Spares for Hohner Carmen II

[Stephencarter]

Hi
I’ve just bought one of these but it arrived in pieces!
I am completely new to this intriguing instrument so do not know the names of the bits inside so apologies.
Please see photo.
I can work out where the big bit goes but it looks like I need a lot of little leather bits. Some have fallen off and others are distorted.
Any idea where I can get them, or the leather to make them?
Maybe there is a modern alternative?
I’m pretty handy at mending things and don’t have the budget to send it away for repair so I’m hoping to fix it myself with a little advice.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Dingo40]

Welcome Stephen!
If you're in the UK, check out this old post:
See here:

accordion spares in UK

Charlie Marshall is one of the best sources ( many say the best)of accordion spares in the UK. He is also extremely knowledgeable . everything from reedwax upwards available in DIY quantities at very reasonable prices . Charlies phone number 0779 153 216 George If any of the moderators...

www.accordionists.info

 

[Stephencarter]

Welcome Stephen!
If you're in the UK, check out this old post:
See here:

accordion spares in UK

Charlie Marshall is one of the best sources ( many say the best)of accordion spares in the UK. He is also extremely knowledgeable . everything from reedwax upwards available in DIY quantities at very reasonable prices . Charlies phone number 0779 153 216 George If any of the moderators...

www.accordionists.info

Thanks a lot. I’ll contact him.

 

[debra]

Hi
I’ve just bought one of these but it arrived in pieces!
I am completely new to this intriguing instrument so do not know the names of the bits inside so apologies.
Please see photo.
I can work out where the big bit goes but it looks like I need a lot of little leather bits. Some have fallen off and others are distorted.
Any idea where I can get them, or the leather to make them?
Maybe there is a modern alternative?
I’m pretty handy at mending things and don’t have the budget to send it away for repair so I’m hoping to fix it myself with a little advice.
Thanks in advance.

I sincerely hope that with "bought" you are not implying that you actually paid a non-negative amount of money for this wreck.
What I see in the picture I would not even accept for free.
There is a *lot* of work on this junk to make it really usable again. The reeds need to be cleaned very thoroughly and the rust scraped off as well as possible. You need new leather or plastic valves, new wax... And there is likely a lot more work on the mechanics we cannot see in this picture. This is a job for someone with experience in accordion repair. None of the parts I can see are specific for the Hohner Carmen II. But every accordion repairer will tell you it makes no economic sense to try to salvage this wreck.
Even if you try to repair everything yourself you will spend more on materials than the accordion will be worth afterwards. But... you may become attached to it and once an accordion has sentimental value you cannot put an amount on that.

 

[Stephencarter]

I sincerely hope that with "bought" you are not implying that you actually paid a non-negative amount of money for this wreck.
What I see in the picture I would not even accept for free.
There is a *lot* of work on this junk to make it really usable again. The reeds need to be cleaned very thoroughly and the rust scraped off as well as possible. You need new leather or plastic valves, new wax... And there is likely a lot more work on the mechanics we cannot see in this picture. This is a job for someone with experience in accordion repair. None of the parts I can see are specific for the Hohner Carmen II. But every accordion repairer will tell you it makes no economic sense to try to salvage this wreck.
Even if you try to repair everything yourself you will spend more on materials than the accordion will be worth afterwards. But... you may become attached to it and once an accordion has sentimental value you cannot put an amount on that.

Thanks for that very honest appraisal. It made me laugh heartily. Yes I’m a naïve sucker and I did pay money for it but very little and I love a challenge. Out of interest what is wax used for?
Steve

 

[debra]

Thanks for that very honest appraisal. It made me laugh heartily. Yes I’m a naïve sucker and I did pay money for it but very little and I love a challenge. Out of interest what is wax used for?
Steve

Wax (special accordion wax, made of mostly beeswax and rosin, and a drop of linseed oil) is the "glue" that holds the reed plates firmly on attached to the reed blocks. The nails you see only serve to prevent the reed plates from falling off when the wax has lost its strength and has become brittle (typically after fewer years than this accordion is old).
Before you do anything you should study the site accordionrevival.com. It will tell you a lot about restoring accordions.

 

[Stephencarter]

Wax (special accordion wax, made of mostly beeswax and rosin, and a drop of linseed oil) is the "glue" that holds the reed plates firmly on attached to the reed blocks. The nails you see only serve to prevent the reed plates from falling off when the wax has lost its strength and has become brittle (typically after fewer years than this accordion is old).
Before you do anything you should study the site accordionrevival.com. It will tell you a lot about restoring accordions.

Great. Thanks for
The advice.

 

[Dingo40]

Paul said ,
"This is a job for someone with experience in accordion repair."
Well, we can be sure that by the time Stephen's finished restoring his accordion he will have acquired plenty of experience!
It's a hobby!

 

[debra]

Paul said ,
"This is a job for someone with experience in accordion repair."
Well, we can be sure that by the time Stephen's finished restoring his accordion he will have acquired plenty of experience!
It's a hobby!

True, and it will have cost less than taking courses in accordion repair in Italy...