Bellows Cards, Continuous Or Individual?

[stella24]

Would like some opinions from you who play and/or have constructed bellows made in the style of continuous card folds and also the individual folds. Is it true that the anglo bounce style of playing lends itself better to the stiffer, less sideways movement of the continuous card fold, and english better with separate folds? i know anglos are also made with separate cards. Another advice topic: in the better old bellows cards, the outside tops are shaved so as to thin the fold for the leather laying. Any thoughts as to how to shave the card in a manner that is precise and uniform would be much appreciated. (it was done in 1865!) wes.

[Richard Morse]

Any thoughts as to how to shave the card in a manner that is precise and uniform would be much appreciated. (it was done in 1865!)

We use a hand skiver and a sheet of glass as a bed.

 

-- Rich --

[stella24]

Richard, thank you for the fast response. I assume this is a leather skiving tool? Any opinions on the other topic? w.

[Larry Stout]

In my limited experience with English concertinas the bellows made from individual cards as used in my Wheatstones are much more responsive thatn the folded cards used in my Stagi. But then that's not really a fair comparison, is it? Did any of the vintage makers use a folded continuous card for the bellows?

[Stephen Chambers]

Only very cheap instruments were made with continuous card for the bellows, but Anglo bellows should be of a heavier construction than English ones.

[Robin Harrison]

I don't think any of the top quality bellows are or were fabricated with continuous cards.Bouncy anglo playing comes from a bouncy anglo player . Robin

[Chris Ghent]

Another advice topic: in the better old bellows cards, the outside tops are shaved so as to thin the fold for the leather laying. Any thoughts as to how to shave the card in a manner that is precise and uniform would be much appreciated. (it was done in 1865!) wes.

 

Was the thinning of the cards at the top done for any reasons other than aesthetic ones..?

 

Chris

[Dana Johnson]

Another advice topic: in the better old bellows cards, the outside tops are shaved so as to thin the fold for the leather laying. Any thoughts as to how to shave the card in a manner that is precise and uniform would be much appreciated. (it was done in 1865!) wes.

 

Was the thinning of the cards at the top done for any reasons other than aesthetic ones..?

 

Chris

Thinning helps to reduce the radius the top strip of leather wraps over as well as allowing the the increase of thickness toward the center of the strip in the skived leather to be countered by the decrease in the skived card top, leaving something less bulky and essentially paralell sided. As the bellows closes, the leather over the peak tends to be stretched, and the thicker the upper portion of the card there the more the stretch, and hence difficulty of closing the fold completely. This can be accomodated in different ways ( grain orientation of the leather, or gluing the top strip on when the fold is nearly closed ) but having thin card at the top reduces the opposite effect of resisting opening as the leather tries to bunch at the top. In any case, the top of the fold should have a peak of some degree at least rather than being squared off card to help create a nicely rounded peak once the leather is applied. Also the leather at the very top should be in contact or nearly so with the inner hinge ath the peak joint to bring the bending radius as close to zero as possible to reduce the stretching on closing of the fold.

Dana