I've had this problem before, and the builder fixed it, and then fixed it again. The climate is usually to blame, but I found that it was not high or low humidity or temperature, but rather a fairly rapid change in either direction. This causes me to believe that the wood rocker block is swelling with higher humidity, which causes a contraction of the bore, and shrinking when it's suddenly real dry, causing the block to sieze on the axle shaft.
Larry Miller has used a plastic bearing material to fight the problem, but I'm told that is not the panacea.
While I'm dwelling on a subject I know very little about, I'm guessing that the wood might not have been fully cured, possibly bleeding a bit of moisture or sap with changing conditions. Marc Savoy claims he ages his wood for a year. I now have 2 Acadians and NO more sticking problems.
The plastic bearings Larry uses on the rockers around the rod, the common axle all rockers pivot around, is actually DELRIN, or POM as it's called in Europe.
- It's plastic all right but a lot stronger than just plastic, used in tools and for small cogwheels etc. Works well, and is surely the permanent work around for these moist problems changing wood properties. I really think it's a must, saw many accordions with too much play, you can spot that problem by moving the flapper side ways (careful now!).
- Found these moisture related problem quite often with Jr.Martin accordions here in Europe, also with stuck stops, but never with an Acadian; compliments for Marc Savoy. I never looked at Marcs' construction BTW: don't fix it if it ain't broke.
- One accordion built by an occasional poster here was that bad at a few rockers, that the sound holes below the flappers were letting air through. I fixed that them by filling a wider cut hole in the rocker, filling it with an epoxy wood dust mixture, and re-drilling the hole, thus another work around. Small size black Delrin rods are some times hard to come by here, but the white version is quite common & cheap. - Nout
For years any chance I could I changed all Philips screws to Robertson.. Only way to go.. Just just don't strip.. I never had one strip thats for sure.
I had to tap the rod in .. very slowly. When the rod “found” a flapper assembly,
I’d move the assembly about in order to help locate the flapper hole onto the rod.
Then, I’d continue tapping the end of the rod, further into the keyboard, until I found
the next flapper assembly.
When the rod was back in, I reconnected the springs and replaced the fulcrum rod cover.
And all back together.
The flappers are all freer than before .. Works well.
Anyone else done this? Comments?
Hi Nick
Yes I have done that before twice. Once on my Hohner Student VM Morris box and also my Excelsior 120 bass 41 key box.. It IS quite the job. Move the shaft or rod as you call it can be a real pain.. Some of them just don't move..
A trick tho is to use a mild electrical current and short out the rod very carefully until it free's up the rod from the wooden keys.. Can be a real pain. Good thing about YOUR box is only 10 keys to mess with..
There is a video on youtube on how to do it on a regular 120/51 box.. it still applies to any accordion ..
By the way..
Enjoying your DVD's a bunch.. Getting the hang of it and if you don't mind me saying so your teaching method is great.
The April 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week
