Melodeon.net Forums
Discussions => Instrument Design, Construction and Repair => Topic started by: Vallenato831 on April 08, 2018, 04:31:19 PM
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My buddy came across this old 70's Corona III box in BbEbAb. He sent me pictures of the box, but it's in much worse shape than can be shown in photographs. He offered it to me, but it's in death shape. Celluloid is cracked, oxidized grill, leaky bellows, tuning issues, the whole 9 yards of bad shape. I'm having it rebuilt from the ground up in Valledupar, Colombia. My first thought was to just have it restored to it's original form, but going a different route with this box. I'm having it converted from BbEbAb (BEsAs) to C#F#B harmonized at 884 (MMH).
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Stripped down to bare bones.
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The mechanism taken apart and all the pallets getting ready to be refaced. Base color added to the box before getting wrapped in new celluloid.
Will keep posting more updates as the build continues.
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This is the true definition of a complete rebuild!
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I can't wait to see the finished box (:) always wondered if it was possible to re-wrap in new celluloid..does any one offer re wrapping services around EU zone? :||:
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Here is an update everyone.
Fingerboard with new celluloid finish. The paint of the wwooden backboard was removed, will be repainted black.
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Bellows getting ready. Box has been celluloided :o
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I can't wait to see the finished box (:) always wondered if it was possible to re-wrap in new celluloid..does any one offer re wrapping services around EU zone? :||:
Definitely possible. What the guys do in Colombia is take hohner rey vallenato and wrap it in celluloid to convert them to Corona III.
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..does any one offer re wrapping services around EU zone? :||:
Or anywhere that perhaps a red Erica body can safely be sent for a new blue celluloid job.
Loathe to post to South America because of the stories one hears about lost items. But then again, I've had 2 parcels within Australia go astray already this year >:( (Luckily, low value non-musical items, but annoying nevertheless)
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There must be people in Italy that can do this.
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There must be people in Italy that can do this.
I would think it's very difficult these days to provide 3rd. party services. I used to do a lot of classic bike rebuilding and watched as EU regs. put paid to a lot of paint shops/rechromers(imposible to get cadium re-plates for instance) etc..you have to be a serious player for the investment in hardware/compliance requirements nowdays so small specialist hobby type/low volume stuff is uneconomic, plus of course it's a 'trade' so no young people would want to soil their hands..unless you could give it 'degree' status..such as e.g. 'baby washing'..you'd not actually touch anything 'chemical' till possibly the 3rd year, but hey it's a university education.
Also don't start me off on 'parts' washer fluid/lead free solder and the plethora of 'water' based substitutes in paints/timber protection that are...'excrement' Celluloid shaping(I believe) requires things like acetone baths..so protection/training/drains filters/H&S//etc..etc would make it nigh on impossible within the EU. unless you are primary producer(cars/heavy plant/high volume specialist contractor)
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And they know where you live!
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Superb craftsmanship hopefully being taken up by our younger generation? My greatest regret was passing the 11 plus and then going to grammar school where there was no woodworking, metalwork or any other practical training using your hands. We had violin lessons! This was at school in Sunderland - St Aidans. I have since trained myself in the University of life (:)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FAl9DZKgCQ
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Wow, she could make a fortune laying vinyl floors - seems that speed round the fiddly bits is key to success
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Mini update: Technician has been fairly busy with work. They're gearing up for the Vallenato Festival which is held every year at this time. Lots of players fine tuning their boxes for competition and festivities.
Bellows are in some kind of vice. Should be getting taped up tomorrow. Mechanisms are in place now with brightened up buttons. Wooden fingerboard backplate repainted black.
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Amazing work! I wish I could do the same to my 1940s Do Fa Si / CFB but I've air tightened it and worked out the keyboard sticky issues but the Reeds are just weak now after spending a jammin' session at my cousin's studio I got a couple of broken reeds. Would you be able to find me a new set of C#F#B Harmonizado? Juancho Rois Style? after the Valledupar Rey Vallenato is Over?
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Amazing work! I wish I could do the same to my 1940s Do Fa Si / CFB but I've air tightened it and worked out the keyboard sticky issues but the Reeds are just weak now after spending a jammin' session at my cousin's studio I got a couple of broken reeds. Would you be able to find me a new set of C#F#B Harmonizado? Juancho Rois Style? after the Valledupar Rey Vallenato is Over?
I'll private message you.
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Coming together nicely. Decals placed, bellow straps installed, mechanism aligned. Reeds are getting fine tuned and should be shipped out to me this coming week.
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That blue is really awesome! Excellent work!
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Coming together nicely. Decals placed, bellow straps installed, mechanism aligned. Reeds are getting fine tuned and should be shipped out to me this coming week.
It's looking great! The blue celluloid looks very smart.
But how can the reeds be both 'fine tuned' and 'shipped out' to you? Fine tuning has to be done in situ in the instrument in which the reeds are going to be played, otherwise they will almost certainly not be in tune. Unless of course there is so much tremolo that the term 'fine tuning' becomes rather academic.
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I suppose if they had a very similar box any differences might be negligible?? :||:
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There is a standard tuning for the music he plays that no matter what box he puts them reeds blocks he’ll still reach the same sound 😍 but I do know of other techs who say each reed block is tune differently per box but then again those boxes are pretty much a standard as well...
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Coming together nicely. Decals placed, bellow straps installed, mechanism aligned. Reeds are getting fine tuned and should be shipped out to me this coming week.
It's looking great! The blue celluloid looks very smart.
But how can the reeds be both 'fine tuned' and 'shipped out' to you? Fine tuning has to be done in situ in the instrument in which the reeds are going to be played, otherwise they will almost certainly not be in tune. Unless of course there is so much tremolo that the term 'fine tuning' becomes rather academic.
I miss typed. I mean the reeds are being fine tuned, but the box will be shipped to me next week, box and reeds.
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Coming together nicely. Decals placed, bellow straps installed, mechanism aligned. Reeds are getting fine tuned and should be shipped out to me this coming week.
It's looking great! The blue celluloid looks very smart.
But how can the reeds be both 'fine tuned' and 'shipped out' to you? Fine tuning has to be done in situ in the instrument in which the reeds are going to be played, otherwise they will almost certainly not be in tune. Unless of course there is so much tremolo that the term 'fine tuning' becomes rather academic.
I miss typed. I mean the reeds are being fine tuned, but the box will be shipped to me next week, box and reeds.
That's good. Proper job then. (:)
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Celluloid work is not that toxic but it has to be done right or you will have problems down the road with shrinkage.
It takes practice to get it right and celluloid is not that easy to get in quantity.
This guy seems to know his stuff.
The glue you stick it down with is not available at all in the US so all the repair work I do is pretty involved. I have done areas of instruments but have not skinned an entire box.
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Celluloid work is not that toxic but it has to be done right or you will have problems down the road with shrinkage.
It takes practice to get it right and celluloid is not that easy to get in quantity.
This guy seems to know his stuff.
The glue you stick it down with is not available at all in the US so all the repair work I do is pretty involved. I have done areas of instruments but have not skinned an entire box.
The guy definitely knows how to wrap celluloid. I bought another box from him before, was a hohner rey del vallenato converted to a "corona III". Been treating it harsh and still looks great.
BTW, I'm not too far from you, just a 100 miles south. ;D
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Here she is, finally done. I couldnt have asked for a better job.
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More pics
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And some more
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Ready to go 😎
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Looks very Nice,....where did you get the "Hohner" Decals from ? or did you get someone to screen print or hand paint them ??
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Looks very Nice,....where did you get the "Hohner" Decals from ? or did you get someone to screen print or hand paint them ??
The technician did them. Not sure if he outsources the decals or does it himself. I had the choice of any colors he said.
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He probably gets the decals from a certified Hohner technician as I know only those guys have access to Hohner decals but I never emailed Hohner to very this I was told by my local tech who is not Hohner verified and gets them if a cert’d tech out of Texas.