Early Wheatstone Construction

[Howard Mitchell]

I posted these pictures, amongst others, in the "Oldest Wheatstone in Private Hands" thread.

 

It was suggested that they might also be relevant here, especially as the aforementioned thread was getting a bit long to follow and the pictures may have got lost in the noise.

 

 

It's Wheatstone serial number 38. I hardly think that any of the modern makers will take up this mechanism.

 

Howard Mitchell

[Paul Groff]

Howard,

 

I don't want to take us away from the title topic, but to respond to your last comment, Klaus Gutjahr was making English Concertinas with a wooden-levered action, square pallets, and springs that push down on the pallet end of the levers. I have only seen a photo in Concertina and Squeezebox (28:30, 1992-3). The action is not quite the same as in your photo (which seems to show the pallets jointed where they meet the lever).

 

Is the instrument in your photo the only Wheatstone Neil had seen with this kind of action?

 

Paul

[Howard Mitchell]

Paul,

 

The levers are connected to the pallets by flexible pieces of leather, not jointed as such.

 

I don't believe Neil had seen this type of action before.

 

Howard

[Paul Groff]

Howard,

 

Thanks for the clarification. I meant jointed in that sense - with an articulation point that allows movement of those two parts relative to each other. It also looks as though only one side of the pallet is lifted by the lever, and that the other is secured down. This differs from Gutjahr's action, in which the whole pallet is lifted free of the pallet-board (soundboard, padboard) by the lever, acting against a downward-pressing spring.

 

Paul

[goran rahm]

I hardly think that any of the modern makers will take up this mechanism.

Howard Mitchell

 

Depends if you mean an exact copy of it or particular features in principle?

It has got two solutions which are not at all strange themselves:

1) a forked stable lever post. The principle has some definite advantages and has been used

2) the periferic located long arm springs. This also has been used. Spring action is 'safe' and causing no friction. Accurate spring force/valve tightness is easily provided. Springs are not interferring with levers or buttons

 

Goran Rahm

[Howard Mitchell]

Paul,

 

yes the pallets are hinged at the outer edge so they don't lift in the way that modern pads do.

 

Howard

[Robin Harrison]

Howard,does this Concertina play...if so.how does it sound ?

Robin

[Stephen Chambers]

As I was trying to say, ...

... [this instrument], XXXVIII must be the oldest-known concertina with fretwork. When you consider that the earliest (known) numbered instrument, XXXII, was made with open pallets, then this must be one of the very first to have had its action covered. (Which is probably just as well, as the mechanism looks extremely fragile. Maybe this particular action is the reason why they introduced "frets" in the first place ?)

 

Historically this is a highly significant instrument, because of its fretwork, even if the mechanism seems to have been only an experimental one, which was not developed.

 

Klaus Gutjahr was making English Concertinas with a wooden-levered action, square pallets, and springs that push down on the pallet end of the levers.

 

These features all appear in William Wheatstone's patent, no. 2289, of 14th September 1861.

 

Wooden levers were also employed by Wheatstone's on two, of the four known, open-pallet model concertinas, an unnumbered example (with ivory pallets) in my own collection, and number XXXII (with pearl pallets) mentioned above. However, the other two surviving examples (Captain Gardnor's, and the one recently purchased by the Met'.) have saddle-mounted nickel levers.

Edited January 27, 2004 by Stephen Chambers