Bass hand strap replacement questions

[Ed S]

I'm planning to replace my bass hand strap, and have lots of questions:

1. Screw specs. Is the bass strap adjustment screw/thumbwheel standardized, or do I need to worry about getting the right diameter and thread pitch?

2. Strap length. Can the strap length to buy be derived from the width of the accordion (19 1/4"), or do I really need to get in there and measure it? I don't want to open it up more than I have to.

3. Strap material, hand side. I know people who've had trouble with stitches irritating their had. I've had trouble with my strap being too grippy and irritating, so that for now I wear a cloth sleeve over the back of my hand. I see some straps have a velour lining, which sounds good, but I fear it will not be durable. What should I be looking for, for smooth motion and no irritation?

4. Screw dope. My strap wiggles loose over the course of a single tune; I wrote about this. If the screw on my new strap is just as loose in the thumbwheel, I'm thinking about using a little low strength threadlocker, like Loctite 222, on it. Any concerns?

 

[Glug]

Bass strap adjuster screw on my 1959 Hohner is 3/16" Whitworth, I'm fairly sure Hohner still use that size.
- you could get a 3/16" whitworth bolt and test if it fits.

I bought a longer strap of the correct width and cut it down.

 

[Dingo40]

3. Strap material, hand side. I know people who've had trouble with stitches irritating their had. I've had trouble with my strap being too grippy and irritating, so that for now I wear a cloth sleeve over the back of my hand. I see some straps have a velour lining, which sounds good, but I fear it will not be durable. What should I be looking for, for smooth motion and no irritation?

Here's an earlier thread on the subject :

Sweaty back of hand/forearm catching on bass-strap?

A while ago, someone asked what could be done regarding sweaty forearm or back of hand catching on the leather bass strap, interfering with smooth function of the left hand during play. Not being registered, I was unable to make a suggestion, but I would like to make a suggestion now? First: it...

www.accordionists.info

 

[Dingo40]

2. Strap length. Can the strap length to buy be derived from the width of the accordion (19 1/4"), or do I really need to get in there and measure it? I don't want to open it up more than I have to.

Different models of accordions have the "fixed " end of the bass strap attached to the accordion in different ways.
In some cases, there's a metal loop fitted to the strap which fits over a metal hook attached to the bass box.
In others, the end of the strap is screwed directly to the wood of the bass box. The actual site of the attachment can ( in some makes) be tricky to access.
It may be useful to first examine exactly what you have before looking for a replacement.

 

[Glug]

Almost forgot - worth measuring the strap thickness.
Older accordions had thinner straps than the current standard and you need it to go into the adjuster slot cleanly.

 

[Dingo40]

If the screw on my new strap is just as loose in the thumbwheel, I'm thinking about using a little low strength threadlocker, like Loctite 222,

What if you dipped the thread in some shellac dissolved in alcohol ( local hardware store) and let it dry on?

 

[Glug]

Or maybe accordion wax ?

 

[Ed S]

What if you dipped the thread in some shellac dissolved in alcohol ( local hardware store) and let it dry on?

and re Glug's accordion wax thought:

My biggest concern is the screw shedding tiny bits of debris from whatever I dope it with, which then might get stuck in a bad place on a reed or valve. I think this is less likely to happen with low-strength threadlocker.

 

[Glug]

You probably can't go wrong with thread locker