My new bellows project

[RAc]

Hi there,

 

as announced previously, I have tackled replacing the bellows on my Lachenal with self built ones. I have documented my progress so far here:

 

https://youtu.be/L-gQ0k7Qv3w

 

I am currently waiting for the next batch of 3D printed parts to arrive. I will hopefully post the next video demonstrating the further process timely.

 

Thanks for watching, appreciate feedback of any kind!

[RAc]

#2 in the series. I honestly admit that the main reason why I document and post this is to put myself under pressure to continue and eventually complete the project (too many of my projects have got shelved already). I do appreciate any input you can provide, thanks!

 

https://youtu.be/XhaQXWuGRdo

 

 

Edited Saturday at 07:29 PM by RAc

[fred v]

It seems to me that the rib frames will add a lot of unwanted thickness to the bellows. That may not make any difference when playing though. Like playing a 5 fold compared to a 7 fold.

[RAc]

Thanks for the input, Fred! Frankly, the 5mms were not chosen very deliberately except for those considerations:

 

1. I did not want to make them too thin so not to risk structural instability, so 5mm 

2. On conventional bellows (at least on my three Cranes), the width of the bellow peaks is not significantly less than 5mms (the double card stock plus the overlapping leather run, even though skived, plus the cambric tape hinge is not 0).

3. I need some surface for the fabric to glue on to, and that must hold reliably even when the bellows are heavily worked. Less than the 4mms left a contact face (as can be seen, I slightly tapered the contour) seems risky to me.

 

If my construction works out, the bellows, when fully compressed, will have practically 0 clearance between the ribs (as opposed to standard bellows where the hinge always enforces a slight "v" shape) but stretch out to 180°.

 

You've pinpointed one of the many question marks I have with regard to this project. Really curious whether and how it works out. From what I can tell, there was no previous work done in this approach, so I have to start from scratch and feed my experiences/findings/failures into the swarm intelligence stream.