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Pigliacampo Numana servicing

  • Thread starter Thread starter keelbolt
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keelbolt

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I would welcome some advice, please, from the Accordion Elmers here...
I have been given a Pigliacampo Numana - small, lightweight, 34 Treble keys (G to E) with 48 Bass. Apart from being a bit dusty, all the action works OK. Which is surprising, really, because its been in Bangkok for the past ten years, and the humidity and heat here is considerable.
Inside, it looks clean and tidy, bellows seem fine and hold their pressure well with no discernable leaks or whistles. Its in reasonable tune - I suspect musette tuning originally - but the one obvious thing thats failing is the leathers. Most are seriously curled away from the reed blocks, and a few at the top end of the treble blocks are missing altogether (and no sign of them inside anywhere).
I like the feel of the instrument, though it does use a LOT of air to play coupled (maybe the leathers have something to do with this). And there are a few clacks and wheezes from some of the reeds. But its light, small, powerful, and ideal for when I only need a lightweight small instrument (my others are a BIG Baille, and a Roland FR3X).
My first thought is carefully to clean the reeds and replace the leathers and see how that affects the instrument (hopefully for the better).
I attach some pictures, and would be grateful if you those with more experience could (a) comment on my plan of action against the pictures, and (b) let me know where best to get a complete new set of leathers - Im tempted to go for vinyl rather than leather because of the humidity here.
Yes, its a project. Yes, its my first renovation on an accordion (though I have three of them now). And yes, I think its worth it.... for the learning experience if nothing else. What am I missing? What else should I be doing?
 

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If them are piccolo reeds they arent missing leathers.. they dont put leathers on - but the others do need doing. Why are you planning on cleaning reeds?
 

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Why clean the reeds? I assume they've got dirty....
 
It seems the weather in your location has affected your valves horribly. If there is no rust on the reed tongues your problem will not be cleaning but valve replacement. Replacing the leathers with Ventilli (plastic) reed valves should solve your problem.
 
Thanks, Jim. One step at a time. I'll try to find some Ventilli reed valves. What glue do you recommend?
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=accordion ventil&rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=3

Thanks to a tip from Kimric Smythe of Smythe Accordions in Oakland California, I have successfully used Indian Head Gasket Shellac or Versachem Lion Gasket Shellac, available in little brown 2 ounce plastic bottles at auto parts stores for about $3. One bottle is enough to glue several thousand leathers.

When you first open the bottle, you will find a uselessly large applicator brush fixed to the lid. Scrape the glue off it and back into the bottle, use side-cutter pliers to cut the brush stem as close to the lid as possible, and throw the brush away. You will be using wooden toothpicks to apply the glue to your leathers.

I have also successfully used Aleenes Original Tacky Glue, which comes in a convenient squeeze bottle. I squeeze a small bead of glue onto the end of the leather, then spread it with a wooden toothpick. This glue seems to stay soft better than the gasket shellac, and provides a stronger bond, but consequently is harder to remove. Im sure there are many other glues that will work as well.
 
Hit the nail on the head Ed. :tup:
 
Thanks Jim - (is referring to the ebay link).
The quote is from Accordion revival webby - it was added after Jims simultaneous post, so he may actually suggest something else. Most all purpose glues will work ok, epoxy is too hard to remove, PVA white glue won't stick to metal, I wouldn't recommend 'extra strength' just in case it's hard to remove.
 
Nice for people to come back with a thanks, thanks. :)

PS Note: Kimric Smythe is a member on here, too.
 
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