Treble Valve Pallet/Felt Repair

[Dyngus614]

Hi all,

I have a Salanti 4045 (3 voice, 120 button) that I received from my grandmother that is probably from the 1940s. I doubt that any repairs have ever been made, so I have been in the process of disassembling and figuring out what needs replaced. The felt and leather on all of the treble Valve pallets were incredibly dry and brittle and flaked right off. I will be ordering replacements. However, I have 2 questions about the process:

1) When I got to the valve pallet, I realized that there is some kind of mesh material (maybe old adhesive?) that has become fused to the metal pallet. I scraped it off of one pallet but then realized, maybe I am supposed to or can just leave it and attach the new felts to the adhesive. Does anyone know if one way or the other is preferred? See attached photos for example of pallet with material left on and one with the pallet scraped clean)

2) Is fabric glue acceptable for the attachment of new felts/leathers?

 

[JIM D.]

Give this a read - and then get back to us ---

HOW TO REPAIR ACCORDIONS 2

Check out http://accordionrevival.com!

accordionrevival.com

 

[Dyngus614]

Thanks! I did check it out and it did not say anything about this particular case. It said to scrape off remaining glue on the pallet. However, I would not consider this glue. Given how difficult it was to remove this from the first pallet I tried, it almost seems like it is supposed to be there. I was hoping for someone with a similar experience to way in, if possible.

 

[Glug]

2) I used Evo-Stik 528 contact adhesive on the pallets of the Hohner Lucia. It was a straight metal/felt join. Contact adhesive is a common suggestion.

1) I would say removing the gauze isn't going to make any difference. You want even pressure at the edges of the hole that's being blocked (probably rectangular) and the holes in your pallets are not at the edges. You do however want the pallet covering to be the same thickess as was originally used since it affects the key height.

NB (1). The leather side of the pallet covering is the side that does not get glued, apparently people have glued the leather side to the pallet
NB (2). Number one end of the pallets on the top with a felt tip (or scratch a number) and put them back in the same place and orientation.
NB (3). Use an old toothbrush to dry brush the leather side before you refit the pallets - removes any splinters etc and brings up the nap.

Something worth doing is checking that the pallets are positioned correctly over the holes - the overlap at the edges can be only around 2mm and if it's not centred air may leak.

For the Lucia I made a wooden pallet that would locate precisely in the hole and drew round it with a felt tip (Hohner had put some alignment marks but they were very faint). You then align the pallet left and right by bending the pallet arm using special bending tools (easy to make). You also want to check that the back, front, and sides lift at the same time: press the key slightly and see where the pallet lifts first or if it tilts before it lifts.

Once you're done a couple of keys it gets quite fast.

 

[JIM D.]

Metal pallets are mentioned in the accordion revival portion I sent you. If working with adhesive concerns you.
Scrape off the old padding , clean the pallets and use new pallet material that has an adhesive backing.
This self adhesive padding is my material of choice for years now. It reduces cost and time in labor.

FRM Enterprises – Accordion Parts and Piermaria Accordions – Valve Padding

frment.com

 

[Dyngus614]

Thank you both very much! About to try my hand at the pallets for the first time. Then on to the reeds