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Looking After Bellows


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I have recently bought a Morse Anglo. I was showing it to someone who was curious about it and she asked if whether the bellows need treating to keep them supple.

 

I thought that was a good point, so I am asking here what is the best way to look after the bellows. Do you need to apply a suitable leather treatment periodically? If so what is recommended, and how often.

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Are your bellows all leather or just the corner folds? Mine are all leather and I use Neatsfoot oil applied very lightly with a fine artists brush twice a year, just a smear brushed on and wiped over with a soft cloth. It is absorbed quickly into the leather without leaving any stickiness and keeps the leather supple and waterproof. I play in the open air quite a lot, sometimes in less than ideal conditions and this treatment has worked for the last 15 years. I bought the neatsfoot oil from a Farmers store, but any equestrian suppliers would have some, you don't need a lot, a bottle lasts for ages. :D

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Be careful uding oils on bellows. On the older instruments, I beleive they can break the bond/ dissolve the glues. I'll let one of the more knowledgeable members elaborate (or dispute!).

 

Personally, I use a shoes cream. It works well with no nasty side effects

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It is a mistake to use much if any leather dressing on most of the bellows, especially on areas that have glue joints underneath them. Oils don't evaporate, and periodic application will eventually bleed to parts of the bellows you don't want it. When leathers are first made, differing amounts of oils and other substances are added to them depending on the use. The majority of leathers have just enough of these substances added to slightly lubricate the fibers so they can slide by each other when the leather flexes. otherwise the leather will tend to crack. Getting the right amount and getting it to stay bound to the leather fibers is a science. Things like neatsfoot oil ( a non hardening oil ) are good for leathers you don't mind getting oily, and that come in contact with other things that can wick the oil away from the leather, but it doesn't have the chemistry needed to stay bound to the leather fibers and will be wicked off to anywhere the oil amount is less. Some more solid ( greases ) will stay put better, but don't need repeated application. If the flexing parts of your bellows get wet, the proper type of dressing may be called for, but otherwise it should be a rare application if ever.

 

Sometimes with a stiff new bellows ( or one that has gotten wet ) or in the case where the leather used had a minimal amount of fat liquoring in it's processing, addition of small amounts of "LEXOL" which is a dressing specifically designed to be identical to what is used in the leather making process and doesn't bleed or migrate from the point of application, can be applied to the flex points ( mostly the top edge of the bellows peaks and the equivalent area on the inside of the bellows if you have leather hinges there). This can improve flexability, and speed the break in process, and is a better choice than the oils or greases if the leather ever appears to have gotten stiff and truly dry.

 

Poor quality leather can have very little strength and if you notice the leather cracking, it is probably more a reflection of a poorly tanned and finished leather than from "drying out ". Old leather can undergo chemical changes that cause it to weaken, and oiling won't help it much, and will make repairs more difficult. New leather should go for years before it may need a little additional lubricant.

 

Bellows are not boots or moccasins that need waterproofing, or garments, belts etc. that can lose some of their original dressing to the things they come in contact with. If you are a person who plays with the bellows over the knee, ( not something I recommend ) the bottom peaks may begin to dry out and need something after a few years or more, but the wear caused by this kind of playing will be more of a problem.

 

I think you'll find that merely playing your Morse anglo will keep it plenty supple.

Dana

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:D I used the Neatsfoot oil on the advice of a friend who works leather for a living, knows the weather conditions I play in ( anything the English summer can throw at you, not just indoors playing)and had seen the bellows on my concertina. Nothing's come apart yet :D
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:D I used the Neatsfoot oil on the advice of a friend who works leather for a living, knows the weather conditions I play in ( anything the English summer can throw at you, not just indoors playing)and had seen the bellows on my concertina. Nothing's come apart yet :D

I also remember you said you used it sparingly. Different glues react differently to oils ( and water ). Some are hardly afffected and some turn all gummy. You still shouldn't need much reapplication. If the oil seems to have dried out, it is only because it has migrated somewhere else ( like the card stock backing on the leather ).

 

Still, older bellows can turn to mush if they get wet ( and aren't allowed to dry properly ), so you may need the protection. Water itself is not really harmful to leather. It is made and treated soaking wet, and constant flexing as it dries is how the suppleness develops. Without that flexing though ( as it goes from damp to dry, it can become stiff, and the oil helps to keep that from happening. If you are fortunate enough to have a bellows that agrees with your methods that is great, For others reading this thread though who may not know the age or construction of their bellows, I'd advise caution. the PVA glue used on the Morse bellows isn't really bothered much by a little oil, but it can keep repairs from adhering well in the future if the leather has become oily.

 

There are lots of ways to work with leather. Each has it's own needs. Book binders (probably the closest to bellows making ) have different requirements than harness makers or cobblers. There are hundreds of kinds of leather, some totally filled with grease and some nearly oil free. Some hard to damage with water and others that will rot after they get wet.

 

Leather isn't the only thing to worry about in the weather. Heat combined with moisture can cause things put together with hide glue to spontaenously dissasemble. Wet reeds will rust and detune, and may eventually break. Good concertinas should be considered fair weather instruments if they are to last the many years they can. They deserve as much care as a any good instrument, and few of those (except perhaps for band instruments ) are or were meant to be weatherproof.

 

Having fun playing is what it is all about though, and I'm sure you take due care when you are out. Best wishes,

Dana

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I have recently bought a Morse Anglo. I was showing it to someone who was curious about it and she asked if whether the bellows need treating to keep them supple.

 

I thought that was a good point, so I am asking here what is the best way to look after the bellows. Do you need to apply a suitable leather treatment periodically? If so what is recommended, and how often.

 

Hi Geoff,

Having the benefit of the makers (Morse) still about I would seek their advice directly.

 

Geoff Crabb

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Thanks for the replies everyone. I should have realised that asking the question I did is like asking a question about oiling the bore on a recorder forum. :P

 

From the smell of the bellows I guess that they have been treated during manufacture and it is likely that benign neglect is likely to be the way forward. Certainly care needs to be taken with oily preparations as most glues are not very fond of oils.

 

I think Geoff Crabb's suggestion of contacting the manufacturer seems the most sensible one. I will do that sometime.

 

Once again, thanks to all who replied.

 

Geoff

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Our local bellows maker cautions against using neatsfoot. Excessive use of the oil means minor repairs are sometimes not possible because new glue has difficulty adhering, consequently even a small problem can mean new bellows. He also says he has had more than a few bellows for replacement that were very mouldy and he associates this with neatsfoot oil treatment. This may be due to weather and local fungus conditions. It also may be because an owner has over applied the oil, not wiped off excess, and then stored the concertina in a relatively humid place for years.

 

Neatsfoot sounds cute and traditional, but animal fat and kerosene is probably a better description. It is made from rendered feet and shin bones of calves, often with up to 50% paraffin oil added. It was not recommended for leather because of superior preservation qualities as much as ease of application, as fats from that part of cattle have a lower melting point, so it is easier to spread. The addition of paraffin may be a mould inhibiter, but that is just me guessing...

 

Chris

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