Concertina Bellows Making Video

[@clutchingdaggerz359]

Love all the early music you play on your concertina.

[@Mustel1887]

Michael, I hope you take great pride in your work. It is amazing and very professional. Congratulations!

[@MichaelPierceall]

Hi, Michael. Thanks for the kind words!

[@kevintheblacksmith]

Music in this video is very beautiful.

[@eill454]

Hi Michael Pierceall , a have a question for you can you tell me what kind of paper or cardboard do need for make a bellow ? Thanks

[@adrianpolley9419]

A full list of materials and type of glue used would have been very helpful ! Fingers crossed he will answer one day .

[@MichaelPierceall]

I use fish glue for everything except the end papers. The cards are made of cotton rag board. I use thinner material now, though. The leather is either sheep or goat, whatever I find that is thin and supple.

[@jeremyvillalobos9752]

Thank you for documenting your beautiful craftsmanship! Wonderful work! How may I ask when you are gluing the gussets and valleys in did you keep the bellows from collapsing and staying stretched open? Was it the spacers added to the jig? Or secured at the end somehow I can't see? Eager to build a replacement bellows for my poor old 20 button Anglo.

[@MichaelPierceall]

Thanks for the comments. The bellows are held tight in the open position by the shims that run the full length of the form. It's a friction fit.

[@californiadreamin8423]

Michael Pierceall Hello. I recall trying a new concertina at Hobgoblin in the mid 90's, and found the bellows very stiff. I kept trying different instruments as I was more interested in the music they had for sale. However after a while I realised I kept going back to the same one.... I ended up buying my lovely Lachenal .....so I wouldn't wear out my lovely Wheatstone :)) So I suppose what I'm getting at is....are you satisfied your bellows are as supple as in the "original" instruments ?

[@MichaelPierceall]

@@californiadreamin8423 There was some trial and error. on my part. The original builders, I think, really had it down to a science. I imagine when the instrument was new, it required a break-in period. Vintage instruments with an intact set of original bellows are a pleasure to play. I made a set of bellows for my Wheatstone 5a that are quite agile, and with an additional fold, better suited to the polyphonic music I play.

[@MrPolecat]

Very nice. Do you repair these things professionally, or is it just a hobby?

[@MichaelPierceall]

No, I only work on my own instruments. Thanks for the comment.

[@MrPolecat]

Cool. Very good craftsmanship. Looks professional to me! Hehe.