Holding Pins (....loose?)

[smdc66]

On my concerto notice that a few of the 13 pins that hold the accordion to the bellows casing seem to stick out more than they should and have to now and again (when i notice) push them back into the holes

a couple seem to go back in too easily so am worried they may just fall out someday

does any one think corrective action is required and if so what or that it is ok to continue as above

 

[Soulsaver]

They should push in with a little resistance - hard to describe how much. I'd re position them by trial & error to find the best fits which will probably leave you 'over loose' in a couple /3. That's where you'll need some corrective action. You can get o/s pins (try Charlie), or the traditional method is put a little wax (or the like) in the hole and (I'd) push the pins in part way, wait for the wax to harden and then push the rest. Too difficult to push in isn't good as there's a risk of splitting and you'll need to achieve a balance that allows them to be removed from time to time.

Jim/Theo may have alternative suggestions for those who don't have easy access to wax..

I'd be sorting thru my DIY compounds for something suitable, buty PVA (white glue) may be too permanent?

 

[JIM D.]

(1) remove the pins. (2) separate the treble, bellows, and bass machine and with an eyedropper apply water into the bellows pin holes on all 3 sections (3) wait for 15 min. and re-apply water into the holes.(4) wait 30 min. and re-assemble the accordion. JIM D,

 

[Theo]

If there is any rust on the pins throw them away and get new ones. If the rust is very light you may be able to remove it, but anything more and its better to replace the pins. Rusty metal is very abrasive, every time you remove or replace a pin you are very slightly enlarging the holes.

 

[smdc66]

i think i may have an air leak as the bellows move (fairly) slowly with no buttons depressed

could the pins be the cause :?: :idea:

i think it still does it after pins pushed in tho

 

[george garside]

there are many places where slight leaks con occur and they are often hard to locate. The first device I use to try and locate leaks is the cheek!. Put the box on a table with the bellows open - put side of face near to possible area of leak eg one of the pins and press bellows . Do same all round bellows gasket on both ends. Another of the more obvious is bellows corners The cheek is very sensitive to small draughts!

george

 

[jasonmiller]

The first device I use to try and locate leaks is the cheek!. Put the box on a table with the bellows open - put side of face near to possible area of leak eg one of the pins and press bellows . Do same all round bellows gasket on both ends. Another of the more obvious is bellows corners The cheek is very sensitive to small draughts!

george

How do you place the cheek over the bellow, in a squatting position? :roll:

 

[Glenn]

Perhaps it may help if you have a friendly helper on hand. :|

 

[JIM D.]

If you have loose bellows pins and loss of compression, bellows gasket removal and replacement will be necessary. JIM D.

 

[george garside]

The first device I use to try and locate leaks is the cheek!. Put the box on a table with the bellows open - put side of face near to possible area of leak eg one of the pins and press bellows . Do same all round bellows gasket on both ends. Another of the more obvious is bellows corners The cheek is very sensitive to small draughts!

george

How do you place the cheek over the bellow, in a squatting position? :roll:

put the box on a table so you only have to bend a little or not at all if your small!

george

 

[smdc66]

If you have loose bellows pins and loss of compression, bellows gasket removal and replacement will be necessary. JIM D.

ill have to do this sooner rather than later as today i tried to pull the pins out by hand and the 3 over the treble side came out fully with just a little effort

also noticed the bellows open very slowly with no keys depressed

i need to measure the existing gasket 1st as had a look and they seem to vary in width / thickness
2to3mm thickness to 4to10mmwidth

and the pins seem to vary a bit too - i feel a little anxious about getting the right sizes (drilling the right size hole)and fitting and all and doing a good job

 

[JIM D.]

If you have a Hohner, see here -- http://www.stringsandboxes.de/Accordion-Parts

 

[debra]

It is important when removing pins to always place them carefully on the table in a pattern that resembles how they came out. You can then make sure you put every pin back in the hole it came from. There are small differences (tolerance) that cause randomly repositioned pins to come loose after a few tries.
In the OP's case it is too late. A trick may be to "paint" the pins (near the pin head) with a bid of accordion wax to make sure there is no air leak.
But in any case and especially with older Hohner accordions some air leaks are completely unavoidable and also untraceable. I have yet to see any older Hohner that has no air leaks.