Re: rubber vs. leather


<GinoGarcia1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:e5882c6e-1dda-42ac-9b9f-852254d037b9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Oct 30, 7:01 am, "marino.michael" <chiroeur...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Oct 29, 8:29 pm, djperr...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> At the risk of getting smacked down by the experts, I have a question
> regarding leather and rubber. I have three accordions in my closet
> all dating from the 1950's or so. One is an Excelsior Accordiana 520,
> another a Pancordion Crucianelli and the third a Wurlitzer. None
> appears to have had any maintenance except for one reed replaced in
> the Pancordion. Both the Excelsior and the Pancordion have many
> leathers which are curled, twisted, stiff and otherwise
> disfunctional. The Wurlitzer, which I suspect is an instrument of
> lesser quality, uses rubber instead of leather. All, and I mean every
> one, of the rubber strips in the Wurlitzer is still right in place
> lying flat on or near the reed plate and functioning perfectly. No
> doubt there is a reason the better accordions used and continue to use
> leather but what is wrong with rubber as used in the Wurlitzer?
> Dave

Depending on how the leather has been treated it can to a degree allow
moisture out of an instrument. It can also absorb a certain amount of
moisture itself without taking an reasonable damage. Leather valves
also have uneven under side which keeps a strong seal from happening
to the reed plate and allows it to open easier than a standard Mylar
or Plastic valve. There are valves based on Teflon and those that are
hybrid with micro pore strips on the bottom which also keep a complete
seal from forming while preventing enough air from going through to
have loss of playing pressure.

Depending on the condition of leather valves they can be reshaped (if
they are still pliable) and made to lay flat again with little to no
change in their effectiveness. Mylar valves are usually multi layered
these days and there is things that can and are done with them to
improve playability. You will often see springs used on larger leather
valves as the leather itself does not have the strength to hold itself
in place and do the job of creating a barrier to air movement. Which
is one of the many fun items that is the reason that revalving an
accordion can get a bit expensive (about £6-9/reed) and that tends to
be for standard valves or basic leather ones. When you get into exotic
materials (Teflon and such) it can get a bit costlier as they are a
pain to work with and require a good bit more patience and care to be
done right. Though they also increase the responsiveness of the note
and the quality of the seal and have very long life spans.

Valve life span depends on type of valve, Amount of humidity it is
subjected to (leather and some of the plastics due to a treating that
is used which erodes with time), position instrument is kept in,
temperature that it is kept at. These all have effect on life span not
only of the valves but also the reeds and pretty much the entire
instrument.

So, yes there is differences and they do affect playability.

Michael

I would think that rubber would stop the vibration of the reeds....????

(IM) It isn't really rubber. Plastic valves are made of vinyl. I don't know what mylar is.
We are talking about the reed valves? They don't touch the reeds. There has been no rubber in accordions since the 1920's when it was used for grommets in the Scndalli bass machine.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Excelsior 911
    ... was _really_ intolerable were the first reeds without weights. ... don't you know that the old synthetic leather valves would turn ...
    (rec.music.makers.squeezebox)
  • Re: Attaching inside valves
    ... The existing valves are made out of something white and spongy. ... What's best for leather attachment? ... Is spreadable shellac from the paint store OK ... tobacco smoke is so bad it would damage reed valves. ...
    (rec.music.makers.squeezebox)
  • Re: Excelsior 911
    ... bass sound at higher volume, so I am not entirely sure it was ... was _really_ intolerable were the first reeds without weights. ... don't you know that the old synthetic leather valves would turn ...
    (rec.music.makers.squeezebox)
  • Re: Excelsior 911
    ... you can expect quite more consistent quality. ... the reeds where this kind of action was _really_ ... don't you know that the old synthetic leather valves would turn into cardboard after a while. ... I usually replace them with new leather ones and steel boosters, since the old synthetic ones buzz when closing. ...
    (rec.music.makers.squeezebox)
  • Re: rubber vs. leather
    ... uses rubber instead of leather. ... doubt there is a reason the better accordions used and continue to use ... There are valves based on Teflon and those that are ...
    (rec.music.makers.squeezebox)