Button Template

[Kelteglow]

Hi All I am looking for the best way to take an impression to form a template of the button positions and spaceings .

I wan't to do this without dismantleing my concertina any ideas? Bob

[Pete Dunk]

Not without dismantling. I'd take it apart and photocopy the ends. You could try photocopying 'as is' I suppose, it might just show up the button spacings.

[Simon H]

I used clear plastic sheet taped on and a marker pen.

[RustyH]

To locate outlets for cutouts when drywalling, we used lipstick on the edge of the boxes and then just press the board against them. Leaves a nice outline. Why not try pressing into Playdough?

[Richard Morse]

Hi All I am looking for the best way to take an impression to form a template of the button positions and spaceings. I wan't to do this without dismantleing my concertina any ideas?

When I first started designing concertinas I tried to get the button positions and spacings too, and started by taking the ends off and photocopying them (much more accurate that trying to determine the end locations of wiggly buttons). As it turned out both sides (of the same instrument) were significantly different! So I photo copied a bunch of them (maybe 20?) including Wheatstones, Lachenals, Jones and Jeffries from 1860 to 1925, and CADded over the scans to compare them.

 

The result is that the lefts and rights are usually close but virtually never identical, that each maker's layout was fairly consistent, and that each maker's layout was considerably different from the other makers (though Lachenal and Wheatstone were the closest). So I averaged a bunch of them (and favoring the British units) which became our Morse layout.

 

So - I'd say that it probably doesn't matter much if you plan on making a concertina (but at least make it regular!) but if you're making something like a metal (plastic, shell) endprotector, or a replacement end for a specific concertina you may be best off photocopying the dismantled end and regularizing that layout. It's surprising how much variation is due to misalignment and bushing wear.

 

-- Rich --

[Jewish Leprechaun]

Another way to do this when you dismantle the concertina is what I believe is called making a charcoal rub or something of the like. Just place a piece of paper on top and rub around with a pencil it should outline everthing quite nicely.

 

-Lep

[Jon C.]

Another way to do this when you dismantle the concertina is what I believe is called making a charcoal rub or something of the like. Just place a piece of paper on top and rub around with a pencil it should outline everthing quite nicely.

 

-Lep

That is how I copied the fret work, to replace the missing section on my Englih concertina, just used paper and a pencil. You have to make sure the paper doesn't shift on you.

Jon

[OLDNICKILBY]

There is a simple tool called a spotting punch,like a centre punch but the same diametre as the hole in the end plate. Simply spot it through the hole on to the new end plate...

Be careful using a photo copier for the fretwork as they shrink the size by about 1 or 2 % so adjust the settings to suit