Hi Guys/Gals my vintage Bell surbiton UK “Hohner” arrived .But there is an erroneous spring and mount?

[Plinky]

Hi Guys/Gals my vintage Bell surbiton UK “Hohner” arrived ,absolutely delighted a lovely thing incredibly light and small compared to my Hohner bravo
The action is pretty good but as was mentioned on the forum things have moved on over the years and the new Hohner silent key is very slick in comparison.

Opened her up “all good” just needs a little fettling to get her back into shape.

But there is an erroneous spring that looks like it would hook over the lug on the coupler mechanism arm but would not have enough tension to do anything.

I found a video on you tube of a hohner coupler but on the chaps box its missing?

I wondered if anybody know its purpose?
Many thanks

 

[JKJ]

But there is an erroneous spring that looks like it would hook over the lug on the coupler mechanism arm but would not have enough tension to do anything.

The one in the video you found appears similar but different in several ways. Perhaps one is an earlier or later design modification.

I know nothing about the couplers shown nor the reason for the piece you show but am no stranger to mechanical things in general. But in case you get no clear answer I might do one or both of two things: 1: let someone with more experience look, or 2: work the couplers while feeling for any problem, noise, or play, with and without tensioning or moving the spring wire to the lug you mention. Perhaps that will provide a clue to its presence.

 

[debra]

It does look like the spring should hook over the lug. It actually may have enough tension to just help a bit with keeping the registers stable, counteracting gravity. Sadly the Hohners with the registers switches that just push down a piston (like you can see in the pictures and video) are notorious for leaking air, which explains why this type of mechanism was abandoned eons ago.

 

[Plinky]

The one in the video you found appears similar but different in several ways. Perhaps one is an earlier or later design modification.

I know nothing about the couplers shown nor the reason for the piece you show but am no stranger to mechanical things in general. But in case you get no clear answer I might do one or both of two things: 1: let someone with more experience look, or 2: work the couplers while feeling for any problem, noise, or play, with and without tensioning or moving the spring wire to the lug you mention. Perhaps that will provide a clue to its presence.

It does look like the spring should hook over the lug. It actually may have enough tension to just help a bit with keeping the registers stable, counteracting gravity. Sadly the Hohners with the registers switches that just push down a piston (like you can see in the pictures and video) are notorious for leaking air, which explains why this type of mechanism was abandoned eons ago.

Hi JFK /Debra my first thought was possible mechanical "chatter" but it seems like overkill but Hohner were ingenious in the design and construction

The mechanisms are pretty much identical. I,m new to Hohner PAs but not Hohner melodeons .

I bought the Bell intending to completely refurbish her ,re face the palettes, re valve wax and tune.

I'm really enjoying the Hohner silent key ,obviously it brand new so everything works perfectly ,the tunings spot on the keys are light fast and to be honest I can't find a fault with it ,and it certainly doesn't have the usual accompaniment of my vintage Hohner melodeons “clicks rattles etc”but that also makes it kinda soul less to me

 

[TomBR]

I'd guess, as Paul says, that it's there to put a bit of friction in the coupler mechanism so it doesn't run back under gravity.