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Loose bellows pins.

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Dingo40
Where would we be without our 10lb hammers?
It's a long time ago since I first encountered bellows pins which had been slightly bent. I believe this had been done deliberately to make it a tighter fit.

Totally unrelated but I have noticed the way Sweden are handling the COVID19 issue. I have two sons there, permanently.
I have just watched a BBC programme where they reported that fatalities there are no higher, proportionately, than
other places. I'm also aware that they have a highly developed national health system.
 
[size=x-small]Thread Modes
Its a long time ago since I first encountered bellows pins which had been slightly bent. I believe this had been done deliberately to make it a tighter fit.

Boxplayer,
That is a brilliant idea! :)
Thats something I would never have thought of, yet its so simple and practical: great, thanks! :)

As I mentioned above, the damper weather (raining at the moment for the first time in months. Relative humidity 80%.) seems to have fixed it for now, but Ill keep it in mind for the future.  :)
This pin bending idea is a bit like the Swedes approach to COVID19: ingenious and effective! :)
 
boxplayer4000 said:
Dingo40
Where would we be without our 10lb hammers?
It's a long time ago since I first encountered bellows pins which had been slightly bent. I believe this had been done deliberately to make it a tighter fit.

Totally unrelated but I have noticed the way Sweden are handling the COVID19 issue. I have two sons there, permanently.
I have just watched a BBC programme where they reported that fatalities there are no higher, proportionately, than
other places. I'm also aware that they have a highly developed national health system.
Click to expand...

Dingo,

I've just seen a UK news article that says Sweden is considering implementing stricter measures, and it would appear they are not so far "down the road" as other countries like the UK. 

Maybe your bellows pins have gone into "lock in".
 
Dingo40
When I mentioned deliberately bent bellows pins I should have said that it's not a practice that I would use. It might be a 'quickfix'
but it's not a very professional technique.  I seem to associate loose pins with old, compressed bellows gaskets in my mind and that gasket renewal 
will often cure the problem.
 
Boxplayer,

OK, thanks :)
I won't be doing anything at all for now as, with the change in the weather, the problem has resolved itself  :)
 
This post made me thinking and I ordered a selection of new pins.

I have a small "road repairs" / bits and pieces pouch in my bag, but until now without pins. They stay in but some I can simply pull out with my nails without friction. I guess I could do a crude repair with some tape, but hey why not carry them as they are so tiny.
 
As a harmless "quick fix" that could be left in place for a long time I'd cut a sliver of paper, an elongated triangle, put it into the hole, making sure the amount in the hole won't be longer than the bellows pin, then insert the pin while holding onto my piece of paper. Trial and error to get the right amount of tightness. Once I'm happy (ie the right width of paper in the hole) tear off the part of the paper outside the hole.

Caution, you don't want fragments of paper floating about inside your accordion but this shouldn't happen with care.
 
Tom,
An excellent suggestion, and harmless ! :)

It reminds me of a ploy I have often used to fix loose screws in woodwork: dip the ends of one or two matchsticks in PVA glue, gently tap them into the screwhole, break off any surplus, and drive in the screw: job done! :)

( Unfortunately, that won't work here  :P)
 
A method I have used over the years to 'measure' the unknown size of a small hole is use use my drill set and a micrometer. Start by selecting a drill that will fit easily into the hole, using the shank (not the cutting end of the drill) into the hole. Then go up one size and try that, and keep going until you find a size that is as tight a fit as you would like it to be. Once you're happy with that, get your micrometer or Vernier caliper and measure the drill shank diameter.
I have metric drills, which go up in increments of 0,5mm and also British number drills, which increase in quite small increments (not sure of the actual increment size).

Of course, the above post assumes that you want to go down the path of using oversize bellows pins.
 
Andy 
As they say, " Great minds think alike!" :)

I use your technique to determine drill-bit sizes needed for screws and bolts of all sizes up
to 1/2 inch,

My drill bits live in a box, each in its own special circular slot, labelled with its diameter.

No need for a micrometer: just read the size off the box ! :P

(BTW, I see you're a fellow Aussie!)
 
I would just use some Loctite thread locker, or some gasket maker for automotive purposes. Just put a tiny drop in the holes with a needle or toothpick, then insert the pins. I would not recommend using bigger pins!

Drilling new holes is not as easy as it seems, as you need a very slight angle to the holes, to make sure the pins will pull the frame towards the gasket when pushed in.
 
Dingo40 said:
Andy 
As they say, " Great minds think alike!" :)

I use your technique to determine drill-bit sizes needed for screws and bolts of all sizes up
to 1/2 inch,

My drill bits live in a box, each in its own special circular slot, labelled with its diameter.

No need for a micrometer: just read the size off the box ! :P

(BTW, I see you're a fellow Aussie!)
Click to expand...
I use my number drills, 'cos they're in a handy drill stand on my bench, but being numbered 1 to 60 they aren't actually marked with sizes. Hence the micrometer. :D
 
maugein96 said:
What Jozz means is that you are supposed to ensure each pin goes back into its original position, rather than just randomly put them back in. I've read that in quite a few articles, without really understanding what it meant, but basically I think the gist is that each bellows pin has a unique position, and they shouldn't be moved around. ...
Click to expand...
The reason is that although to you the pins may look identical there is some tolerance in the production process so some pins are actually just ever to slightly thicker than others. None of this was done on purpose. But after the pins have been in for quite a while the holes adjust to the thickness of the pin in them. You should keep the pins in the same position because if you put a thinner pin in a hole it will be loose and if you force a (just slightly) thicker pin in a hole that hole will widen and the pin that's supposed to be in that position will now be loose.
It's not difficult to lay out the pins in the order they should be (for instance, push them into a piece of styrofoam) and it will ensure that they will still fit fine after taking them out and putting them back in many times.
(To avoid such problems some accordions use bolts and nuts instead of pins. The Pigini Sirius bayan for instance uses bolts, as it is a copy of Russian bayans that all have bolts as well.)
 
Paul,
Thanks for that, but too late now: the horse (pins) has bolted  :(
 
that's why I ordered a bunch (like 30 pins or so):
there is always some that fit tight, but I've run out of those, and am left with too much pins that are slightly thin

NB. what I meant to say was: I am one of those lazy guys, that never lay out their pins in order after removing...

:P
 
I like the idea of the paper trick (because it is the least invasive and harmless). I would suggest to use thin cigarette paper (you get that from a tobacco store) and if that turns out to be too thin you can use two layers or get a less thin variety. With regular office paper one layer may already be too thick.
 
What I used in my old grandpa's accordion is a simple scotch tape - I take the pin and wrap around it 1 or 2 layers, leaving bare only its head. Paper tape should do even better.
 
Paul and Mihail,
The mention of "tape" reminds me of the thread-packing, very thin plastic tape used by plumbers to make watertight the threads of water taps (faucets).
This could be wrapped around the stem of a pin to tighten the fit?
The plumber's usually need nine or ten turns of the tape to give a tight fit. It's non- sticky.
(Readily available in hardware stores around here. I already  have some in my toolbox) :)
 
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