KiwiSqueezer
Active member
Hi folks,
I'd like to ask questions which probably have no answer, but nevertheless, I would welcome the forum's opinions. The fate of an accordion hangs in the balance!
I am slowly restoring a small number of accordions. Spares and materials are essentially unobtainable within New Zealand, so scrounging and salvaging becomes an attractive option - or necessity. I have received generous help, and parts, from a couple of forum members, but there's still a lot to find. Two days ago I was given what I was told was a hopeless wreck of an accordion, which had lain in a shed for years, accumulating bird poo, after it had been 'played with' by the family's kids (the accordion, not the bird poo...).
It's a Serenelli 37/80, LMM (two switches, to select MM or LMM), and with 4 bass reed sets (no bass switches). Examination reveals that, quite unexpectedly, in spite of its abuse and neglect, it's essentially complete, with no corrosion at all, and no attack from pests. Factory-made reeds, wet-tuned (an unexpected bonus!), individually-removeable treble keys. Plastic treble pallets are fixed with wax: some are falling off. Reed wax is also beginning to fail. All leathers are present and many are acceptably flat. All reeds sound. One slide needs a minor repair. A bit of tweaking corrected keyboard alignment. Cosmetically, externally, it's a bit rough, with scratched and faded celluloid, a missing treble switch 'key' (lump of clear acrylic), worn bellows tape, one slightly loose corner, and fingernail wear on several white keys. The bellows are not leaky. The straps are junk.I believe that it's Italian-manufactured, so pre-1963. Sorry, no pix, but if anyone's interested...
My problem is this: it is eminently restorable - and would be lot easier than my other 'projects', but I don't want to keep it, I'm too old to stack up even more projects, and I don't believe it's financial value in NZ warrants the time a restoration would take (usual story of old accordions...). It could act as a donor of celluloid, bass buttons, a reed or two, small woodscrews, all of which I need, but also, most importantly, bellows for a tuning table that I must soon make. I'm an incorrigible rescuer and repairer of machinery, and hate to see useful things thrown away or broken up, but is this box 'useful' - even if restored? Would anyone want a little box like this? It's not exactly a quality item. I suppose the world was awash with low-end little boxes like this at one time. So, as a source of parts, it's of value to me, yet it doesn't seem right to kill it. Should one be sentimental about things like this?
Any thoughts welcome... (and yes, I know, I probably need therapy...).
I'd like to ask questions which probably have no answer, but nevertheless, I would welcome the forum's opinions. The fate of an accordion hangs in the balance!
I am slowly restoring a small number of accordions. Spares and materials are essentially unobtainable within New Zealand, so scrounging and salvaging becomes an attractive option - or necessity. I have received generous help, and parts, from a couple of forum members, but there's still a lot to find. Two days ago I was given what I was told was a hopeless wreck of an accordion, which had lain in a shed for years, accumulating bird poo, after it had been 'played with' by the family's kids (the accordion, not the bird poo...).
It's a Serenelli 37/80, LMM (two switches, to select MM or LMM), and with 4 bass reed sets (no bass switches). Examination reveals that, quite unexpectedly, in spite of its abuse and neglect, it's essentially complete, with no corrosion at all, and no attack from pests. Factory-made reeds, wet-tuned (an unexpected bonus!), individually-removeable treble keys. Plastic treble pallets are fixed with wax: some are falling off. Reed wax is also beginning to fail. All leathers are present and many are acceptably flat. All reeds sound. One slide needs a minor repair. A bit of tweaking corrected keyboard alignment. Cosmetically, externally, it's a bit rough, with scratched and faded celluloid, a missing treble switch 'key' (lump of clear acrylic), worn bellows tape, one slightly loose corner, and fingernail wear on several white keys. The bellows are not leaky. The straps are junk.I believe that it's Italian-manufactured, so pre-1963. Sorry, no pix, but if anyone's interested...
My problem is this: it is eminently restorable - and would be lot easier than my other 'projects', but I don't want to keep it, I'm too old to stack up even more projects, and I don't believe it's financial value in NZ warrants the time a restoration would take (usual story of old accordions...). It could act as a donor of celluloid, bass buttons, a reed or two, small woodscrews, all of which I need, but also, most importantly, bellows for a tuning table that I must soon make. I'm an incorrigible rescuer and repairer of machinery, and hate to see useful things thrown away or broken up, but is this box 'useful' - even if restored? Would anyone want a little box like this? It's not exactly a quality item. I suppose the world was awash with low-end little boxes like this at one time. So, as a source of parts, it's of value to me, yet it doesn't seem right to kill it. Should one be sentimental about things like this?
Any thoughts welcome... (and yes, I know, I probably need therapy...).
