Show me those hand rest mods!

[PaulDa321]

I’ve got a 2017 Clare, which I mostly love, but for the tall thin buttons and the somewhat cramped inside row with my hand. I think they changed the buttons on later models. 
 

Anyways, I’ve been trying to get some more height in the hand rests and I’m interested in what people have tried to get more comfort in this department. Here’s some things I’ve done:

 

1.  Pipe insulation - a nice first step, but a little too bulky and constricting. Just putting a little piece under the contact point at the bottom of my hand feels good, but it’s annoying to manage. 
 

2.  Adding a riser to the bottom of the hand rest - this works great on the left side, but it makes it problematic for reaching the air button on the right side so I had to remove it. 
 

3.  Using a more flexible strap on the left and a stiffer strap on the right - I set the instrument on the left forward corner and for whatever reason, this arrangement seems to work better. 
 

4.  Pulling the strap behind the corner of the hexagon near the strap button - This pulls the strap further behind my hand nicely, but it bends the metal strap loop/guide in an awkward way. 
 

5. Using rubber hose to raise the hand rest - this is mostly a winner to add height to the right hand rest without affecting the air button, but it has some wiggle to it and doesn’t feel like a long term solution.

 

I’m considering making my own hand rests if I can locate some appropriate threaded brass inserts for the bottom strap screws. I would love to see any hand rest modifications—sophisticated or rough—that you all have tried!

Here are pictures of the riser on the left and the hose on the right. 

[Tiposx]

I have the Vintage model, which looks similar to your Clare. It had very long titanium buttons that waggled around. I took the nuclear option and made new buttons from aluminium. This cured the problem but it may not be an option for you.

The strap inserts are easy to turn from brass rod, with a knurled helical finish on the outside. Again you might need to find someone with a lathe.

[PaulDa321]

3 hours ago, Tiposx said:

I have the Vintage model, which looks similar to your Clare. It had very long titanium buttons that waggled around. I took the nuclear option and made new buttons from aluminium. This cured the problem but it may not be an option for you.

The strap inserts are easy to turn from brass rod, with a knurled helical finish on the outside. Again you might need to find someone with a lathe.

We spoke a bit about this option before—your results are fantastic and I would love to make that button swap, but I’m not at a point where I feel I could make my own buttons. Using power saws and sanders to make a new hand rest seems to be something I could do though. Hoping I can measure the strap screw at the hardware store and get a corresponding insert without having to make one. I have seen them for sale, pre-made. 

[Alex West]

On 3/18/2025 at 3:57 AM, PaulDa321 said:

Anyways, I’ve been trying to get some more height in the hand rests and I’m interested in what people have tried to get more comfort in this department. Here’s some things I’ve done:

I had this issue on one of my concertinas so made this handrest based on a Colin Dipper design.  It elevated the palm of my hand and changed the angle of attack of my fingers onto the inside row and was a big success.  I've made similar handles for other instruments, sometimes adding a thin strip of wood over the top, sometimes making entirely new shaped handles

 

Alex West

[David Lay]

This is my experimental rest on my Morse ESB.  I have not found that it is better that a simple 1" tall flat rest.  It feels like it is an obstacle when inserting my hand.  I do not like a rest shorter than 1" as it feels too small for my fingers if lower that that.

[David Barnert]

4 hours ago, David Lay said:

This is my experimental rest on my Morse ESB.  I have not found that it is better that a simple 1" tall flat rest.  It feels like it is an obstacle when inserting my hand.  I do not like a rest shorter than 1" as it feels too small for my fingers if lower that that.

 

Are you familiar with @Łukasz Martynowicz’s “antlers” arrangement?

 

 

 

Edited March 29 by David Barnert