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Author Topic: Lining for a Hard Case  (Read 3227 times)

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Bob Ellis

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Lining for a Hard Case
« on: July 17, 2011, 10:51:04 AM »

Having just completed making a non-standard sized melodeon on Emmanuel Pariselle's course, I have discovered that none of the hard cases available from suppliers in the UK is the correct size for my new box. Consequently, I have ordered one from Hobgoblin that is a bit on the large size. While the depth is OK, the height and width are 11 cm and 6 cm over size respectively. Can anyone recommend a suitable material to pad the inside of the box to make it a better fit? Details of where to buy this material would also be useful.
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Bob in beautiful Wensleydale, Les Panards Dansants, Crook Morris and the Loose Knit Band.
Clément Guais 3-row D/G/acc.; Castagnari 1914 D/G; Karntnerland Steirische 3-row G/C/F; Ellis Pariselle 2.6-row D/G/acc.; Gabbanelli Compact 2-row D/G with lots of bling, pre-war Hohner Bb/F; Acadian one-row in D.

Ga

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2011, 11:15:35 AM »

Several layers of cheap camping roll mat.  I used this on the inside of an Argos LP case, for my Pokerwork, which was a co-incidence, as the camping mat came from there too.   The excess makes a good work mat for working on your instrument on the workshop bench, or for cutting into bum-sized pieces to take on walking trips or folk festivals when you may want to sit down for a while.
Go for a nice thick one if you have a large gap to fill, or a thinner one if you want to fine tune the numbers of layers for an exact fit.
Shop around, you can pick one up for a fiver, especially army surplus stores if you don't mind Olive Drab colour,  they cut fine with scissors, and glue fine with Evo-Stick or similar.
The foam is tough enough to withstand repeated instrument traffic in the carry case, yet pliant enough to offer controlled decelleration of the instrument, if the case is dropped with the instrument inside it.  The foam of the Army Olive Drab, and the Argos pale blue types doesn't attack instrument finishes either (tried and tested).

Alternatively, Most local markets have a guy who sells cushions, mattresses, foam pads for seats etc, or a google search for "foam rubber suppliers"  I use the reconstituted stuff made from a mess of offcuts of different colours and bits and bobs, all moulded into one foam rubber sheet for larger flight cases for instruments etc - there'll be a supplier near you somewhere, or post - efoam.co.uk or something similar.  Cost for both of these options is higher obviously.
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Lester

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2011, 12:09:29 PM »

Try numerous tunes books, bits of paper with abc on them, tutor book from 2009 Melodeons at Witney, shakey egg, camera, sound recorder, can of beer, sandwiches, waterproof, etc etc

Or is that just me  ::)

Thrupenny Bit

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2011, 02:06:37 PM »

Hah  ;D
Lester, this doesn't surprise me!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds more like a prototype Tardis  :D
Q
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Bob Ellis

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2011, 03:23:56 PM »

Try numerous tunes books, bits of paper with abc on them, tutor book from 2009 Melodeons at Witney, shakey egg, camera, sound recorder, can of beer, sandwiches, waterproof, etc etc

Or is that just me  ::)

No, it's not just you! I carry tune books, fingerless mitts for cold Morris gigs and a rain cape and a towel for wet ones, though I would draw the line at carrying beer or sandwiches. As for the shaky egg, well, Lester, I didn't think you were that kind of guy!  >:E

However, I still need some padding because there will still be a gap. I shall investigate the camping mat option.
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Bob in beautiful Wensleydale, Les Panards Dansants, Crook Morris and the Loose Knit Band.
Clément Guais 3-row D/G/acc.; Castagnari 1914 D/G; Karntnerland Steirische 3-row G/C/F; Ellis Pariselle 2.6-row D/G/acc.; Gabbanelli Compact 2-row D/G with lots of bling, pre-war Hohner Bb/F; Acadian one-row in D.

Andy in Vermont

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2011, 03:36:28 PM »

Having just completed making a non-standard sized melodeon on Emmanuel Pariselle's course, I have discovered that none of the hard cases available from suppliers in the UK is the correct size for my new box. Consequently, I have ordered one from Hobgoblin that is a bit on the large size. While the depth is OK, the height and width are 11 cm and 6 cm over size respectively. Can anyone recommend a suitable material to pad the inside of the box to make it a better fit? Details of where to buy this material would also be useful.

I unfortunately don't have a suggestion but do want to offer a word of caution.  Some synthetic materials may act as an abrasive on the nice finish of your new instrument, while others might even cause chemical reactions to occur.
I have considered making "blocking" for my Melodie's case but as I have a long list of other unfinished projects, this one is not a priority!
« Last Edit: July 17, 2011, 07:37:07 PM by Andy in Vermont »
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Bob Ellis

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2011, 03:43:33 PM »

Thanks for the warning, Andy. Perhaps a wooden partition lined with felt or the material that is used to line melodeon cases might be the answer. Does anyone know what material is used to line melodeon cases?
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Bob in beautiful Wensleydale, Les Panards Dansants, Crook Morris and the Loose Knit Band.
Clément Guais 3-row D/G/acc.; Castagnari 1914 D/G; Karntnerland Steirische 3-row G/C/F; Ellis Pariselle 2.6-row D/G/acc.; Gabbanelli Compact 2-row D/G with lots of bling, pre-war Hohner Bb/F; Acadian one-row in D.

StupidFingers

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2011, 04:34:16 PM »

Thanks for the warning, Andy. Perhaps a wooden partition lined with felt or the material that is used to line melodeon cases might be the answer. Does anyone know what material is used to line melodeon cases?

The lining in my case appears to be a short synthetic faux fur, the sort of stuff that might be used to make soft toys or furnishings.  It shouldn't be too difficult to find, and in a variety of colours and patterns.  Try a fabric store or market trader, and they should have what you need.  If not, there are quite a few online fabric sites around that stock it as well.
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Graham W

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2011, 10:23:29 PM »

The commercially available hard cases have always seemed pretty flimsy to me so I've made my own.  To line them I've cut sheets of half inch or so foam to fit snugly each of the inside surfaces, covered each foam pad with cotton velvet (So no synthetics against the instrument, although the synthetic furry stuff in commercial cases doesn't seem to cause a problem) and then glued the velvet covered pads into the case so the whole thing is padded velvet lined.  The case is made of a size so that once lined the melodeon is a snug fit with no free space to slop about in.   My Rik survived a 60 mph motorbike crash unscathed in one so I guess it works reasonably. (:)
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Steve_freereeder

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2011, 01:08:10 AM »

The commercially available hard cases have always seemed pretty flimsy to me so I've made my own.  To line them I've cut sheets of half inch or so foam to fit snugly each of the inside surfaces, covered each foam pad with cotton velvet (So no synthetics against the instrument, although the synthetic furry stuff in commercial cases doesn't seem to cause a problem) and then glued the velvet covered pads into the case so the whole thing is padded velvet lined.  The case is made of a size so that once lined the melodeon is a snug fit with no free space to slop about in.   My Rik survived a 60 mph motorbike crash unscathed in one so I guess it works reasonably. (:)
I've made both concertina and melodeon cases just like this too, using the faux fur soft-toy material bought from market traders. My instruments have been well-protected for a good few years and have not suffered any ill-effects due to abrasion or chemical reactions. If you are bothered about the degradation of synthetic foam (and some people have warned of this as a source of potentially reed-clogging dust) you can use polyester padding as an alternative to foam.

The same market traders who sell the faux fur usually can supply the polyester padding too, as it is commonly used to make padded bras. It comes in a variety of different thicknesses. I bought a couple of metres2 of the thickest stuff. I guess the market stall lady thought I was going to make an awful lot of large padded bras  :o

It's best to glue the polyester padding to a thin sheet of card first (use a light film of Copydex latex glue), which acts as a support, and then cover this with the furry stuff. Make a panel like this for each side of the case, then glue each panel into place inside the case.
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Andy in Vermont

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #10 on: July 18, 2011, 01:37:58 AM »

[...] using the faux fur soft-toy material bought from market traders. My instruments have been well-protected for a good few years and have not suffered any ill-effects due to abrasion or chemical reactions.

Clearly the stuff used to line melodeon cases is fine, my warning pertained to choosing random "padded" stuff.
Here is an example of laquer reacting with vinyl:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPAGES/Musician/GenMaint/Vinyl/VinylViews/back.JPG
I recall hearing about someone who had found a cheap, soft beverage cooler to use as a gigbag for a Cajun accordion -- it turned out to be vinyl and the result was gruesome.

jonm

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2011, 07:48:42 AM »

All the above have suggested making cushions of foam wrapped in fabric (with or without card backing), then inserting these into the case. I would concur. Fitting the foam then trying to cover the whole lot with fabric (I was in a hurry!) doesn't work.

With 11x6cm surplus space, you could insert a divider and have an extra store for all the stuff Lester has loose in his case...
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Bob Ellis

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2011, 10:35:08 PM »

Thanks very much for all the suggestions. The case I ordered arrived today and it is larger than the advertised dimensions, so I am back to square one. It will have to go back to the vendor.

Maybe Rees or someone else with contacts among the continental melodeon-making fraternity might be able to source something suitable. I know I am not the only person who was on the melodeon-making course who is now hunting unsuccessfully for a suitable hard case.
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Bob in beautiful Wensleydale, Les Panards Dansants, Crook Morris and the Loose Knit Band.
Clément Guais 3-row D/G/acc.; Castagnari 1914 D/G; Karntnerland Steirische 3-row G/C/F; Ellis Pariselle 2.6-row D/G/acc.; Gabbanelli Compact 2-row D/G with lots of bling, pre-war Hohner Bb/F; Acadian one-row in D.

Lester

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2011, 10:41:33 PM »

Thanks very much for all the suggestions. The case I ordered arrived today and it is larger than the advertised dimensions, so I am back to square one. It will have to go back to the vendor.

Maybe Rees or someone else with contacts among the continental melodeon-making fraternity might be able to source something suitable. I know I am not the only person who was on the melodeon-making course who is now hunting unsuccessfully for a suitable hard case.


Surely with your newly aquired woodworking skills you could make your own  >:E

Theo

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2011, 11:08:56 PM »

You might find a suitable size of Storm Case
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Malcolm Austen

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #15 on: July 19, 2011, 09:02:34 AM »

Just a word about Storm cases.
They are very nice but having been involved in designing a transportable bit of equipment you get very little space inside due to the rounded corners / taper to the sides and this combined with the external flange for the seal results in a surprisingly large box to get a melodeon in. Try and see one in the flesh before ordering but on the positive side it would survive being thrown in to a river which could be good for morris tours.
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Graham W

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Re: Lining for a Hard Case
« Reply #16 on: July 19, 2011, 10:41:08 AM »



Maybe Rees or someone else with contacts among the continental melodeon-making fraternity might be able to source something suitable. I know I am not the only person who was on the melodeon-making course who is now hunting unsuccessfully for a suitable hard case.


I suspect that any case available to continental makers can probably be sourced through Carini.  Go to http://www.carinidena.com/ then 'Accessori' and  'Astucci'

Apart from that, then making one or getting someone to make the carcase and fit it out yourself are the only real options.

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