Leaking bellows - dare I ask … liquid rubber spray ?

[bazzermn]

So I managed to acquire a Hohner Amati IIIM on eBay which I knew was going to need major repairs. Although I have no experience I had nothing to lose and everything to learn as it was only a few hundred dollars. I have made some progress tuning it and replacing the valves etc
It doesnt sound too bad now. The issue I have is a leak and I just cannot find where it is coming from. I have replaced the bellows gaskets and waxed all the internal joins.
I presume it is from the bellows somewhere.
I am tempted to just get some clear liquid rubber spray (like Flex Seal) and spray the whole bellows with a light coat.
Any opinions welcome before I try!
Thanks!

 

[Ventura]

should you risk doing spmething to catstrophically ruin the accordion
you have worked on so hard, or should you slow down and get some
local assistance

even if the only help you can get is a friend who chain smokes cigarettes

and who will patiently sit a room with you in the bright sunlight from a big window
and blow smoke at it while you work it so that the air currents can reveal
something you can point to and say.. Ohhhhhhhhhh

should you also spend more time studying old discussions about air leaks
and the many many many different kinds there are and what people did about them

i dunno, should you ?

 

[nagant27]

Nope. Don’t do it.

 

[Dingo40]

Any opinions welcome before I try!
Thanks!

Just the old adage of, "Do no harm!"
In this case, do nothing that can't be undone.
I think the usual procedure is to attach small, thin, flexible patches over identified holes from inside the bellows.
I had such a repair done professionally on an accordion, and it's held for 30+ years.

 

[nou]

Detach your bellows from both treble and bass sides and use some painter’s tape and cardboard to completely seal the openings. This way you test only the bellows. If its airtight you then won’t be able to extend it. If it will extend, then wet your lips and meticulously check every corner and peak. Temporarily patch any holes you find with painter’s tape and/or tack where the tape would not work. Once you can no longer draw the bellows open, you found them all. To patch it permanently, use 0.5mm leather patches and glue them with Titebond Liquid Hide glue with the bellows in the extended position. The next day work the bellows couple of times and enjoy your now airtight bellows.

 

[Mr Mark]

The only thing Flex Seal is good for is costing you a lot of money to clean up the Flex Seal to get things fixed correctly. I've had to scrape that off of Roofs, RV windows and probably one day an Accordion . When that day comes it will probably be just as expensive as the first two experiences I have already had.

YMMV.

P.S. Don't spray anything on your bellows - if this was a fix like this out there Google would have already found that for you.

 

[bazzermn]

Thank you very much for everyone's advice! I am very grateful for your time!

Detach your bellows from both treble and bass sides and use some painter’s tape and cardboard to completely seal the openings. This way you test only the bellows. If its airtight you then won’t be able to extend it. If it will extend, then wet your lips and meticulously check every corner and peak. Temporarily patch any holes you find with painter’s tape and/or tack where the tape would not work. Once you can no longer draw the bellows open, you found them all. To patch it permanently, use 0.5mm leather patches and glue them with Titebond Liquid Hide glue with the bellows in the extended position. The next day work the bellows couple of times and enjoy your now airtight bellows.

I will do this. thank you!!

 

[bazzermn]

Just the old adage of, "Do no harm!"
In this case, do nothing that can't be undone.
I think the usual procedure is to attach small, thin, flexible patches over identified holes from inside the bellows.
I had such a repair done professionally on an accordion, and it's held for 30+ years.

thank you! And I just got a great tip here on how to isolate the leak to the bellows (or not!) and then do this patching technique.
Much appreciated!

 

[dak]

There are "leak detectors" for bicycle tires that essentially are a small holed box of cork balls that are very easy to get airborne. I don't use those because I prefer smelling for leaks, but hopefully the insides of your accordion aren't as smelly as a bicycle tire.

There are some comparatively boring candidates, too, like the holes for the bellows pins or for mounting the straps.

Of course with a complete accordion, it is hard to distinguish a leaky bellows from leaky pallets. You can just squeeze hard and listen: pallets pressed open by air pressure will be more of a sighing noise while a small hole is a more pointed hiss.

 

[Javthedog]

should you risk doing spmething to catstrophically ruin the accordion
you have worked on so hard, or should you slow down and get some
local assistance

even if the only help you can get is a friend who chain smokes cigarettes

and who will patiently sit a room with you in the bright sunlight from a big window
and blow smoke at it while you work it so that the air currents can reveal
something you can point to and say.. Ohhhhhhhhhh

should you also spend more time studying old discussions about air leaks
and the many many many different kinds there are and what people did about them

i dunno, should you ?

Of cours the best way to find a puncture is to dunk it in the bath!........ may throw up some other problems tho'......

 

[Big Squeezy Accordions]

Air leaks are often coming from under the pallets. To rule this out, take the treble and bass sections off the bellows, remove the reed blocks, cover the reed block holes with masking tape, and put it all back together. If there is no noticeable improvement in compression, your problem is almost certainly the bellows.