I use Bindflex 1161, an excellent water based polyvinyl acetate book binding glue. It allows me to comfortably tape 20 folds in one go. In the case of more stubborn (stiffer)bellows tape it's a good idea to let a first very thin layer of glue dry completely before then re-gluing the tape and put it in place. Makes the job a lot easier and faster.
In most cases, I only tape my own (new) bellows for my own instruments. When retaping other bellows, the old tape has to be removed completely.(unless it is paper such as in Hohner Ericas, which is notoriously difficult to remove). Sometimes it's a good idea to use slightly wider tape (if ordering from Italy: 24mm instead of the usual 19mm).
Thank you for giving me an idea and show me the way to do this job.It will be the first time i'll try to do this job .I hope i can do easy as you do. :)
nice video pleace make some more abhout accrodions i realy liked..thanks. tell-me you just glue on top of the older strap, or you take out the older?. thanks by
Joe Gancher Please forgive me for not answering earlier: In my facebook account (Olav Bergflodt) you'll find lots of stuff about bellows making + accordion construction in general.
That's a very clever method of doing this. What type of glue are you using, and how fast does it dry? At my speed, I could see the glue on the tape drying out before I could put the later strips on.
hello sir, i am really admired with your work, i am also building a diatonic accordion, but my bellows are too heavy to pull and push, so it doesn't make a good air fluxe. My question is what kind of leather do you use?
I would like to know that myself! It's very difficult to a) get the right type of cardboard and b) fold it in professional way that doesn't betray right away that you've done it yourself. Folded cardboard can be ordered in 1m lengths from companies such as Carini Dena in Italy. You can specify the number (usually 20 or 21) and depth (somewhere between ab. 25 and 35 mm) of the folds.
Thanks a lot for sharing. I would like to know what kind of glue is good ? Seems like "Resistol 850 " , is it ? Thanks in advance for your kind attention.
me pregunto que clase de pegamento usan? a base de que? si es amable en responderme,me gusto su vídeo, he probado con varios y no resulta con la resistencia q espero, gracias!
Is this a new set of bellows that you made or a repair ? I have to fix or make a new set of 15 inch bellows for an old Fontallini. If you have made sets from scratch, can you post videos ? Thanks.
I removed the old paper on my Erica bellows but, along the way there were a few nicks here and there, nothing to deep. Will applying the new tape be good enough to seal and possible leaks? None of the cuts went through the cardboard. Also,do you retape all side of the bellows in one day? Lastly, for future knowledge are there any other tricks to remove old tape? Water, heat etc...
Erica bellows are indeed notoriously difficult to de-tape. But I'm sure your new tape will not only cover most scars but also seal minor leaks should there be any. All sides are taped in one go. Fortunately, in most cases old tape is not too difficult to remove. I mostly use the wedge-side of my German type tuning tools (see video) to lift a bit of the old tape from the metal corner and then use my fingers to pull off the strip. Oftentimes the old strips have turned brittle, so you may have to repeat this on other parts of the fold. Don't use any sharp tools. Small knives may be useful if sufficiently blunted. Water may do more damage than good, so this wouldn't be something I'd recommend. Heat? Maybe, if animal hide glue has been used, but it has to be applied somehow, which may be a bit tricky.
Hola, muchas gracias por los videos compartidos. Existe la posibilidad de ponerme en contacto con usted por e-mail? Estoy tratando de conseguir información para construir un fuelle nuevo para mi acordeón. Me dedico a la construcción de intrumentos de cuerdas pulsadas. Saludos desde Argentina! Maximiliano.
I would Like to retape the bellows to my accordion. What kind of tape would I order? from where? Also, would the reguler Elmer's school glue work for the bellows?
There may be some accordion repair books, but I couldn't tell you how useful they are. I consider accordion building/repairing/tuning a regular profession. If your goal is to do professional high quality work, you would need proper education (which may take several years). As to the type of glue, see my answer to Piscator Redux below.
Wikipedia tells me that school glue is the same stuff as PVA glue: Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA, PVAc, poly(ethenyl ethanoate): commonly referred to as wood glue, white glue, carpenter's glue, *school* *glue* , Elmer's glue in the US, or PVA glue) is an aliphatic rubbery synthetic polymer.
Most gluing in a typical school environment involves paper and cardboard, so it's probably not such a bad choice. Some things in life have to be tried out before one can say whether it works or not. Let's not make it more complicated than it is :-)
I agree but I didn't know what "school glue" was. I had to use a search button. Maybe you refer to Elmer's school glue for instance. In this country on the other hand there is no such thing as 'school glue' or otherwise the glues commonly referred to as 'school' could be any formula - PVA or not based. That's why I had to go to Wikipedia and see what the actual contents of 'school glue' would be. Since it tells me its simply a PVA glue type I know what to look for. Otherwise if came to a local shop and asked them for 'school glue' they would look at me with round eyes.
