DIY Sliders...

[debra]

Yes, the slider is missing.

I have also found that not all sliders are created equal - none of the other sliders I have worked in this instance. So I needed to get creative. Waiting for shipping to this neck of the woods isn’t always ideal when most accordion parts are coming from the other side of the planet so often I must be thinking outside of the box’s box.

I should also point out that for a really high end instrument I would not be doing this as a permanent solution.

Ordering from Italy requires a bit of planning indeed. Edwin Ericsson, who lives in Buck Lake (Alberta), does it regularly. You could visit him but right now he is in Sweden (where he has family and friends).

 

[Waldo]

Machinists Tip: Standard twist drills, being designed to cut thru most standard metals, have a cutting edge which contacts the parent metal at a specified angle, producing a "chisel like" cutting action. This angle of attack of the cutting edge will "suck" the drill down into the parent material on soft plastic, wood & metals (copper & brass)] just like a cork screw penetrating a wine cork. The solution for drilling these soft materials is to grind off the leading edge of the cutting face (that is, dull the drill). With the edge gone, the cutting action becomes a scraping action and does not get sucked into the material. How much? Just the leading edge...about the thickness of a fingernail or business card. The desired geometry produces a "scraper wall" that is 90 degrees to the cut surface.

 

[Mr Mark]

The rabbit hole has produced results. Not perfect by any means but definitely better than the ones I have produced by hand, and a lot quicker. I have a lot of learning to do now in terms of software but I can definitely see already how invaluable 3D printing is going to be in my arsenal of tools (for instance after a long time failing to create the puzzle piece notches with a simple wedge I decided to print a square end and notch by hand - then glue the pieces together).

Hoping to pinstripe my old Hohner with some glow in the dark filament to replace the existing damaged white pinstripe. As if I didn't have enough to do already!

 

[Ben-jammin]

Looks good

 

[Mr Mark]

Ordering from Italy requires a bit of planning indeed. Edwin Erickson, who lives in Buck Lake (Alberta), does it regularly. You could visit him but right now he is in Sweden (where he has family and friends).

Edwin is quite the man, and I have had the most fortunate privilege of studying under him for a little while now - unfortunately yes he is away for a bit; so as all good accordion repair people do, they make do with what they have. Which in this case has turned out to be fantastic support via community forum and a 3D printer ? .