My accordion has been great for the entire year no problems. This week button 5 is sticking and flappers 8,9,10 are not sealing. It's cold as balls here in Buffalo, so the heat has been on a lot but you would think if it's dry the mechanism would be easier to move than when humidity is high???? I placed a cardboard shim under the offending flapper screws and can get the flappers to seat, but the sticking button has me baffled. I only play the one row for two songs 1-2 shows a week, outside of daily practice. I use a clip on condenser mic. Could I be playing it too hard?

Ron

3 causes of buttons sticking I can think of. Easiest to fix is the button edge catching under the button hole edge, just trim the hole edge a little. Other 2 are harder to fix. The axle will sometimes lock up in the axle hole, and the sides of the rocker arm sometimes swells in the slot. All are usually climate related, in view of a bunch of wooden parts with close tolerances.

Funny you say that Ron, cause the same thing happened to me today. I haven't had buttons hold themselves down in can't remember how long but it happened to me today.

Low humidity and dry air causes wooden parts to warp a little. Put the accordion in a humid area and that may solve your problem.

Call me at 337-684-6495 I can tell you how to fix your accordion

Thank y'all so much.
today the accordion is better. I sanded the offending hole a little. The button no longer sticks. The setting of the flappers is better also. A little shim here, a little bend here. I'm just scared of bending flapper arms. I've got a special notched tool I use on piano accordions, but this is dangerous business in the wrong hands, probably in the right hands too. Thanks John Elton Doucet for your help on the phone. I recently opened the heat vent in my practice room and this must be the cause for the problems. I'm gonna turn the humidifier up too..

Ron

Off to play a LED ZEPPLIN TRIBUTE SHOW TONIGHT. we will do Dyer maker , when the Levy breaks, and Goin to California.

Both my Savoy "F" and Miller "Bfl" developed sticking buttons that would
not return .. they'd stick down.

Both were caused by the button touching the wood around the button hole.

I "fixed" both by using a small "jeweler's file" and ever so carefully
trimming the rim of the hole towards the inside of the finger board.

I'll bet it's the cold, dry weather and contracting wood?

Too much of a coincidence!

--Big Nick

Another reason to never leave LA!

Ah Ignorance is bliss. I just bought my first button acordion (it was very cheap and from the 1800s). Most the the flappers were sticking and not seating correctly. I couldnt see a way of getting the fulcrum out so i just squirted some 3in1 oil down there and wiggled them about a bit. Seems to work, but my main concern is that the oil might go sticky with time and make things worse. I also took a pair of pliers to the connecting rods and bent them back into shape so that the flappers sealed. All seems fine so far.. but maybe i'll be a bit more careful next time.