I recently got an old Koestler (post-war made in the DDR for Koestler) one row melodeon. It is in practically mint condition. The only thing wrong is that one of the flapper type bass valves (looks like the kind found on Hohner H114 melodeons, for example) is cracked and almost falling off. The crack is right where the lever part widens out to become the valve. It is made of zinc. It is not magnetic and I can see (with a loupe) the base metal around the edges of the crack. It is white. Brass would be dark. Anyway, can zinc be soldered? If I remember correctly, the melting point of zinc is rather low, so I doubt if it can be. It won't take the heat required to solder it. Is there any kind of glue that can be used? Superglue is strong but brittle, I believe. Can anyone suggest a repair that might work other than finding another box with a valve I could use?
Thanks for your help.
Paul N.
Tonawanda, NY