Piano Accordion Tuners ???

[Colin Nicholson]

I tuned an upright piano today for a lady, and her partner asked me if I knew of a piano accordion tuner? Wondered if anyone knows of one in UK?
Cheers
Colin

[Barrie Heaton]

Would they not be the same as reed organ tuners have your tried the IMIT website


Barrie,

[kevinpeter]

The reeds are usually glued to the wooden blocks, called "reed bars" with a mixture of beeswax and rosin. Other kinds of wax, e.g., candle wax, pure beeswax, parafin, will not work. Some very old accordions use other fastening systems, like screws and leather gaskets, for instance. The unique function of the special accordion wax is to tightly grip the reed plates against the wood. This is absolutely necessary to produce strong bright sound at an accurate pitch. The wax will usually do its job well for only about 20 years or so, after which it gets brittle and starts to crack. It cannot be well restored by re-melting, as the essential oils have leached out and evaporated. If you try to fix the bad wax with a 30 watt soldering iron, it will not hold for very long, and also the accordion may sound weak. If the wax is still good, it will feel somewhat soft to the touch, and a tiny flake can be warmed and softened in the hand, and smeared between the fingers as a test. Before tuning can take place, bad brittle wax must be replaced.Click here to see a photo I took of my reed waxing tools: a couple of special spoons, a waxing blade, an alcohol lamp, and a warming pot to melt the wax. The spoons are made from metal tubing, and the wax is heated over a low flame to the right temperature before being "poured" between and around the reeds.

[Gill the Piano]

There used to be a Mr Nielsen in Chalfont St Peter, Bucks., who repaired them. I would see if there's an accordion society and approach them.

[Colin Nicholson]

Thanks Gill, I'll have a go there