Lubrication of bass mechanism old accordion

[pilagou]

Yesterday I bought a new accordion. It is a Settimo Soprani "Multigrand" 120 bass and 4 treble reeds (exactly like this one https://reverb.com/item/57494546-settimo-soprani-multigrand-accordion). Looks to be from the 50's or 60's but I didn't find much online. Didn't really need it but it was $60 Canadian dollars and a few blocks away from home.
It turns out it is in very decent condition (for the price). Quite well tuned, decent sound, bellows look to have been barely used.
The main issue it has (or at least that I have noticed so far) is that some of the bass chords miss some notes when played.
The bass mechanism is made out of steel wire and it looks like the mechanism was oiled at one point (factory?). The oil has since turned to something between a varnish and a glue. There isn't a lot of it. But the thin layer that is there doesn't help playability.
I have much more experience in engine mechanics than accordion and, from that not very relevant experience I think a spraying of Jigaloo might help. The solvent in it would probably disolve the oil a bit and the remaining silicone layer help the mechanism. Plus won't gum things more.
But maybe that's a totally terrible idea for reasons that I ignore.
Any opinions?

 

[Dingo40]

Any opinions?

Welcome pilagou!
Congratulations on your purchase at an excellent price: nice!
There have been several threads on the question of whether to lubricate any parts of accordions or not (as it may encourage the accumulation of dust and grit).
The orthodoxy is: do not lubricate (although there are also some rebels and heretics ).
Some feel pfte lubes (used sparingly) may be allowed, others feel accordions were designed to be used unlubricated, so no lubricant at all), just cleaning.
Just keep in mind that many bits and pieces inside the accordion are held together using glue or wax which don't go well with lubricants.
Wait for more replies before acting!
BTW, yours is probably from the late 1940s/very early 1950s.

 

[pilagou]

Late 1940 /early 1950's that's interesting. Older than I thought.
As for lubrication, yes I get the downside. My experience with fpte lubes is that they are as non gummy / sticky at they get. But still. And this accordion was lubed with oil. And it's now not helping. This is the treble register switch

 

[pilagou]

More newbie question. But on the treble side, there is a cute little pick stored inside the box. What is it for?

 

[Dingo40]

What is it for?

As I remember, it's a tool for detaching and reattaching the treble key springs if needing to remove or replace the treble keys. Neat, huh?

 

[pilagou]

Well after considering the no-lube opinions in the forum, I ended up using q-tips and alcohol to clean the most sticky spots, let the ones I couldn't properly reach as they were and let it dry. It worked and was the lowest risk option I suppose

 

[Siegmund]

Well after considering the no-lube opinions in the forum, I ended up using q-tips and alcohol to clean the most sticky spots, let the ones I couldn't properly reach as they were and let it dry. It worked and was the lowest risk option I suppose

Good plan.

If you *did* opt for Teflon or similar, you would still do well to use a solvent to strip off all the old gunk first, rather than trapping it underneath. I am not surprised that just removing the old gunk showed an improvement without lubricating.

Taking it all the way apart to wipe down everything is not too horribly scary if you are systematic about it.

And yes, do not lose the "cute little pick." You will want it if you ever work on the treble keyboard. And there are people who would pay more than the $60 just to get their hands on the tool.

 

[debra]

Your post is most useful to stress the point that in an accordion lubrication should be avoided. Any lubrication like oil attracts dust and dirt and over time turns into a paste/glue that does more harm than the oil ever did good.
Some mechanisms do get lubricated in the factory: old treble keyboard mechanisms not using a spindle have a greasy substance to keep the keys moving easily and without making noise, and modern bayan-style button keyboard tend to be lubricated as well (and they are a greasy mess to disassemble and reassemble).

 

[KiwiSqueezer]

The key spring tool ('pick') looks almost identical to those provided in contemporaneous Scandalli boxes, and the treble pallet attachment - leather(?) wrapping - and the compound key lever arrangement shown are also very similar. I wonder how much collaboration there was between those factories.

I've seen filthy messes in two old Scandallis, caused by muck sticking to something which leaked from the treble slide 'box' (what's it called? - the mechanism that transmits rotation from the treble selector mechanism, on one side of the foundation plate to the slide mechanism on the other. It looks like the boxes were grease-packed at manufacture, possibly to reduce air leakage. Bad idea, when oil separates from the grease and tracks a considerable distance. Then it oxidises to a sticky mess and muck sticks to it. If leakage is a problem at this location, a stiff silicone grease should be OK.

What's Jigaloo? I'd suggest that if you really want to spray anything, a light application of a 'dry' teflon spray should do no harm.

Back when these boxes were made, the lubricant technology available to the masses was relatively primitive. I think we can afford to be a little more adventurous these days...

 

[debra]

... I'd suggest that if you really want to spray anything, a light application of a 'dry' teflon spray should do no harm.
...

A piano repairer recommended "Protek CLP" to me, and if you want a spray then "Mc Lube". But no lubrication of any kind is always the best option.

 

[Ventura]

The key spring tool ('pick')........ identical ........Scandalli ...... I wonder

there are more elaborate threads in the archives, briefly:

the Settimo factory burned to the ground one night, likely
from the Black Hand department, or the Black Hand of his
brother Paolo, no-one left alive to say..

as a kindness to his friend, and as an Arm bent at the elbow UP
to Paolo, Silvio invited Settimo and his workforce to use
the old Scandalli Factory "midnight shift" so as to keep his
company alive.. Settimo was at this time one of the biggest
providers of private label accordions to the USA, and so you will find
these hybrid boxes from S Soprani as well as many private
labels like Serenelli, Nunziola imports, and others.. they have a Scandalli
shell and treble mech, with a Soprani type stradella mech and the
various unique treble covers/cowls as per contracts and artistic design.
Scandalli had already begun to buy up other smaller brands
and factories in the Ancona area and had excess capacity available.

sidebar: apparently the USA Serenelli brand was a different company from
a Serenelli factory somewhere in Italy, and whose accordions/brand can
be found scattered around Europe..

sidebar: apparently at some point in the future, the two companies
merged, and during the Farfisa days even had for a time a decendant
of Settimo as the CEO, i believe prior to the Marcosigniori period..

 

[oldbayan]

Well after considering the no-lube opinions in the forum, I ended up using q-tips and alcohol to clean the most sticky spots, let the ones I couldn't properly reach as they were and let it dry. It worked and was the lowest risk option I suppose

Naphta (e.g. lighter fluid) is good to dissolve old lubricants.