Accordion medium/long term storage?

[Soulsaver]

We all know that storing an accordion in a damp basement/loft is likely a disaster, probably even in the short term.
And we all know that playing them regularly and storing them at room temperature in a well ventilated room under dust protection out of the UV light is safe/ideal.
But if you wanted to store them away for several years what would be the facitlty be like that you'd need?
What level humidity should we be looking to achieve to ensure accordions don't rust/mildew in the mid term, say a couple of years, for example? What high & low temperatures range?
Better in their cases? Or out under dust sheets?

 

[Farmer T]

Good questions, I hope someone has the answers, and I look forward to hearing them. In the last 2 years since I started seriously look at accordions, I have found many beautiful looking
ones that the owners could not understand why I didn't want them, ("but, they look like new"!?) but had been stored wrong and sounded terrible, and required way to much work to refurbish on the inside to ever get the value out of them.

 

[JerryPH]

Well, as someone that has just recently pulled out accordions that have been stored anywhere from 25 to as much as 35 years, maybe I have a few insights as to what works well.

First, temperature extremes are to be avoided, IMHO. Too cold or too hot is detrimental, however, even if the temperatures come close to the edges, as long as they don't fluctuate this is an important key. More importantly, I believe is that humidity be somewhere between 10-20%... and again NOT fluctuate more than a few percentage points, then we can avoid the biggest reasons accordions get issues.

A second big factor is the accordion itself. My Hohner Morino VI N was stored about 25 years and has stuck reeds. My little Titano "baby" accordion was stored closer to 35 years and is in perfect order, nothing stuck, no leaks and everything sounds beautiful.

Electronic insturments I would tend to see as being an added level of vulnerability. Though everything might be environmentally stable, electronic components age and wear over time in even the most perfect of storage conditions. We can see 50, 100 or more year old accordions working well, but electronics are bult with the concept of short (1-2decades at most), lifespans and are intended for full replacement, never repaired at the end of their duty cycles. It is highly unlikely we will ever see a 50 year old reedless box be very functional after that length of time, and the ones that MAY work won't be very desireable or have extremely low values, and fixing them would be quite costly, even if you can find the parts in the first place. My Solton Programmer 24 and Elka 83 ar a perfect example. Put into storage, it worked PERFECTLY. 25 years later, it has a pronounced hiss, the accordion sets off tones when just lightly feathering fingers over the chords, something it never did either.

The best thing is warm, dry, no sun and if possible, yes, take it out and use the insturment as often as possible. Depending on the orientation of the reeds, some accordions need to be stored sitting on their bass side wrist strap and some need to be stored sideways or "playing orientation". Get to know what your insturment needs and orient it properly for best long term storage survival.

Ultimately... don't store them... enjoy them!

 

[TomBR]

Don't know whereabouts you are JerryPH but here in southern England I'd say 10-20% humidity would be alarmingly dry. I'd hate to think what vintage concertinas would do at that level.

 

[JIM D.]

Storing an accordion for a long period is not difficult. To do this properly it should be prepared for storage and then hermetically sealed. I have many old quality model accordions and accordion parts that I store because of the fact that they contain or have valuable parts that have become obsolete in todays parts suppliers parts list. If you plan to store the accordion in extreme conditions send me a PM. If you plan to store the box in a closet, attic or basement that does not exceed 100 oF and in a case (soft or hard) first spray the case with a disinfectant spray such as -- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...pray&qid=1456762692&ref_=sr_1_8_a_it&sr=8-8--
and then wrap the case with a large trash bag , seal it , and wrap again it with another trash bag such as--http://www.amazon.com/Hefty-Steelsak-Drawstring-Trash-Gallon/dp/B000RNCZWQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456763148&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=trash+bags&psc=1
and place it where water will not affect it. Stored in this manner cold temps will not harm the box but temps over 100oF will cause damage.

 

[JerryPH]

I live in Quebec Canada, warm summers, brutal winters. Come to think of it, I have our house humidifier set to 25-30% in the winter to keep the wood slats from shrinking, so perhaps yes a little more humidity is what I was looking for, thank-you Tom. As for England, I hear that you guys have a ton more rain than we do. A lot of humidity likely promotes mold, not good for accordions.

My lady has a house in Cancun Mexico. Very warm, *very* humid... it's pretty much death to accordions that are stored in those kinds of conditions in a matter of months, forget about years of storage. Heck, we had issues keeping mold off the walls if not maintained regularly... lol

 

[Soulsaver]

To do this properly it should be prepared for storage and then hermetically sealed. ..and place it where water will not affect it.

Whats involved in preparing it Jim?
Taking Jerrys point, is there a way to avoid stuck pads/reeds? Baking parchment/greaseproof paper under the treble pads would be easy enough, for example.
Would those anti damp gel boxes be a good addition?

 

[JIM D.]

Silica gel bags can be more harmful than helpful. If you have a silica gel bag in your box and it absorbs moisture, and unless the bag is dried out by performing, it will release the moisture back into the accordion in storage. Silica gel yes, will absorb moisture, but will retain it until vented. Play the accordion in a low humidity condition playing all reeds for at least 10 to 15 min. and then pack it and store it. For many years accordions were imported with silica gel bags for shipment but should have been removed before sale.

 

[Soulsaver]

My logic says to me that if I were following your advice Jim, I'd change it slightly and bag the accordion, then put it in the disinfected case and bag the case. That way I'd hope to a avoid a transfer of (possible) mould smell from case to accordion? Is that OK? Maybe still double bag the case for belt and braces?
And what disinfectant do you recommend? I rather it didn't smell like a public loo

 

[JIM D.]

If you don't care for the public loo smell, well I've never used an accordion or case with an intent for that purpose :roll: :lol: :roll:

Have a nice day Ed :ch

Regards; JIM

 

[JerryPH]

"Lysol" is an antiseptic spray brand name that has the reputation of being able to "remove" 99.9% of all bacteria (or so they advertise), and it comes in all kinds of scents, some very passive, others quite... well, not so nice, so there is no reason I can see to not use it, just don't go nuts with it while spraying, it is a liquid after all.

The idea of double bagging or sealing the accordion in a plastic before placing it in the case actually sounds very smart, hermetically sealing it would be ideal, but not many people would have access to a clean room, proper plastic bags and a vacuum system that removes as much air out of the bag as possible, but that doesn't mean there aren't ways around it and at least do a variation of this idea.

The one thing that I can tell you all, the smell that my accordion had the moment I opened the case a couple weeks ago, it was that same identical smell I recall so clearly the first time I opened her up for the first time (that kind of surprised me!), so in my case, mold or contaminants were not an issue, I can mostly thank our mild Canadian climate for that.

Silica gel packs... Jim is right again. They're made to absorb and then release once they've reached a certain capacity, so they are a kind of a 1 trick pony. Good for initial use, but after a week or so, take them out and toss them away, as they can promote a food source and actually promote the spreading of mold when releasing what they have absorbed later on.

My sticking reed issues is completely accordion specific, some will stick, others won't as I have experienced. At worst, stuck reeds are not a big thing to address, as I am learning.

 

[debra]

Let me try my response again that disappeared.
When storing an accordion the orientation is important. An accordion without cassotto can be stored on its feet but a cassotto instrument needs to be stored in the playing position. Otherwise half of the valves will be subjected to gravity (trying to pull them open).