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CLEANING & POLISHING

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Chickers

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I'm looking for recommendations for cleaning and maintaining my accordions.
I have a couple vintage PA accordions that I play, but not daily, and they have developed a very minor
surface scratches, and tend to gather fingerprints, and residue from whatever.
I typically use a slightly damp microfibre cloth, then a dry cloth to give them a general wipe down.
Do you have other recommendations ? How about polishing ? Maybe a high quality auto polish ?
I don't feel confident to get into the interior. Removal of the grill, and a little light dusting
might be O.K. I occasionally lightly vacuum the case interior as well.
I guess I tend to be a bit fussy about the aesthetics as well as the general condition.
I seen some "polka-band" instruments that looked like they had been used in a barroom brawl.
I would appreciate any comments, and / or recommendations
Thank you,
CHICKERS
 
A long while ago I was told by an accordionist that "All the guys use" a mixture of 2/3 water and 1/3 common rubbing alcohol. Put the solution in a spray bottle. Spray a flannel rag lightly with the solution, then wipe the accordion with it.

I tried it. All it did was spread whatever deposits were on the accordion out.

Microfiber makes a whole lot more sense, if used dry.

Remember: not all accordion finishes are celluloid. Some are painted. Roland V-accordions are plastic. Natural wood-finished accordions may be varnish or lacquer. A dry microfiber cloth won't harm any of those finishes.
 
Chickers,
I'd just advise extreme care with the vacuum. Some vacuum cleaners are quite capable of sucking the leather valves off your accordion!?
 
You guys are going to laugh... I found that in some specific areas car polishing products work REALLY well!

When I received my Hohner Imperator V, it looked very dull, befitting a well used 50+ year old box... but 4 hours spent with this product with some gentle polishing using a microfiber towel and it looks as good as new. The only part I did not spend a lot of time on are the treble keys, but I really should go for 1 more time in that area.

1.jpg
You can see the clouds reflected in the panels.
2.jpg
Check out the area where the left forearm slid back and forth for decades, glossy as a mirror.

3.jpg
You can see the high gloss reflection of my tiny Free Bass on the back.

The product that I used was Speed 3D. It's an all-in-one product (wax and polish) that I used to remove about 200 cat and dog scratches from my sister's car, it looks better than new now too.

What I noticed is that first it's really gentle unless you use a rotary tool with a hard wool or sponge pad on a DE rotary tool. What is a super nice surprise is the smell afterwards, very pleasant, and fingerprints come off very easily with a dry microfiber towel with no further products... and its so smoooooth!

For inside, I'd NOT recommend any kind of vacuum, instead use a soft medium length boar's hair brush and maybe some light compressed air in a can used at a good distance.

I've never used it on any other of my accordions, but I will because the results are very satisfying.
 
For just cleaning I use Windex.

For polishing out scratches I use Commandant cleaner 4, which I spotted in an accordion video and I've used to finish the celluloid repairs on my 50s Scandalli. It's way better than T-Cut and doesn't leave any residue.


It's also quite cheap :)
 
Thank you.
great comments, and words of advise---and caution.
My error, when I mentioned in my post that "I lightly vacuum the case"--I meant the travel case. The suitcase--
not the accordion itself. The accordion, I realize , is far to intricate, and too fragile for a vacuum, except in the hands
of a professional---which I am not (obviously).
I have heard of the automotive polish use before. I think a mild polish, and very light application.
The Honer looks FANTASTIC. I think I will look at using that idea.
CHICKERS
 
Car polish will build up after many applications and be difficult to remove. A polish like Pledge will not build up
after many applications.
 
JIM D. said:
Car polish will build up after many applications and be difficult to remove. A polish like Pledge will not build up
after many applications.
Click to expand...
Yes... and no, Jim. :)

Most waxes diminish over time out in the elements (rain, snow, wind dust, dirt). We're looking at something that is perhaps 2-3 micron's thick (a human hair is about 100-300 times thicker). If you are going to use the old Turtle wax and do it once a month, then yes, most definitely you get build-up!

Use something like Speed 3-d once a year (and yes it will easily last a year, possibly more unless you use your accordion as a hood ornament... lol)... it will take 40-50 applications to get to where that build-up even comes close to being an issue, so we're looking at decades.

The issue with pledge is that its great at removing dust, but that's about it. And though its not all that greasy, it is way greasier than a quality AIO wax... and there is zero UV protection, zero cutting compound so cannot remove scratches and that fake lemon smell is overpowering and to me, not all that pleasant in comparison. The amount of effort to apply a nice coat of wax (several hours), though, is much greater to do right, but for me, its a labor of love. :)
 
Last edited:
Pipemajor said:
But you need a lot of tubes!! :giggle:
Click to expand...
...and believe it or not, some "tarter removing" toothpastes can be much more abrasive and has no real protection integrated, so you are actually adding more scratches than you are removing/filling instead of getting the better results with an AIO (all-in-one polish/wax/protect) product..
 
JerryPH said:
...and believe it or not, some "tarter removing" toothpastes can be much more abrasive and has no real protection integrated, so you are actually adding more scratches than you are removing/filling instead of getting the better results with an AIO (all-in-one polish/wax/protect) product..
Click to expand...
Maybe but in my experience, it never happened.
A classic, normal toothpaste works perfectly.

And I don't like having wax on the accordion.
 
I too have used toothpaste to clean (nicotine stains from) an accordion, successfully.
It is true, though, that some toothpastes can be somewhat harsh: they feel as if they contain a lot of ground glass. These are best avoided.
Something smooth and bland is the thing.??
 
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