Left hand "sweat" band

[Glenn]

I have seen a few professional accordion players using a sort of "sweat" band on their left lower hand.
Does anyone here use such a thing?
Is the idea to help with sliding without the chance if sticking due to sweat?
If so, where can you buy these things and what properties do you need for the material?

 

[Nick_N]

I use a thin fingerless glove on my left hand sometimes which does indeed help with sliding up and down the bass side when needed. I got a pair at one of the outdoor shop chains, forget which now, but they are thin, flexible and very stretchy.

 

[smdc66]

you find these in chemists or e bay or shops that sell haberdashery or sports shops

i have a couple of palm supports that i used to wear regularly and wrist bands for support (the kind that tennis players wear)

so you should have some options

i use for support as felt had weak wrists that give me strain / a little pain

mind you the pros may have some pro gear - i am talking diy stuff

 

[Pippa]

Check out the ones that Anyanka and her ladies wear!

 

[Adam-T]

Check out the ones that Anyanka and her ladies wear!

I guess us Button-ists will have to get two left hand ones .........

 

[Soulsaver]

Some older accordions have celluloid bass boards. Your hands stick to it a bit and it gets worse if you get warm. I suppose you could fabricate a new bass board, or wear one of these wrist gloves? Later models are usually some kind of fibre.

 

[Glenn]

How about a Teflon one? :roll:

 

[Anyanka]

http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,12413.0.html

 

[JerryPH]

Sorry to bring up a zombie thread, but I thought it better to continue this one than start another one that discusses the same topic.

In the 3 years that has passed, has there been any more info made available about this? I thought the concept brilliant for the simple reason that when I was playing way back then, the strap would literally shave my forearm. I recall not having hair on my arm in a 10 inch wide strip for years, and I also well remember the discomfort as things became stickier after starting to sweat under there and the bass strap rubbed against my forearm.

I did find this:

http://www.pigini.com/en/community/eshop/item/gentle caress glove

... however, they serve only Europe and it bears a ridiculous price considering it is about a few dollars worth of material.

Just doing some thinking here... in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu we have rash guards that are like $20 that are the perfect material, very stretchy and strong, very thin, breathable and most importantly, very slippery. One could easily make 4-8 gloves from a single rash guard, or if you dont want to sew as much, buy ones that are long sleeved, and 3/4 of the work is done for you and you can make 2 with almost no work or sewing at all, but these are a little more expensive ($30-35 Canadian?)

I am just talking to my mom about the possibility of her making something custom for me later on because my sewing skills pretty much suck, if I find that I need it... which knowing me, later on, I just might, and it would be an interesting project for her.

Do any others here have any ideas you want to share?

 

[JIM D.]

http://www.amazon.com/Nicerocker-El...121_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=02XWGMKJG3FCRRZEDD30

 

[JerryPH]

Very cool, and the price is right! For me the only thing is that because my Hohner is a double Cassotto and the 3 extra rows way up high for the free bass, I literally need something that is about 10" long starting at the wrist (almost 3/4 of the way to the elbow) because of how deep I push my arm past the strap to reach the free bass buttons. If just for the 120 bass people, this has to be near perfect.

 

[JackieC]

I started wearing an elastic wrist band on my left arm years ago after I got my Petosa Cajun special accordion which is all mahogany. It has become something I wear all the time now, as it does two different things. It protects the accordion from sweat from my wrist, and it provides some extra cushioning for my arm. These bands I use I bought at a sporting goods store and are made of stretchy elastic and are very comfy. Hope this info helps.

 

[Panya37]

If anyone wants a thin fingerless glove (rather than just a sweatband) you could try a search for 'fingerless UV protection gloves' or 'sun protection gloves'. I haven't bought any of them yet but there are quite a lot of interesting options which are supposed to be cool and flexible.

 

[smdc66]

[/quote]

i had one once that looked a lot like these (but a different make) and it wasnt great as the quality of the material meant it lost its shape and the material cut into my hand a bit around the thumb area and was a bit uncomfortable

in the end i stuck towelling (often used around tennis racket handles) to the baseboard which seems to help me a little (although my main problem is left hand/wrist fatigue/strain) (i did also have it stuck inside the wrist strap but after quite a while it became unstuck/ messy)

 

[Soulsaver]

This has been raised before a couple of times. However each time its been raised Ive progressed with my possible solution. So lets get specific; there are a couple of reasons to consider a glove: a) The bass strap chaffs your left wrist/arm/hairs.. b) Your hand sweats a bit and doesnt slide/sticks on the bass board.
Solution for a is (possibly) only a glove type solution. I personally have found JimDs suggestion to be either too tight or too loose, but maybe good for people for whom the size it falls just nice.
An alternative I found was a bandage/gauze tube, which is soft stretchy & cheap, and goes the whole 10 Jerrry likes - you cut it to whatever length you want.

b) After many trials the best solution Ive found for me so far is 75mm (3) wide claripore plastic medical tape. I originally used a 3M (Minesota Mining & Manuf) paper gauze medical tape but this looks even better. You stick this low tack tape to your bass board. Its almost invisible but allows your sticky hand to slide, as it has tiny dimples all over it and doesnt leave a residue. It come in 9M (30ft) lengths so will be good for several accordions and/or a couple of decades... you cant forget it and attract jokey attention like a fishnet glove... which actually works well, too..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161594914007?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
If you cant get 3, or you want to spend less, a couple of strips of 1 or 2 will also do.

 

[JerryPH]

How about a Teflon one? :roll:

You laugh but that is just about how slippery an MMA rash guard is!
Its flexible, very thin, stretchy, made to wick perspiration away from the skin, very strong and one rash guard is good for decades of protection, if you have the sewing skills. Ill look into starting this little project tomorrow somehow. I have this one silver and black rash guard that is just begging to be used for this project. :mrgreen:

 

[Nonny Mouse]

Yep, I use a normal sweat band that can be bought from a sports shop for a few pounds. Stops my wrist from sticking and also gives the nerves in my wrist some protection from the wrist strap.

 

[JerryPH]

Ok, here is the big reveal.
I took one of my older rash guards, cut it up and with the help of my mother and her skills on the sewing machine, I made a beta unit to test out. It fits snug, is very comfortable and is slippery as heck. Because the material is made to be in rough environments, its strong and tough too, so we will see how it lasts and performs. Total cost, well, nothing, really, its made from stuff that I already had and my mom spent about an hour total, but a second one would take about 20-30 minutes to make. It had to be made longer because of the depth of the Hohner and the fact that the Free Bass buttons are all the way up top

Ill use it for a time, note what changes I want to make, if any, and the next one will incorporate whatever changes I want. Now, Michael Jacksons got nothing on me... lol

 

[Corsaire]

I was glad to find this topic (this forum is such a mine of information ...) as I found myself in a situation I have never been in before : playing in a very hot room with a low ceiling and a lot of lighting. I thought I would melt, and my left hand dripped with sweat, making it difficult to play. I was also worried about how it might affect my accordion.

However .... with so many useful ideas here, for which I thank you, I should be able to find a solution to the problem, bearing in mind that it's unlikely to be the last hot room we'll be playing in. Fortunately I don't have a problem with the strap rubbing, just the wet hand !

 

[JerryPH]

My mom made me two more in black... stylish and effective.