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Flappers sticking

My Bon Tee Cajun box is about 5 years old or so. I've just begun experiencing one of my flappers being balky and sometimes sticking open. This is the #3 flapper. It feels slightly sluggish to open, and slightly sluggish to close, and sometimes feels like its getting caught under the lip of the hole.

I've been playing a lot more songs lately that use that 3/7 pull. Don't know if that's it or not. I just started sticking open while trying to play Madeleine. Don't know if its some lateral pressure doing it or not.

Any ideas? I was just now repeatedly pressing the button to see if I could "wear" it into a smooth motion, but to no avail. I do feel extra friction on it when pressing it.

Re: Flappers sticking

I'm beginning to suspect moisture. I think while I was gone on vacation, there was some water leakage in the bathroom and the humidity level went up in my apartment.

Re: Re: Flappers sticking

Good detective work Dwight.
Wood will swell when exposed to moisture ( as in humidity ). The button is probably contacting the edge of the hole in the keyboard. This is a common problem when the wood changes due to a change in humidity.
Jude

Re: Re: Re: Flappers sticking

I remedied this by carefully and slightly filing the button holes after unscrewing the part of the fingerboard that (screws on the outside of the fingerboard, not the inside).

You gotta examine and figure out what part of the hole the button is getting stuck on.

It worked for me, never had that problem again.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Flappers sticking

I'm thinking the pivot bar is also rubbing in its slot, with the button only catching on the rim occasionally.

It just seems to be sluggish throughout the travel distance.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Flappers sticking

Dwight,

Of course if it's moisture related, it may just go away.

But if it's sticking by rubbing in the slot,
it may be disassemble and lightly sand time.

Another possibility could be that some sort of contaminate
worked it's way into the slot?

I would think that an attempt to lubricate the
mechanics could be potentially disastrous!

I suppose you could ask Dana, or Larry Miller, or
Mary Savoy's store?

Happy new year, Dwight! :-)

--Big

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Flappers sticking

Right now I"m putting it back in the case with a desiccant, but I need to regenerate the desiccant.

It's been sitting out on my bed for a while.

Happy new year nick.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Flappers sticking

Dwight,

This happened to my Acadian made of "Red Pine" several years ago. It started with one flapper and then I noticed slight hesitation on two other flappers. It turned out that the flapper blocks had swollen around the metal rod that they pivot on. I removed the button board, pulled the rod out of the blocks with pliers, sanded the rod with fine sand paper to slightly reduce its diameter, reinserted the rod carefully back through the blocks, reattached some of the flapper springs that had come loose, reattached the button board and, voila!, no more sticking flappers. Steve

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Flappers sticking

You're scaring me!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Flappers sticking

Just had the same problem after one gig in Vegas 2 weeks ago. Drastic weather change from Honolulu where I live. The problem fixed itself though without my having to do anything to the box. change from humid 85 to very dry 65 seemed to have had something to do with it. Back in Hawaii now with no sign of the problem at all.
JP

Re: Re: Re: Flappers sticking

I found a bunch of little silica gel pacs in different places in my stuff, blasted them in the microwave, then put them on a plate over a cast iron skillet on low on the stove.

Put the box in the case, threw the gel pacs in, came back an hour later, problem solved. No sluggishness. Probably not catching on the hole rim either, but I haven't played it extensively yet.

Yippee.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Flappers sticking

eh?

old joke...

Accordion to repairman: "It hurts when I do this... what should I do about it?"

Repairman "Don't do that anymore."
(Take my wife, please)
badaboom...

Peace,
Griff



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