with shipment the bill came up to 29€. Not enough, I had to pay 6€ of VAT (for a declared value of 2.5£) and and additional fee of 2€ for administrative task. The total amount paid is  37€ and tor this price the springs are not even gold platted (more than 30£).

I will definitely have learn how to make my next springs with so called piano wire.

[Duncan Luddite]

On 12/22/2024 at 8:10 PM, Yvon said:

Thanks, it will save me some precious money.

I will definitely have learn how to make my next springs with so called piano wire.

G'day Yvon, Check out good model R/C aeroplane shops. They should have a stand of K&S Metals music wire that will meet all your needs. It is in a large range of sizes from 0.3mm ish to over 6mm (being American manufacture they have the measurements in both metric and Imperial),  in 3 foot lengths, at very easy prices. So take a measument of your wire, or take in the broken spring, and find a strand that suits. I buy it here in Australia for pocket watch springs etc. Warning, It will blunt files and can dint lower quality wire snips, so a Dremel cut off disk, or similar can be required, and an abrasive stone or corundum abrasive paper used for smoothing off burs etc. at the cut end. And wear safety glasses while cutting and bending it. It is excellent wire.