Why These Two Jobs Matter More Than Most

Hand straps and springs are the parts of an Anglo concertina that take the most punishment and get the least attention. A slack strap lets the instrument shift in your hands, which forces you to grip harder and tires your playing within twenty minutes. A tired spring gives you a sluggish button, double notes, or a lever that never quite seats. Both faults are cheap to fix and both are easy to make worse if you approach them with the wrong tool or the wrong amount of force.

The good news is that neither job requires you to touch the reed pans, the bellows or the tuning. You can do both sitting at a kitchen table with decent light, provided you work slowly and respect the wood.

Before You Take Anything Apart

Spend ten minutes assessing rather than unscrewing. It is far easier to diagnose a fault while the instrument is still whole.

• Hold the concertina as you normally would. If you can slide a finger between strap and hand, or if the strap has stretched and gone shiny and soft, it needs replacing.
• Try each button in turn. A healthy spring returns the button with a crisp, quiet snap. A weak one feels spongy, or the button sits proud of its neighbours when at rest.
• Press each button slowly and release. If the note continues for a fraction of a second after you lift your finger, the spring is not closing the pad firmly.
• Check for side-to-side slop in the buttons. That is usually lever wear rather than spring failure, and it is a job for a specialist.

Order your parts first. Straps come in a range of lengths and widths, so measure the old one across its widest point and from screw hole to screw hole. Springs should be bought as an assorted set matched to your instrument's period, and it is worth buying a dozen when you only need four.

Tools, Light and a Safe Workspace

You need a screwdriver that fits the screw slots exactly. Brass screws have soft heads and cam out the moment a driver is a fraction too narrow, and a chewed slot on a vintage end is a permanent scar. A parallel-ground driver of the right width is worth buying specially. Add a small pair of smooth-jawed pliers, a bent paperclip or fine hook, a soft cloth, and a shallow tray with a lid.

Work in a room that is neither cold nor dry. Central heating in February shrinks rosewood and mahogany ends, and screws that felt snug in autumn will crack a strap bar in midwinter. Warm the room, lay the concertina on a folded towel, and never press down on an unsupported end.

Fitting New Hand Straps

Replace one strap at a time so you always have a reference for how the other was fitted.

• Remove the two retaining screws and lift the old strap away. Keep the screws in the lidded tray; they are easy to lose and awkward to match.
• Check the screw holes. If they are oval or the screw turns without gripping, stop and speak to a repairer. A sliver of softwood glued into the hole is a temporary fix at best and can split the end if driven in too hard.
• Use the old strap as a template, marking the new holes with a bradawl. Punch the holes a fraction smaller than the screw so the thread bites into the leather.
• Fit the strap loosely, then work the screws in by hand, turning until the leather just compresses. Snug is enough. Tightening beyond that crushes the leather and stresses the wood.
• Repeat on the other side, then adjust the buckles so the strap sits across the back of your hand, not over your knuckles. You should be able to flex your fingers freely without the instrument moving.

Checking and Replacing Springs

Springs sit in the action on the end of the instrument, and you reach them by removing the end plate with the instrument resting face down on a soft surface. Once inside, work one button at a time.

• Test each spring by lifting its lever gently with a hook and letting it fall. A good spring resists and returns immediately; a dead one flops or feels gritty.
• Look for rust, kinks, or a spring that has ridden out of its seating hole. Rusty springs should be replaced rather than cleaned.
• To remove, hook the top coil, lift it clear of the lever, and let it drop into your palm. Do not stretch it on the way out.
• Seat the new spring in its hole first, then bring the lever down over it. If it will not sit, the spring is the wrong length or gauge. Never bend the lever to make a spring fit; levers are easily kinked and hard to true up again.

Replace spring and strap on one end before starting the other, and test as you go. End to end, a full set of springs is rarely necessary. Most players need to swap three or four in a lifetime of playing.

Testing and Settling In

Reassemble, then play every button from the lowest to the highest, listening for hesitation and watching for buttons that sit unevenly. Play a slow tune with plenty of chord changes and long held notes; that reveals a weak spring faster than any scale. New leather straps take a week or two to soften and mould to your hands, so expect to adjust the buckles again after a few sessions. If a screw loosens, do not simply tighten it harder. Take it out, check the hole, and reassess. A patient afternoon at the table saves a great deal of expensive work later.