d.elliott Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I remember seeing two or three examples of Anglos with levers fitted, each at approx 90 degrees to the palm rest thumb position, hinged off the palm rest and resting on the air button thus making it easier for people with small hands, or those with thumb joint problems to operate the air button. I did a sketch last time I had one to hand, but now I have to make for for a chap who suffers from thumb articulation pain. I have worked up my sketch into a manufacturing design to fit his instrument, and I have made a prototype adaptor. However I would appreciate any comments or photos from people who have this sort of facility on their instrument so I can make any sensible changes. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I must have at least half a dozen of them Dave, both German and Anglo=German. I'll dig them out and post photos in the next day or two. In the meantime here's a link to a couple of photos of a Nickolds Anglo example: http://www.concertina.com/chambers/michaelstein/images/Chambers-Michaelstein-023.htm, http://www.concertina.com/chambers/michaelstein/images/Chambers-Michaelstein-024.htm, And here's a rather nice bone one on a square 3-row German concerina: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 Thanks Stephen, the one you photographed on the link is very similar to what I remember about the lever I sketched from memory. A sketch that I produced about eight years ago so it is a bit hazy. I have done myself some manufacturing drawings based on the sketch, drawings which raise the level of the thumb platform part of the palm rest to a more convenient height and incorporate a pivoted thumb board. However any other photos showing angles of slope of the lever would be appreciated The 'tna concerned is a Wakker, and the disparity in palm rest height and the thumb platform is around 8 mm greater than on an equivalent Lachenal. This, I think, cannot help the player's situation, but I am hoping that by lifting the thumb platform to the Lachenal height and including the lever I can make playing more comfortable and thus enjoyable, if only to the player (I have not heard him play) If the owner of the instrument is reading this, sorry! Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share Posted May 5, 2014 Just to say that I have now made and fitted two ebony thumb levers for the player with arthritic hands, one to the air button and one to the drone key on the LH side of the same instrument. both work nice and easily. I have also lifted the height of the thumb platform to about 6mm below the height of the palm rest. A change in position of about 8mm. The instrument will be delivered in the next day or so I shall know if the mod has helped. If there are other people cursed with the same sort of problem, then please watch this space. Dave E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Darn it! I had a vague recollection of promising somebody, somewhere photos of those levers, and was reminded of it when I took and posted some photos only today. There are three of them in this shot Dave, a very early George Jones 26-key, a German 28-key (the same one I've already posted a picture of) and a German 20-key with m.o.p. inlay and a m.o.p. wind key too: 26-key Anglo-chromatic by George Jones, #246, circa 1858 German "imitation Nickolds" Sorry it's too late, but I'm sure you made a lovely job of them anyway! Getting old you know, you have to remind me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Harrison Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 ..............just picked up on this thread, Dave so don't know if it is moot but here's a video of an air lever in action on my Dipper G/D. Robin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHoZOyvi3qg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 (edited) Thanks Stephen, what I have done is something like the Jones you show, but with a broader platform to help the chap rest his thumb on. Robin thanks for the link, I think I rather like that idea more than a simple button, but in these circumstances I suspect that there would still be a difficulty. The concertina concerned is a Wakker DG. The palm rest and thumb platform is (in my opinion) a less than satisfactory design anyway. However I have the detailed design I worked out on CAD now, so it would not take a lot of effort to re-cook it for other concertina arrangements and manufacture's geometries. Again my thanks to the team for their assistance Edited May 6, 2014 by d.elliott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted May 7, 2014 Author Share Posted May 7, 2014 To confirm, the owner of the concertina that I modified has confirmed that the thumb lever has made a significant difference to play ability and control, and this is coupled with an absence of pain when playing, I think that this is a solution, contemporaneous with the concertina, that can be used for others with similar thumb articulation problems. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Harrison Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Dave, I should have added in my post that I had previously owned an anglo that Jeff Crabb made and he had constructed a lever action air release that was superb. Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 Thanks Robin perhaps Geoff would like to comment here on his design? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Davies Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Geoff Crabb made made me a lovely 40 key eight sided anglo some years ago and it has a very original air lever system which is in both ingenious and simple.Depress slightly and a small pad opens letting in a small amount of air ,Press it further and a larger lever gives up you more air.Once you get used to a lever rather than a button it works really well.As I live within spitting distance of you Dave,perhaps you would like to pop up and have a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Irrespective of whether the air button is operated by lever or button,I do not understand . Does this design have two pads, and, (or,) two levers or are we talking about two air levers and valves, one each side of the instrument ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mktacoma Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Also late to this, but for others wanting to solve this, I 3d printed a lever to solve this. I'm going to upload the files to thingiverse.com once I clean them up, so hopefully anyone who may want to make this or similar could go their and find them easily enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 (edited) Which reminds me, there's this unusual German Universe Concertina with a very broad, triangular-shaped windkey lever, finishing on eBay in about an hour's time Edited June 24, 2014 by Stephen Chambers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnobuttons Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I'm late getting to this discussion. As I understand it, the natural ergonomic motion of the thumb is to move up and down as shown on Roberts video of his Dipper. The usual arrangement of the air button on the concertina in the left right direction is not the most ergonomic motion of the thumb. Could someone explain how the devices shown above transform a downward thumb pressure into a leftward motion of the air button? Thanks, John Hamilton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Johnson Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I have made about five levers of this sort for players with small hands and / or short thumbs. I do them out of nickel silver which can be hammered into a nice smooth rounded surface. Rather than coming off the top side, I hinge them on the underside of the thumb rest where I mill a shallow 1/16" wide slot parallel to the hand rest's length. This captures the hinge pin which I solder to the nickel silver paddle. I cut a little away where the paddle comes out from under the rest to allow enough range of motion for the paddle which arches out over the air button. They end up quite nice looking and are very comfortable to use. They also go well with my metal ended instruments. Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Middleton-Metcalfe Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 It might be good to design a lever for the anglo which works on a similar principal to an air lever on a hohner melodeon. Its a lever poking straight out of the instruments end, as opposed to parallel to it as the designs shown on here. There are a couple of problems -the sort of lever I describe is L shaped with the pad on the bottom end of the L - though it is a backwards L so that the mechanism works with thumb movement. This is problematic with a concertina as there is less space, so I would suggest a lever mechanism something like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/55203562@N02/16396786670/# The L shaped lever acts upon a classic concertina lever allowing the mechamism to work at a right angle in plan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Crabb Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I'm late getting to this discussion. As I understand it, the natural ergonomic motion of the thumb is to move up and down as shown on Roberts video of his Dipper. The usual arrangement of the air button on the concertina in the left right direction is not the most ergonomic motion of the thumb. Could someone explain how the devices shown above transform a downward thumb pressure into a leftward motion of the air button? Thanks, John Hamilton It might be good to design a lever for the anglo which works on a similar principal to an air lever on a hohner melodeon. Its a lever poking straight out of the instruments end, as opposed to parallel to it as the designs shown on here. There are a couple of problems -the sort of lever I describe is L shaped with the pad on the bottom end of the L - though it is a backwards L so that the mechanism works with thumb movement. This is problematic with a concertina as there is less space, so I would suggest a lever mechanism something like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/55203562@N02/16396786670/# The L shaped lever acts upon a classic concertina lever allowing the mechamism to work at a right angle in plan These may be of interest. Single Stage Lever Wind Valve.doc Two Stage Lever Wind Valve.doc Two Stage Button Wind Valve.doc Geoffrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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