Bellows wear

[Pehilton]

I have an old accordion with much wear at the corners of the bellows. Can I tape over the worn areas?

 

[Valski]

Hello there,

If you could attach a photo of the problem it's much easier to answer your question. Much wear doesn't provide enough information regarding your issue with the bellows.

 

[Pehilton]

Almost all accordions with many years of use have some of the fabric worn off the metal corners.

 

[Dingo40]

As Valski says, a picture is worth a thousand words. Let's see what the problem is, then we can advise you what can be done about it!

 

[JerryPH]

Generally speaking, you do not want to "tape over", but carefully remove the old tape and replace with the same that matches (it could cause thickness issues and potentially cause more damage over time than leaving the old tape there). Of note, the general rule is that if you want to do it right, you remove and replace the entire side, so if like 4-5 stripes are worn on the bottom, take the time to replace the entire bottom so it looks and functions properly. Don't replace the other sides unless the need is there.

If its not an accordion that you care a lot about, just remove the strips that are damaged and replace those.

 

[Pehilton]

Thank you, Most helpful, Any special tape you'd recommend? (This is an old instrument.)

 

[Dingo40]

There's a made for purpose product (called accordion bellows tape) for the job.
Also, there are several YouTube videos showing how it's done.