Accordion polish?

[LibraryJoe]

A well known accordion shop recommends Bees Wax aerosol polish as useful to maintain an accordion's shine.
I've played accordion for more than 50 years and never "polished" my accordions with something other than a soft cloth.
Do any members use anything to keep their accordion new-looking? For me, I lift it using the straps, avoid touching the "box" and treat it gently. I keep it under a dust cover on a safe end table, and only use the case in rare instances when I'm taking it out of the house.
Thanks all!
Joe

 

[Dingo40]

I've played accordion for more than 50 years and never "polished" my accordions with something other than a soft cloth.

Same here, and not often at that!

 

[Vladimir M.]

Hi,
I also only use soft cloth, which I wash, dry, and iron along with the rest of my laundry. That's what my teacher once taught me. Anything else may not always be safe for the surface of the accordion. For example, I have seen a surface that was damaged after using an alcohol cleaning solution (with original intention for degreasing the accordion surface and removing finger and chin marks): the black glossy surface of the celluloid turned into a matte "hazy" one. The question also remains how long it takes for the (potentially unsuitable) substance to react with the surface of the instrument (celluloid, lacquer, paintcoat,…).

Best regards, Vladimir

 

[tcabot]

Beeswax on plastic? Somehow that just doesn't make much sense to me. To go sticky when it's hot in summer?

Celluloid can have the hazing polished out with any plastic scratch remover paste, or even basic car polish products like T-cut. Better to use the stuff that's sold for removing scratches from headlights though.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother, unless you take it to the shop to get re-polished once in n years. In this life, the only thing that's worth polishing every day is the chrome on your Harley Davidson. Everything else is fine as is.

 

[debra]

I clean the (celluloid) surface with benzine (called "wasbenzine" here, so not gasoline!) and then finish with a furniture polish. I use "Pronto", which is Italian. The same stuff is sold here as "Pledge". It may go by yet other names elsewhere. To just remove dust a soft cloth alone would do, but to get grease from your hand (left hand under the bass strap) or other stuff, like from sneezing while you play... that's where the benzine and then the furniture cleaner come into play.

 

[JeffJetton]

I've never used accordion polish.

I do, however, enjoy Polish accordion.

 

[tcabot]

The million zloty question here is:
What polish should you use to polish your accordion according to the Polish accordionists?

 

[Tom]

The Polish accordionist in the “Clarinet Polka” doesn’t seem like the type to polish her accordion. My wife is of Polish descent and I believe she would be happy to polish a few of them right out of the house.

 

[John Doe]

I believe <my wife> would be happy to polish a few of them right out of the house.

Consulting with my own nearest and dearest revealed that her ideal solution would involve tranport of the menage to the driveway and a flamethrower....

Quite possibly deleterious to the finish IMHO.




Failing that, a quick wipe down with a finish neutral solvent followed by spray polish (Pledge, BeesWax, et al) and a soft cloth about does it for me. Perhaps a very very fine abrasive polish for any real prominent scratches in an otherwise unsullied surface- though the results are often less than what one might envision. Life happens and absent real disasters I'm inclined to listen to the instruments rather than stare at them. That I'm blessed with awful vision tends to reinforce that take on things.

 

[Jibberin]

My Scandalli came with a cloth and some cleaner

 

[RunClimbPlay]

IIRC, bensine is a carcinogen.

 

[Ffingers]

IIRC, bensine is a carcinogen.

...found circulating freely in the atmosphere wherever petrochemical fuels are used - gasolene, diesel, lighting kerosene, aviation fuels, etbluddycetera.

 

[JerryPH]

I've mentioned it before, but if you take the time to make sure the accordion is clean a quality car polish is going to do a good job protecting it. For my Corvette I use a Turtle hybrid ceramic protection. They say it is supposed to last 6-12 months but my car beads water amazingly even after 2 years since it's last wax. On an accordion, you may be looking at 3-5 years of shine and protection. I don't care much about the hydrophobic properties as much as the fact that dust practically never collects on my car and finger prints are pretty much impossible to see, unless you have greasy fingers... lol

Those properties are exactly what I want on the body of my accordion. The one place I will avoid is the keyboard and bass buttons, if you are a fast player and its too slippery it tosses off your playing in a big way.