Life is good!

[JKJ]

So nice - my local accordion mentor/teacher is also an expert piano tuner.
He visited a few days ago and tuned my Baldwin - joy is a fresh tuning!



My newest project is designing a foot-powered test bellows. I'll post photos as the design stabilizes and the construction starts. (I have a small machine shop which should help.) He wants to teach me a bit about accordion repair. So far I've made a few mechanical adjustments and want to experiment with touching up a few reeds, replacing some misbehaving leathers and such. And learn the ins-and-outs of waxing.

JKJ

 

[Tom]

Excellent!

 

[Rosie C]

Lovely! There's nothing quite like a real piano. This was my Broadwood - it's now at a local music school where it's getting good use by children with much more talent than I ever had!

I too would like to learn a bit about accordion repair - I need to get my 1930s Settimio Soprani playable, and that will start with a few hundred leathers! But more pressing, I need to add make and a microphone system to my modern Weltmeister.

But my musical life is good! I played bass guitar in a 7-piece band in church for Easter service yesterday, I'll be singing at our local folk club next Monday, I find my skills at mandocello and accordion improving week by week. Summer is on the way, we've had a few sunny days and it makes all the difference after months of Welsh rain!

 

[kimric]

It is a shame you are not closer, i have a foot powered bellows table someone bestowed on me.

 

[JKJ]

It is a shame you are not closer, i have a foot powered bellows table someone bestowed on me.

Someone closer to you may be interested.

I’m designing, not a table, but a board I can clamp to the top edge of a workbench in my shop. The foot pedal will be on the floor connected to the bottom of the bellows by an adjustable rod so the thing can be moved to a different spot if necessary.

The under-table bellows part is loosely based on the hand-operated one my accordion tech/mentor built and has been using for ages. He gave me the spare bellows and helping define the adjustable features for the work surface. I keep a good inventory of brass, aluminum, steel, HDPE, hardwoods, leather and hardware and love building things from ‘scratch’!