Climate Control

[greenferry]

How important is it to monitor the climate around the concertina? I remember reading a thread about bringing it in from the cold and waiting 30 minutes for it to adjust. But what about day-to-day humidity and dryness? Do people really open the box and look at a hygrometer every day? I just got Dampits for my son's guitar and fiddle, and I wonder if dryness can affect the wood ends of the concertina like it can the wood on acoustic instruments. Is moisture more of a problem? If it's really hot, can it crack the wooden ends if it dries out?

 

If I get a hygrometer, what's the best kind? Anybody have any experiences to share on hygrometers?

Edited December 28, 2005 by greenferry

[Mark Evans]

Barbara, I think humidity is the problem as I'm sure Richard Morse would say. I have one of the metal containers with silica gel beads from the Button Box. Does the trick in Spring, Summer and Fall. Fits right in the case. When the beads turn a pinkish color, time to throw the metal container in the oven for 350, about an hour later those beads will be a very dark hue of blue.

 

In our area, I don't think there would be enough dryness is homes to do the Albion damage. Them little reeds don't like rust , no way no how! As humid as it's been I've kept the silica beads in the case right along.

Edited December 29, 2005 by Mark Evans

[Jim Besser]

How important is it to monitor the climate around the concertina? I remember reading a thread about bringing it in from the cold and waiting 30 minutes for it to adjust. But

 

Just use common sense and don't get neurotic about it.

 

Initially I fussed excessively about temperature and humidity, but as a Morris player that was quickly beaten out of me. Now I try to avoid extremes with my good instrument, always keep it in the case when not playing and don't worry too much.

 

I once asked one of the best players I know how to take care of a good instrument.

 

"Play it every day, and play the hell out of it," he said.

[Chris Allert]

humidity conditions can and will damage your concertina depending on where you live and the make of concertina. bob tedrow used to have a photo on his site of a marcus concertina where the piece of wood that lines up all the buttons shrank after drying out, causing all the buttons to stick. i've heard it's more of a problem in climates with extreme dryness like the midwestern usa.

 

frank edgley wrote earlier on this forum about innovations he has made in construction methods to combat problems that happen when instruments dry out.

 

steven maurice (of iowa) told me that he kept a humidifier inside his (now sold) carroll concertina to keep it from drying out. maybe he'll chime in if he's still following this forum. (or maybe whoever bought his concertina can give more details)

 

i haven't heard of people in temperate coastal climates like seattle or ireland having trouble.

[Greg Jowaisas]

In the midwestern USA the real culprit is central heating. When we hit a stretch of cold weather where the temperature doesn't get above freezing for a week or more and nights are in the single digits (Fahrenheit) you can bet that the furnace is running most of the time. Unless your furnace has a means of introducing humidity to the air, all that warm, dry, forced air is drying out everything in the house. That includes your concertina and other instruments.

 

While I think sudden changes are the worst (I once had a skin banjo head split before my very eyes in northern Florida on a rare day when we got a blast of Canadian dry air!) a long dry winter can take a toll.

A humidifier in a designated instrument room can help. Bathroom doors open during showers can't hurt.

Controlling the instrument's immediate humidity in the case as has been suggested is usually the most practical strategy.

 

Best of luck during a long winter of practice.

 

Greg

 

PS. The desert can be unkind to instruments made in temperate England. I am still trying to straighten out a Lachenal that spent time in Needles, California on the edge of the Mojave Desert.

[Dave Gray]

If you live in a climate where your humidity is low (due to central heating) you might like to consider a solution for your whole house. check this out Whole House Humidifier.

I know it is expensive, but it's far cheaper than the vintage instrument(s) you are protecting.

I'm considering installing one. I investigated the in room humidifiers but didn't like the idea of continually filling them with water and the fact that they only humidify a limited space.

 

Dave

[Cream-T]

Dartmoor is so wet that we're running our dehumidifier pretty much all year round in order to keep the humidity in the instrument room (a few guitars, 2 harps, concertina, etc) between 40 and 50%. Sound like we could make a fortune exporting the surplus humidity to the dry Midwest...

[Mark Evans]

That magic 40-50% is important at least for pianos. In our performance hall we have a nice little grand piano that was suffering from the shift in humidity from summer through winter. It had caused a crack in the sound board and would soon start effecting the pin block.

 

I had a humidity control system installed on the beast with a sensor and computer that accesses the need and either turns on a heating element that runs over a reservoir of water with felt pads causing an increase in humidity or turns on a heating element under the long part of the sound board to dry things out. With a canvas cover on the piano all is now well to the point that I'm able to get by with only tuning the instrument twice a year. Bit much for a tina I'd think.

Edited December 29, 2005 by Mark Evans

[greenferry]

... Just use common sense and don't get neurotic about it.

 

... you might like to consider a solution for your whole house. check this out Whole House Humidifier.

 

You fellas are such a riot!

 

Wouldn't it be sufficient to buy a $300 remote sensor hygrometer, and put a wet sponge inside the case when it gets dry? (But don't mix it together with the container of dry rice ...)

 

[Mark Evans]

Quick call to the Button Box and your worries are over. You'll get book and verse for sure. I can't imagine them encouraging the sponge idea. True, your box has been living for the past few years in a bit more humid climate generally than ours, but it is most likely not worth worrying about.

[Frank Edgley]

I recently was sent a fairlynew instrument. The owner said that it had gone out of tune and some of the reeds wouldn't sound. When I took it apart, almost all the reeds had thick black rust on both sides of the blades. He said he had been humidfying it, but I can't imagine just what he had done. The inside of the case smelled of mould, and the edges of the hinges had rust on, as well. If you do humidify, do so with caution.

[Theo]

we have a nice little grand piano that was suffering from the shift in humidity from summer through winter. It had caused a crack in the sound board and would soon start effecting the pin block.

 

I had a humidity control system installed on the beast with a sensor and computer that accesses the need and either turns on a heating element that runs over a reservoir of water with felt pads causing an increase in humidity or turns on a heating element under the long part of the sound board to dry things out. With a canvas cover on the piano all is now well to the point that I'm able to get by with only tuning the instrument twice a year. Bit much for a tina I'd think.

 

But Mark, you could keep the 'tina inside the piano!