Restoring Old Concertina Reeds

[Jack Bradshaw]

Is there any way to restore old reeds...is there any solution which will soak off old rust and brass corrosion from salvaged reeds and reed shoes ???

 

Admittedly, there would probably be some metal loss and retuning is a given................

 

Jack

[McIsog]

Is there any way to restore old reeds...is there any solution which will soak off old rust and brass corrosion from salvaged reeds and reed shoes ???

 

Admittedly, there would probably be some metal loss and retuning is a given................

 

Yes. You will need to retune. This will remove rust: http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81756-Naval...e/dp/B0007TQW5G

Remember to rinse it off after some time.

 

Though some suggest just leaving it. If it gets in the way of the reed rendering or singing - you may just want to file the edges of the reed till it plays, then working on its tuning.

 

Have fun!

 

Dan

[david robertson]

Is there any way to restore old reeds...is there any solution which will soak off old rust and brass corrosion from salvaged reeds and reed shoes ???

 

Admittedly, there would probably be some metal loss and retuning is a given................

 

Jack

 

Dave Elliott recommends a fibreglass pen - it's like a propelling pencil, but with a bundle of glass fibres instead of a lead. (Available from Maplins.) It works well on light corrosion, but does leave a blizzard of tiny bits of glass fibre in its wake - wear gloves, and try not to breathe in! I find that a shim and a slip of fne wet & dry works well. If rust is actually fouling the edge of the reed, fold your wet & dry 90?, slip it under the reed, and very, very gently clean the edge with the vertical bit. You need only very light pressure - apply too much and you may bend the reed.

[Marien]

or you could use very fine (800+) sanding paper on the edges of the reed (in stead of a file).

[Jack Bradshaw]

Fiberglass pen..sounds great, but I haven't been able to find one on this side of the pond (yet)......

 

I'm hoping for a little more detail on the solutions mentioned in some of the old posts.....if I can remove the oxides, I can give the assembled reeds and shoes a quick coat (sputtered..so very thin) of gold to dry and protect the surface...this would need to be repeated after tuning.....much, much thinner than plating......."Permatex 81756 Naval Jelly Rust Dissolver" sounds like it might be just the thing! (Thanks)

 

800+ grit...wow...how thin can this paper be gotten ? (now that I think about it....the people who polish the ends of fiber optics use thin sheets of something...maby diamond impregnated paper?.....I've seen it for sale on EBay)

 

Jack

[Greg Jowaisas]

Jack,

"Scratch Brush, Fibreglass" in the deoxidizer section of Micro Tools, Vacaville, CA.

https://www.micro-tools.com/store/item_deta...Code=BRS-294-00

 

I've been meaning to order some.

 

Greg

[Jack Bradshaw]

Great ! They're on the way ! Thanks!

 

Jack

[asdormire]

I would recommend wearing a dust mask when you do it, just trying not to breath isn't good enough.

 

Alan

[d.elliott]

I would recommend wearing a dust mask when you do it, just trying not to breath isn't good enough.

 

Alan

 

Full PPE is suggested, for use with scratch pens, and mechanical cleaning carried out with care is best. However for the vedegris on reed frames (shoes) a brief exposure to an oven / cooker cleaner works, but whatever chemical cleaner is used, it has to be water soluble, and needs to be rinsed off quickly, then finally killed by boiling water. Boiling water heats up the reed metalwork so that any moisture flashes off preventing further corrosion. Another means of killing moisure is a volatile safety cleaner as used in dye pen inspection systems, acetone, or even meths!

 

Dave E