Just When You Thought You Understood All The Problems...

[hielandman]

Don

 

Very brave for the following reasons:

 

1. It may not have been warpage that was the full cause of the problem

2. the reed pan chamber walls and gaskets are all hydroscopic and are also held together by water soluble glues

3. as an aerospace engineer we had to bench all machined components for dressing and certain stress management purposes, but as you know, good old wood does not work the same way as metalic materials

4. you may well have re-introduced an in-stability back into a stable if warped structure.

 

as I said very, very, very brave; I am glad ir worked out for you.

 

I would have adjusted pan height blocks and chamber gasket packings to make the system work

 

Dave E

 

Hello Dave

 

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your post, I have been busier than usual between work and life, but it is slowing down again....

 

No, I have to disagree with you about the bravery issue. I had no choice. This was not merely ghost notes, this was the three center holes on the top row of a 20 button sounding loud and clear. I had just repaired, revalved, repadded, and regasketed the entire instrument, and discoverd the problem upon final assembly and first test playing. The warpage was pretty bad,(in the action board, not the reed pan) and the support blocks couldn't go any higher, lest there be no room for the actual reed pan! As for the water, there being no gasketing on the action board, (save the pads), that wasn't an issue. The idea of dampening the entire structure was exactly to loosen everything up, as it was repositioned and clamped, it would take its new shape, and hopefully hold it. That being done, I was hoping for at least a flat action board, and, hopefully, a reverse warp, which would put extra pressure in the middle, where it was needed most, opposite of what I was faced with. I got the best I could hope for, a reverse warp, not too much, and it worked out very well, have not had a problem with it at all, and I shouldn't have in the future, I think.

 

I bought this particular concertina on ebay several years ago, and had some serious problems taking it apart. (I even posted on Cnet about the problem, and everyone refered me to Don Nichols, who helped a great deal, but not before I destroyed one end taking it apart) It then sat on my work bench(okay, the shelves over my work bench) for several years, and as your book states, we shouldn't keep it unbolted for fear of warpage, and that is probably how this occurred, though I am not sure, as this concertina never played right, having the pads and valves all shot when I received it. Anyway, this was a matter of desperate times calling for desperate measures, and when I looked at it, I could see no other way of dealing with it, save possibly taking the entire thing apart and making a new pad board(which I didn't want to do, and didn't think was necessary-though I might have gone that route had my idea not worked) Putting on another layer of gasketing I don't see as a secure or permanent fix, just a stop-gap measure. I would do what I did all over again, it is not as severe as it sounds, and it is a permanent repair. But, everybody handles things differently, based on their ideas, experiences, and abilities, I suppose. What do the french say, viva la difference'? or something like that ??

 

I would like to say in closing, that I then sent this concertina to Greg Jowaisas out in Kentucky for tuning and detail work, and he did a most excellent job of tuning, bellows repair, arm adjustment, etc...., was very reasonably priced, and with a very fast turnaround. Good communication all the way through, also. I was so happy I sent him another 20 button Lachenal with steel reeds(the one we have discussed so far was brass reeded), which he had for a week or so, and I received yesterday, and voila, another excellent job of tuning and detailing, he having seemingly infinite patience in areas where I have none, and fine skills in areas where I am lacking. I couldn't recommend him enough! I suppose this sounds like a commercial endorsement, but we can't do that here, can we? Anyway, take care, thanks for your help, and your kind words, and again, for your most excellent book, which I reference often, and read for enjoyment just as often! I look forward to your forthcoming book, take care,

 

Don