accordion renovation for beginners: low-skill waxing method
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- I got a nice accordion from someone on craigslist up in Bethel, in unplayable condition. This is the rewaxing bit. Read on below ["Show More"] for more of the story.
The bass switches were broken and the wax was brittle and the reed plates all rattled and moaned and the leathers were leaky, so I took out the reed blocks (including the bass, not shown here) and scraped off all the old wax and ultrasound-cleaned the reed plates and put on new leathers and waxed it all back together again using a syringe to lay down the wax, demonstrated here.
After this came a lot of tinkering around, voicing the reeds and tuning a few. The little sound samples at the end were recorded after the waxing but about halfway through the voicing (and re-leathering and re-waxing in a few spots).
It turned out pretty well! I still don't actually know how to play the accordion, so the Russette Deluxe and I are both sort of starting off together, me as a born again accordionist (how was I blind to this excellent instrument all these years?) and it as a born again accordion.
I found George Bachich's site "Accordion Revival" to be a great resource for anyone who has an accordion that isn't valuable enough for a professional refurbishing to make sense, or who just enjoys tinkering. The accordion is aesthetically pleasing technology, and pretty forgiving - it's relatively hard to really and completely screw anything up. So if you're thinking of giving it a try, I'd say have a go. It's fun.
Couple of notes on wax for anyone who's never physically messed with it (like me, a month ago): brittle wax doesn't look obviously bad. Cracks in the wax are best seen with a bright focused light - they'll just appear as optical faults, not as chunks falling off. If you have a snoring or moaning reed it's likely because the wax has lost its adherence to the reed plate, even though it may still surround the reed plate smoothly and apparently seamlessly.
New wax is almost like chewing gum - it remains workable even after it has cooled. You can pull reed plates off and press them back into place without having to re-heat the wax. I ended up touching some of the inner reed leathers with wax leaking into the chamber when it was hot. It doesn't take much inhibition of the reed leather to flatten the opposite-side reed, so don't think about tuning anything until you're really sure the reeds are clean and the leathers move freely and seal properly and that there are no air leaks between adjacent reeds.
On the other side of this reed block I put the reed plates on one at a time, laying the new reed plate into the waxy free edge of the last, rather than running wax into the channels with the syringe. There were a couple of reeds that I did with the inject-into-the-channel method that had air leaks between adjacent reeds, that had to be pulled out and redone. It's hard to run the wax down very small channels - the metal reed plates absorb the heat quickly and cool the wax, sometimes before it has gotten properly to the base of the plates.
But the worst that can happen is that you make a waxy mess, and have to remove the plate, solvent off the wax, clean the reed, (I used a jewelry-cleaning ultrasound machine that was $20) redo the leathers, and put it back into place.
Oh - I used a lot of cans of compressed air, and a lot of cotton tip applicators. The kind with proper wooden sticks - I get them from work but they must be available on the net. Don't use Q-tips, they're too fuzzy and will leave little wisps that will want to sneak into the reeds and louse them up.
Also, wearing a good powerful headlight (at least 90 lumens I'd say) is hugely helpful (though it makes the video a bit annoying - sorry about that) and having suitable magnification (just off-the-rack reading glasses of a couple of different strengths) since you'll often be staring at small things close up.
Very well explained.God bless you.Greetings from Romania!
thanks! - I hope it's useful
great video ...I just saw another video where the guy used small paint brushes ... seems to be a lot of different methods ... more than the traditional KNIFE method which is pretty messed up I must say.this looks good ... and the paint brush looks good ... thanks for the lesson ..... im about to re wax my '31 HOHNER ... smiles :)
+Philip Williams The traditional method requires more skill, for sure. You're dribbling hot wax around, and it all relies on smoothness and steadiness. If you were working at an accordion factory you'd probably be good at it in a few weeks, but for most of us, there is no practice - first time is the time that counts.
interesting method with the syringe, I have been trying fairly unssuccesfully to wax with a soldering iron & solid wax.
I think if you search for "Syringes-Blunt-Fill-Needles" on Amazon, those would be suitable. You don't want a long needle though - the wax will cool in the needle and clog. I think you could cut those needles off near the base and get a nice fine tip.
ok thank you. What are you using to heat the wax?
Robert Le Mal I use a GiGi wax warmer - $19 on Amazon. It's meant to have can of depilatory wax that fits the melting pot, but I just dropped wax in directly and it worked perfectly. Any depilatory wax warmer is doing exactly what you want, I think - the temperatures involved are about the same - so I just got a cheap one with controllable temp and good reviews.
I'm surprised that this works. I tried doing it with an eye dropper, and the wax goes solid and plugs up the orifice almost immediately. You must have hotter wax, or a way of keeping things hot that I don't know about.
The volume of a syringe is greater - the more there is the slower it cools. As long as you have a good steady flow it doesn't take long to make a pass. If the tip clogs you just put the syringe back in the melting pot, wait a moment for the tip-clog to melt, then pump hot wax back and forth a couple of times to clear any cooler wax.
Great video thank you for posting it!
Thank you for posting this. I'm about to undertake a similar project. What kind of wax did you use and did you use the same wax to redo the leathers as you used to adhere the reeds to the block?
geez, sorry, didn't see your question until now. I got wax from a couple of different sources, and found the quality about the same. Busso Music Inc & Earnest Deffner (google will get you to the site) have a lot of supplies and tools, and I got some wax from them.
The leathers go on with glue - again, BMI sells a very nice all-purpose glue that works very well, very quick, flexible, cleanable.
Thank you
Hello sir, thank you for your helpful video and time spent. Very generous of you. However - here is a BIG question - How do you wax the inner reeds in? I can't even imagine getting inside the reed box...
+VinniePaah There are no reeds inside the reed blocks. The reeds - both "blowing" and "sucking" are on the same metal reed plate that you see here. You see one reed but the other is just on the reverse face of the plate, facing in. If you flip the reed plate over, it looks exactly the same. If you are changing valves but the wax is ok you can reach up inside the wooden reed block to do that without taking the reeds off the block, and that's not so hard to do. All the waxing though is done externally.
+murfleblurg Sorry - my bad!
What solvent did you use on the reed plates to remove the old wax? Did you use the solvent IN the ultrasonic jewelry cleaner? If not, what did you use in the ultrasonic cleaner?
+Richard Thomas I mostly used a solvent only for cleaning up the tools I was using, and for that I used an organic solvent I got at an art store. But all kinds of solvents work. Isopropyl alcohol works just to rub off bits of waxy film.
Wax on the reed plates isn't much of an issue. It's only around the edges of the reed plates, and doesn't adhere that well to the metal. Old wax doesn't stick at all, which is the root of the problem - you can just flick off any little chunks and the ultrasonic cleaner shakes off the rest. If there were fine grains of old wax left they'd just be melted and subsumed into the new wax when it was applied. The only time you have to dissolve wax is if you spill some accidentally where it will interfere with a valve or a reed.
With the ultrasonic cleaner you're getting any fine dirt off the reeds themselves, and out of the throats cut through the plates. I used a couple of drops of the jewelry cleaner sometimes, and other times just water. I blow-dried the reeds after cleaning, with canned air, so they wouldn't sit wet for very long - just a few quick blasts of air to chase out and evaporate micro-drops.
The only place the old wax sticks much is to the wood of the reed block. But it doesn't have to be wax-free, just smoothed down, and dust-free. As long as it's just a thin film in the wood's surface, it will melt and mix with the new wax.
Of course, I'm not a proper expert on this, but this is what seems sensible to me. The wax is involved with sealing the reed plates so there can be no air leakage, and it's more like gum than like cement or glue, so achieving that seal is pretty easy. When the seal breaks down it's more because the wax loses its gumminess and becomes brittle, than because of any problem with the metal surface it's sticking to. The cleanness of the reeds is a separate issue, and that's just fine particulates that accumulate over the years
Hi.
How do I remove a note/reed that needs replacing?
Will any bought reed work in any accordion or will it need retuning?
Thanking you in anticipation.
You usually remove reeds just by gently prying them loose - they're just lying there, held in place by the wax around them. On some models there is mechanical attachment. Older, brittle wax generally lets go easily, newer wax is more like chewing gum. A little warmth from a hair dryer, or a butter knife heated with a lighter, or even a soldering iron touched to the metal of the reed plate, will melt the wax.
Reeds are specific to the accordion pretty much - they come as sets and are made by various shops in all sorts of lengths and widths, and then the reed block is built to accommodate those reed plates. As long as the right note fits properly into the space on the wooden reed block it can be replaced, but it may have a different tone quality from the other reeds. Chances are that it won't be tuned to match, and the reed will need tuning.
What is wrong with the existing reed? It's unusual for single reeds to really die. If that reed just isn't playing, or sounds bad, that's not likely a reason to try to replace the reed.
>What is wrong with the existing reed?
Hi. M.
One or two are 'croaking' when played, and it's on a key which I use quite a lot.
What normally causes that problem?
Thanks for your time.
I think the most usual cause of croaking is looseness of the reed plate - the wax around it has become brittle and although to look at it will seem ok, it has lost its grip on the metal. The croaking is mostly caused by the entire metal plate vibrating against the wood, but it loses energy in the vibrating reed also since its setting both the reed and the heavier plate that it's attached to into motion, plus leaking air in a pulsatile fashion.
You can see what's going on with the wax by shining a bright light on it - little cracks will show up where the light is transmitted through the wax.
Often with a loose reed plate, when you press against the plate with the bottom of a screwdriver you will feel a very tiny clunk, as it seats properly against the wood. If you press while sounding the reed, the croak will go away.
If you heat the reed plate slightly with a soldering iron, or run a warm/hot knife around the edge, that will often gum the wax back to the plate at least temporarily.
I like it
Awesome video... what temperature do you use on your wax warmer? Thanks for posting
the range of temps falls pretty much within the range offered by the wax warmer - as long as it's melted it will work and at the other end, you don't want it to smoke. In between it's a matter of having it hot enough that it stays liquid in the syringe for the amount of working time you need. I think I usually cranked it up a bit to melt it all, then used it at low-middle.
murfleblurg
thanks for the info. Where did you find a syringe and the gauge needle? Not sure I ever saw them on shelves anywhere in the area- hahah
BmoreBusker Enter a search for "Industrial Syringes Large Blunt Tip Fill Needle w/Cap Chemical ejuice Liquid Lab" on ebay and you can get a 10 pack with blunt tip needles - perfect for this - for around $7. 3mL is as big as you need, but 5mL would be ok. If the wax hardens in the hub, just rest it in the wax while it melts again.
I have the same style accordion an it makes a noise without pushing on keys can u help out .an do u live in houston i can bring it to u.
Sorry, I'm in Maine. If it's sounding reeds without pressing a key, then air is getting past a valve. These are felt or leather pads at the ends of the keys. Pressing the key lifts the stopper valve away from the hole that the air goes through and makes the reed sound. The valves are under the grill at the base of the keys. Remove the grill and you may be able to see the cause of the problem. This video talks about valves: th-cam.com/video/8NwFxQVGHc0/w-d-xo.html
Another waxing video with hands in the way at critical points!
hello can you use bees wax to fix a accordion
that's basically what accordion wax is, but pure beeswax is too hard and brittle, so rosin is added to it to make it gummy and a little flexible
Я пипеткой обычной пользуюсь и мне норм.
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Your funny.
just a suggestion if it's not mentioned somewhere, use real bee's wax, perhaps even from a pure bee wax candle.
+kindanice4me accordion wax is real bee's wax. But it has to have rosin added to make it relatively soft and gummy - wax as hard as a candle would be no good. And that's what happens when the wax deteriorates with time - it gets hard and brittle, cracks easily, loses its stickiness. You can buy rosin and mix it with beeswax but it's easier to buy it in little pre-made cakes.
+murfleblurg thank-you, I didn't know that the bee wax used was a mixture, thank you!
+murfleblurg ... YES ... but one thing .. easy to buy a Wax Tolet Bowl Ring $1.50 ... at any hardware store and One Violin Rosen $4.50 ... at any music store .... Miix all the rosin to One/Half the ring. .... melt in pan over low heat until all is melted and stir'd good. Don't BURN ... Nothing That HOT> ... use small 'good' paint brush ... go slow .. don't the brush ... LAY the brush in channel and lift out ... over and over ... the longer the brush hair the longer the lay .... blends smooth and mostly ... the color is beautiful and will have the perfect ATTACHMENT QUALITY NEEDED !! CANT GET BETTER THAN THAT For Under 10 dollars.just my thought ... sorry buttin in :)
+Philip Williams This is wonderful information to have, a have a old accordion that was shipped to me and it rattles inside, a mess, I may tackle it some day, it's a old Royal Standard Bellona.
+Philip I didn't see your comment at all until now - that's interesting. Toilet ring wax seems quite soft though? It's deforms at room temperature. Rosin would make it even softer wouldn't it?