helenjayne Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 help please. i have a leak or rather two. a hundred years of good use mixed with a dash of neglect has taken its toll on my poor anglo. how can i fix it? looks like its had a few before, some nicely repaired a few though that are more obvious. what can i do? any help will be very much appreciated helen x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Sylte Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Here are some good instructions for fixing leaks. You may not want to do it yourself using this method if it's a vintage concertina. http://www.concertina.net/gs_stagirepair.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Stout Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Take a look at the Concertina Maintenance Manual by David Elliott. It is also possible to get replacement bellows if the problems are too bad. I'll admit that I've had other people who know what they are doing do the work on my concertinas, but a certain level of patching sounds like it shouldn't be too hard. Take care to use the right materials so that what you do is reversable. Good luck-- patching the leaks can make a big difference in playability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 help please. i have a leak or rather two. a hundred years of good use mixed with a dash of neglect has taken its toll on my poor anglo. how can i fix it? looks like its had a few before, some nicely repaired a few though that are more obvious. what can i do? any help will be very much appreciatedhelen x Helen, If you are not happy with DIY, give Nigel Sture a ring. If it's major, he's not too far from you, if it's relatively minor, he might well be able to give you advice over the telephone, if you don't have the repair manual. Regards, Peter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Hi you can buy leather for patching from David Leese 'concertina spares' if you choose to have a go your self. Just be careful with adhesives tho. best of luck chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Edgley Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 (edited) There are several possible sources of leaks, including: the gussets , down at the bottom of the folds (valleys), the bellows gasket (where the bellows attaches to the body of the instrument), the pads, and the springs. Probably more than one of these is the culprit. If you at all handy with such things, by all means get the repair manual and have a go at it, yourself. Otherwise send it to someone who does repairs. However, if your instrument is a hundred years old, as you suggest, a bellows replacement is probably in your future. If you do manage to find and patch the holes, (assuming you have dealt with the pads issue), More will spring up almost immediately as the increased pressure inside the bellows puts more strain on the old and presumably dried out leather. Edited December 13, 2006 by Frank Edgley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenjayne Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 (edited) There are several possible sources of leaks, including:the gussets , down at the bottom of the folds (valleys), the bellows gasket (where the bellows attaches to the body of the instrument), the pads, and the springs. Probably more than one of these is the culprit. If you at all handy with such things, by all means get the repair manual and have a go at it, yourself. Otherwise send it to someone who does repairs. However, if your instrument is a hundred years old, as you suggest, a bellows replacement is probably in your future. If you do manage to find and patch the holes, (assuming you have dealt with the pads issue), More will spring up almost immediately as the increased pressure inside the bellows puts more strain on the old and presumably dried out leather. thanks for everyones help and suggestions. The main culprits are the corner creases of the bellows, one in particualr keeps blowing in my face. its so sad, sounded beautifual and strong only a few weeks if not days ago, now all of a sudden its sounding almost pathetic and tired. however. i cant stand adding new things to old things. not wanting to lean to fitting new bellows. will stick to patching, or getting it patched. Edited December 15, 2006 by helenjayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Hi did you try feeding the leather before playing the concertina. It may help to stop the leather spliting. may make it a bit more supple. chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenjayne Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Hi did you try feeding the leather before playing the concertina. It may help to stop the leather spliting. may make it a bit more supple. chris i wasnt aware they required 'feeding'. what do they prefere? im thinking sausages perhaps, what with it being an anglo-german. who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Dave EllioTT recommends 'Meltonian shoe cream' but I don't think you can get it these days but something similar. Sausages maybe but certainly not baked beans chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now