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Give it a Wurl

C

cass

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greetings all, I have been given a small 25/12 Wurlitzer accordion. Stamped Made in America, serial 19003. Have done a little research and Wurlitzer doesn't appear to be anyone's favorite accordion. It appears to be complete, mostly intact, bellows seem tight. Has suffered some heavy-handed repair but I don't think any of it is fatal or impossible to reverse. I have some specific questions about it and am hoping to find someone who has one like this, another model of Wurlitzer or is knowledgeable about them. From the few notes I played, it seems to sound alright, it is small and very light. thanks in advance.tempImageYtdlij.jpgtempImageGfMOFb.jpg
 
Thats cute but very limited in playing some tunes. Not even a beginner model. Might be well with some easy folk songs for a limited time. Because its 12 bass, doesnt play minor chords. A bass tone and Major chords only I guess if there is not a switch (probably not).
 
Thanks for info. I recognize that it has limited capabilities but right now the size is more attractive to me. Plus the bellows has yellow fabric with alternating black and silver tapes. Very snazzy. (Insert tongue-in-cheek emoji here) I should have been a bit more specific about what I'm looking for. The repairs that were done on it prior to it being given to me were very crude. A thick cork gasket was used on the treble side of the bellows and metal inserts and machine screws were used instead of pins. Additionally the treble side was glued to the bellows. Some screws were replaced with oversized ones. For all I know, wurtlitzer used cork gaskets and screws but I sort of doubt it. I think that even with my moderate woodworking experience, all of the obvious issues could be fixed. I was hoping to find what was used originally and some dimensions, etc.
As always, thanks for the help. Every little bit gets me farther down the road.
 
cass said:
A thick cork gasket was used on the treble side of the bellows
Click to expand...
Of course, Paul would suggest the use of an appropriately sized, sell-adhesive, foam bellows seal .🙂
Remove the screws, reconstruct the pin holes and fit new bellows pins,
Don't know what to say about the glued side of the bellows 🤫🙂
 
Hey Dingo. The foam bellows seal is definitely in the plan. Was hoping to get a bit more information on best size. I will take my best engineering guess if it comes down to that. I followed some of the video links you provided. Liberty bellows had pictures of the exact model for sale some time ago. It looks like screws were indeed used to close the accordion, looked like a normal sort of gasket. May try to get some nice looking screws but not sure what path to take yet, screws vs pins. I was able to gently pry the treble end from the bellows plate with only minor damage to the wood. wood glue and clamping will take care of that. Liberty bellows also posted a video about 15 years ago of young lady demonstrating a Wurlitzer 25/12. sounded nice. thanks again.
 
metal inserts and machine screws were used by several accordion builders..
that is likely original

if you can find extremely thin foam or feel like cutting a long strip
from a thin suede sheet (like a furniture store sample) and
just make the cork gasket a bit thicker
 
I have a friend who has an identical box, but I don't think he's on this website. I could ask him if he's got any information specific to this model?
 
Ventura - I think I misspoke. Looks like the replacement screws were sheet metal screws, not machine. I have an assortment of machine screws that I will try on the inserts. as the bellows frame is slightly split where the screws entered, I suspect the original screws were smaller and repairman didn't enlarge the holes first. May try to convert to pins but that decision is down the road a bit. The cork gasket was sacrificed in trying to separate the bellows from the treble end. It looked to be way too think. Maybe was just something previous person had laying around. I have installed a couple of gaskets successfully on other instruments so will do that eventually.

Squeezebox of Delights - don't suppose you go by your acronym, do you? I would love to get information from your friend if possible. specifically, what are the bellows gasket thicknesses? What to the bellows pins or screws look like? Photo possible? I think the pallet pads look ok but won't know for a while. Would be nice to know the thicknesses if your friend knows. the reed valves definitely are shot but I can measure them directly.

thanks for the help!
 
The keyboard mechanical design is inferior to other traditional keyboard designs and will eventually result in wobbly keys. Other than that, the reeds and bellows are very fine.
It depends on how much it was already played, and how much you intend to play it.
The piano style flanges under the keys would last a lot longer if the v spring was keeping the keys to go straight up and down, like if there were a vertical pin under the key like a piano has. The v spring is unstable side to side.
 
Hi Whasanike. thanks for info. I have no idea how much it was played and haven't really tried to play it yet as it needs a lot of TLC before I can. I noticed the keyboard mechanism is different from the others I have played with. I will definitely examine the keys and their stability as I put it all back together. thank you.
 
For what it’s worth, my 1980s Petosa Antico uses screws instead of bellows pins. I once took it to an elderly, near-sighted repair man. He wouldn’t listen to me and tried to pull them out with pliers for a few minutes before agreeing that yes, those are in fact screws. I did not return to that repair man…
 
Hi ColoRodney. thanks for the story. This one is definitely not heavy. It has been interesting to compare the workings of the Wurlitzer with that of more modern accordions. A question about the screws in your Petosa. Do they look like regular screws? I have a vision of a fastener with a smooth pin on one end but threaded next to the head. My Wurlitzer had sheet metal screws but the inserts in the holes In the housing (not sure if that is actually the right term, non-bellows parts anyway) are threaded for machine screws. the holes in the bellows frame do not have threaded inserts and are not the same diameter as the machine screws that fit the inserts. Sorry for the convoluted description. I am not convinced the inserts are original or someone's attempt at a repair. I am trying to decide whether to remove the inserts, repair the holes and redrill them for pins or track down some screws of the proper configuration. Not sure which option would be the more work. I am not particularly interested in a restoration of the instrument, just a revival.
 
cass said:
Ventura - I think I misspoke. Looks like the replacement screws were sheet metal screws, not machine. I have an assortment of machine screws that I will try on the inserts. as the bellows frame is slightly split where the screws entered, I suspect the original screws were smaller and repairman didn't enlarge the holes first. May try to convert to pins but that decision is down the road a bit. The cork gasket was sacrificed in trying to separate the bellows from the treble end. It looked to be way too think. Maybe was just something previous person had laying around. I have installed a couple of gaskets successfully on other instruments so will do that eventually.

Squeezebox of Delights - don't suppose you go by your acronym, do you? I would love to get information from your friend if possible. specifically, what are the bellows gasket thicknesses? What to the bellows pins or screws look like? Photo possible? I think the pallet pads look ok but won't know for a while. Would be nice to know the thicknesses if your friend knows. the reed valves definitely are shot but I can measure them directly.

thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Hi, Squeezebox of Delights' friend.

Sorry I'm a bit late to the discussion, I could surely get those measurements for you if you are still looking for them.

Kane
 
KaneAccordionist said:
Hi, Squeezebox of Delights' friend.

Sorry I'm a bit late to the discussion, I could surely get those measurements for you if you are still looking for them.

Kane
Click to expand...
hi kane. never too late. thanks for the offer. The questions that come to mind immediately are the thickness of the bellows seals and how is the case closed, pins or screws? Mine has threaded metal inserts instead of holes for pins. the threads accept a machine screw but the holes in the bellows frame are not the right diameter so I am wondering if the inserts are a later modification. If yours uses screws, what do they look like? have you disassembled your wurly for any maintenance? I am still in the process of cleaning glue and general grunge from previous owners. the pads look ok, the keys are mostly level and I think the bellows are tight. I will be cleaning and revolving the reeds a little at a time.
Looks like you just joined the forum, presumably for my benefit. welcome and thank you. you can send me PMs if you would rather.
thanks again.
cass
 
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