Confessions of a Concertina Maker

Bellows

2011-11-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos of gluing on the bellows.

2011-11-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

Painting the lines in the engraving.

Reed blocks

2011-11-24T14:37:00.000-08:00

The reed blocks for the right side have been glued on. The photo progression below shows the process:

1. Ledger plates and blocks are dry-fitted and marked.

After they are marked, pilot holes for screws are drilled in on the other side of the soundboard (not shown).

3. Ledger plates are cut to size and glued on. There is a groove in one side of the ledger plates that an aluminum slide fits in for the hi/low switch.

4. Reed blocks are glued on and clamped.

5. The finished product with the reed plates and actions reinstalled.

The aluminum bar next to the reed blocks is the crosspiece that ties all the slides together.

Engraved!

2011-11-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

The frames are back from the engraver. This instrument uses the so-called "spear" engraving. A refreshing change from the "pineapple" style. This "spear" engraving was used on Patek "Excelsior" concertinas and Pearl Queen concertinas in the 1930s and early '40s. Star concertinas also used several modified styles of this engraving in the 1930s and '40s.

Work continues...slowly

2011-11-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

Slowly...not a word I want to use when referring to this instrument, but that's the way it is. Slower than I'd like. My new job has been taking up all of my free time lately. I'm back to my normal schedule now, however. I have made some headway since my last post however, and have new photos I will be posting.

2011-10-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

After the reed blocks are leathered, the plates are fitted to the blocks.

2011-10-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

One of the more time-consuming and tedious parts of building a concertina is leathering the reed blocks and fitting the reed plates and drilling for the hook screws. Each fin in a reed block has a thin strip of leather glued to it (as well as strips around the perimeter on the top and sides) to help ensure that each reed gets the maximum amount of air by ensuring that there is no leakage into adjacent reed cells. Leakage (blow-by) = a poorly performing instrument.

Ignore the mess you see on the workbench in the background. Christy Hengel used to have a plaque in his shop that read "a creative mess is better than idle tidiness." ;-)

2011-10-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here are the ends after all the pilots have been drilled in.

2011-10-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here I am drilling the pilot holes for the sound holes in the ends of the instrument. I use a special jig to find the center of the stars and holes that are in the fret plates so that everything lines up perfectly. I can't take credit for this method, however. The individual who taught me a thing or two (or many things, for that matter) about building concertinas (and he is still living, and is located near a lake in a suburb of the Twin Cities) showed me this neat method. Other manufacturers use a metal template with holes drilled in it to mark the sound hole locations, but every set of fret plates turns out slightly different when they are stamped, resulting in off-center holes.

2011-10-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

Finally! More time to do updates! This time of year is really busy for my current employer, and I will be starting at a new job in a week or so.

Here is a photo of the frames after they have been buffed. I use three different grades of buffing compound to give the celluloid the mirror-like finish that you see here.

The reeds also arrived a few weeks ago.

I am far behind on this concertina, and I hope that I can catch up in the coming weeks.

2011-08-22T19:06:00.001-07:00

Here are the frames after they have been sanded with 320 grit sandpaper. They still need to be sanded with 600 and 1500, then on to the buffing wheel. This is the nice thing about using celluloid. It is a fairly hard, forgiving plastic when handled correctly. White pearl celluloid would get different treatment than black or the colored pearls (red, blue, or green) because the white pearl is actually two very thin layers laminated together, the top translucent pearl layer, and the bottom solid white layer. The colored pearls that I am able to get have a pearl pattern that runs through the thickness of the sheet, and the black is solid, which can all stand up to being sanded without having to worry about being sanded through.

2011-08-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

The frames now need to be sanded for smoothness and then buffed to a high mirror shine. In this photo, the two end frames have been sanded with 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper, while the two inside frames are unsanded.

2011-08-22T19:00:00.001-07:00

The left side.

2011-08-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

The right side.

2011-08-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

Updates after a long hiatus. I just recently received the frames back from having the actions fitted. A photo of both actions together. Note that they are not quite finished yet.

2011-01-21T13:28:00.001-08:00

I just thought I'd share a few photos of the concertina that I will be building for myself, as time allows. I just recently finished painting it and setting the rhinestones. This instrument will be in the key of Bb.

2011-01-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

Here the mouldings have been rounded off. The only thing left to do before sanding and buffing is to apply the pieces on the cut corners.

2011-01-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

All of the end mouldings have been applied. Now they will be trimmed down with a flush-cutting router bit.

2011-01-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

Here the long white mouldings have been applied to the perimeter of the end frames. In this photo I'm routing the groove for the mouldings on the angles.

2011-01-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

The gold trim has been glued onto the angled corners. The next step is to route the groove in for the white celluloid moulding that goes around the ends of the frames.

2010-12-31T16:36:00.000-08:00

A photo of the gold borders. They're not quite finished yet. I have to run the frames over the router to trim the ends off and then glue on the pieces that go on the angle.

2010-12-31T15:12:00.000-08:00

It's starting to look like a concertina. This is a photo of the bottom of the instrument, showing the wear plates on all four frames. The excess celluloid around the cut corners has also been removed. The next step is to glue the gold borders on the end frames.

2010-12-30T18:08:00.000-08:00

A shot of the fret plates. This concertina will have the condensed Star-style keyboard. I have to stamp the numbers into the bass side fingerboard yet.

Work resumes on the next new concertina...

2010-12-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

I can finally start working on the next new Supreme concertina again. I'm nearly finished tuning the Schoma bandonion. The photo here shows the two inside frames of the next concertina after the wear plates (white patches) have been glued onto the bottom and the undercut made. The undercut is a relief cut made so that the mouldings that are applied around the bellows sit flush with the finished surface of the frames.

2010-11-18T20:29:00.001-08:00

Finally, a photo of the builder's nameplate.

2010-11-18T20:20:00.001-08:00

The keyboard layout, provided by the owner. As it says on the layout, this instrument is unisonoric, meaning that there is only one note for any given button, push or pull, much like a piano accordion. Chemnitzer concertinas are bisonoric, meaning that for any given button (with the exception of two of them) there is a different note on push or pull.

2010-11-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

A shot into the bellows looking in from the right side toward the left side reed blocks. The interior construction of the instrument is identical to that of a Chemnitzer concertina.

2010-11-18T20:09:00.001-08:00

A shot of the right side reed blocks. The instrument utilizes long plate reeds, the reed plates being a combination of aluminum, brass, and zinc. There are three reeds per note on the right side (medium reeds) while the left side has two reeds per note (one low reed and one medium reed, with some of the lower notes being contra basses). At the time this photo was taken, I was in the process of putting new leathers on the reed plates, as the old ones were curled. The new leathers are a pale yellow color, while the old ones are more of a light brown color.

2010-11-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

A view of the right side action. The centermost row of buttons has one button per lever, while the other rows have two buttons per lever, making one pitch available in two places on the keyboard. The left side action is the same as the right side.

2010-11-18T20:01:00.001-08:00

A view of the left side of the instrument. The two solid black buttons at the bottom of the keyboard are for the air valve.

2010-11-18T19:57:00.001-08:00

A view of the right side of the instrument.

Schonherr & Matthes bandonion

2010-11-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

While I am still in the process of building SUPREME #3, I also took on a tuning job. The instrument is an unusual bandonion. Actually, it is a chromatic accordion in a concertina/bandonion shell. The player's thumbs go in the oval-shaped holes on the black rails on the ends of the box.

It was built by the firm of Schonherr & Matthes of Olbernhau, Saxony, Germany in the early to mid 1930's. For its age, it is in pristine condition.

Without further ado...

2010-11-18T19:47:00.000-08:00

...I shall commence posting on a regular basis again.

More of Serial #2

2010-10-28T16:23:00.001-07:00

A shot of the beautiful engraving done by Ambrose Kodet of North Mankato, Minnesota. Just a note about the celluloid covering used on this concertina: it is not discolored. It came as this ivory color from the factory.

It's Finally Done!!!!

2010-10-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

SUPREME Serial #2 is finally done! It will be going with its new owner, George Palma, tomorrow, October 28, 2010.

Reinstallation Commences

2010-10-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

The reinstallation of the pipe organ at St. Mary's has officially begun. I have posted photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/104196103184103176783/StMarySOrganReInstallation#

2010-07-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

Another shot of the original high altar and reredos, and the pulpit to the left.

Interior Photo of St. Mary's Catholic Church Sleepy Eye, Minnesota

2010-07-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

I think I should also add a photo or two of the beautiful interior of the church.

2010-07-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

Allen will also be keeping a blog on his website. The link to the blog is: www.moepipeorgan.com/sleepyeye/

2010-07-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's finished. You can clearly see the blower, static regulator, and rectifier in this photo.

2010-07-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

The framework is coming down.

2010-07-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

The framework of the blower house. It used the old "balsam wool" insulation in the walls for sound deadening. My dad, John, was helping tear it down.

2010-07-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

We will also be getting a new blower. The original blower, made by Wicks, is not the quietest thing in the world (it screams like a civil defense siren). The new blower is made in Germany by Laukhuff and is engineered for quietness. The photo shows the blower house built at the time the organ was reinstalled in 1947.

2010-07-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

The same relay cabinet completely emptied.

2010-07-03T12:43:00.001-07:00

These are the old relays which came out of the relay cabinets.

2010-07-03T11:27:00.001-07:00

Another view of the same relay cabinet from above.

2010-07-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of the relay cabinet inside one of the organ chambers. It will be completely emptied to make way for the new solid-state relays.

The organ builder and assistants

2010-07-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

L-R: Allen Moe (organbuilder), Arden Moe, and Marion Moe

2010-07-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Here you can see the difference in shape between the English Horn and Trumpet resonators.

Loading the trailer

2010-07-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Getting all of the parts loaded into the trailer for the trip back to the Moe Pipe Organ Co. shop in Wadena, MN.

It's all gone!

2010-07-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

All of the parts that we removed from the organ have been lowered to the main floor of the church.

2010-07-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

The 8' Clarinet rank from the Choir division. Of all the reed ranks in the organ that imitate orchestral instruments, this rank is the most convincing. It really does sound like a clarinet. Also visible are some resonators of the Great 8' Trumpet.

2010-07-03T10:21:00.001-07:00

These are the pipes of the 8' Vox Humana rank from the Swell division. This rank attempts to imitate the human voice. It vaguely sounds like a male chorus singing in the distance.

2010-07-03T10:12:00.001-07:00

Here are more pipes of the 8' English Horn. The resonators on this rank are shaped differently, and also closed on the wide flared end (the Trumpet's are open), giving this rank a more mellow, horn-like sound. The Trumpet rank has a brighter, trumpet-like sound. Also visible in this photo is the coupler board and crescendo mechanism from the console, along with my tools. ;-)

2010-07-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

The bass resonators of the 8' English Horn rank from the Swell division.

2010-07-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

These are three bass pipes of the 8' Trumpet rank. Interestingly enough, Allen told me that these basses were not made by Wicks, while the rest of the Trumpet rank was. At the time the organ was rebuilt, the United States was recovering from World War II, and the tin and lead used to make the metal alloy for organ pipes was not availible. Most of the pipes from the original organ were reused in the rebuild, but the original organ did not contain any reed stops. So, the basses were recycled from another old organ from somewhere, while the rest of the Trumpet rank's resontators (bell-shaped appendages) are made of zinc, and were made in the Wicks factory.

2010-07-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

While I was hacking away at the console, Allen Moe, the organbuilder, and his parents, Arden and Marion, were busy removing the reed ranks. All four reed ranks from the organ will be taken back to the Moe Pipe Organ Co. shop where they will be cleaned and tonally restored. In this photo are the pipes of the 8' Trumpet rank from the Great division. Pipe organ reeds differ from concertina reeds in the fact that the free ends of the reed tongues strike the face of a brass shallot to make the sound, and are also tuned by a wire which makes the beating length of the reed longer (flatter in pitch) or shorter (sharper in pitch). Concertina reeds are riveted to a reed plate, and their free ends pass through a slot cut in an aluminum plate.

2010-07-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

These are the parts off of the old pedalboard that will be reused on the new one.

2010-07-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the console completely gutted. The next step is to get it over the choir loft railing and lower it to the main floor of the church (~25 foot drop).

2010-07-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Next off is the manual stack. These are also being reused. They are covered in real ivory, and will be cleaned and polished, and any keys that have missing pieces of ivory will be replaced. In this photo you can also see some of the old electro-mechanical switches that will be replaced by solid-state equipment.

2010-07-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

Next off is the coupler board. This piece will be reused.

2010-07-03T08:36:00.001-07:00

Next to come off are the stop jambs. These will be replaced by new ones as well.

2010-07-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Next, the pedalboard came off. We will be getting a new pedalboard and a new adjustable bench.

2010-07-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of all of the old electrical parts that are in the console. All of this will be replaced with new solid-state equipment.

Pipe organ renovation

2010-07-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a little break from concertinas. As it says in my profile, I like pipe organs. So, naturally, when my church decided to renovate theirs, I was there to help remove it. The first photo is of the console before disassembly started. This organ was a rebuild of the church's previous organ built in 1907 by the Wisconsin Pipe Organ Factory of Slinger, WI. It was rebuilt in 1947 by the Wicks Organ Co. of Highland, IL.

It's...Almost...Done!

2010-06-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

To those of you who follow my blog, you'll notice that it hasn't been updated in about two months. I've been busy getting things finished at my new house so that I can move in, and I've also been plugging away at concertina #2. I follow the "quality, not quantity" approach. As a teaser, I'm attaching a photo of #2. It's almost done! (It is playable at this point.)

2010-04-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts and photos as of late. I don't have anything new to share right now. I'm currently working on finishing Supreme serial #2. I'll post photos of it when I'm finished.

2010-03-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Here are the completed frames. The residue that can be seen on the surface is dried contact cement, which will be rubbed off before the frames are sanded and buffed.

2010-03-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

Once the contact cement is dry, the celluloid is adhered to the frames. The top is adhered first, and then the corners are heated with a heat gun and rolled to follow the contour, down the sides, etc. until the entire frame is covered. Here my dad is stretching the celluloid around a corner while I run the heat and roller. The two finished end frames can be seen in the background.

2010-03-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

The frames also get a coat of contact cement.

2010-03-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

Here contact cement is being spread onto the back of the celluloid strips.

2010-03-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Because the celluloid is glossy on both sides, the back side of each strip needs to be sanded with coarse grit sandpaper so that the contact cement has something to grab on to.

2010-03-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here are the frames and celluloid that they will be covered with. The frames are made from basswood plywood with walnut caps on the corners.

2010-03-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

After everything has been pressed, the packs get sandwiched between two pieces of wood and tied with string so they stay compressed. Now they'll get set aside until the time comes to make the bellow.

2010-03-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

After everything is folded, the packs go into this press two at a time. Here only one is shown. This cardboard is pretty springy after it's folded, so I have to put one in at a time and clamp the heck out of it, and then put the other in after about an hour or so. Then I let them sit in the press for a day or two.

2010-03-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

This is the finished product. It takes six strips of cardboard to make one bellow.

2010-03-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

The first thing I started on this concertina is folding the bellows. The folds, or ribs, are made of stiff cardboard. Here you can see me working my way down a strip of cardboard.

Welcome!

2010-03-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

Hi! Welcome to my blog. I know there are a lot of concertina players and enthusiasts out there that are curious about what goes into building a Chemnitzer concertina. I'll attempt to document the different steps with photos and explanations. The concertina shown in the photos is being built for a gentleman on the west coast. Enjoy!