The project began in 2000 with the closing of Star Concertina in Cicero, IL. Much dreaming ensued about carrying on the tradition of [Chemnitzer] Concertina manufacturing in Chicago.
A bit of tinkering with old boxes followed.
Some conversations were had with John Bernhardt:
- What was done by Star in-house.
- What was outsourced.
- How some construction details were realized.
- Where materials were sourced.
- The marketplace for concertinas and the place held by Star, Hengel, Echo, etc. in the market; also the nature of buyers in Chicago vs. Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc.
Some old parts were purchased from Bill Brown:
- Reed sets removed from instruments that had been converted to his "Buttontina" product.
- Threaded brass bushings (with nuts) for key lever pivots. (Turned out to be long: They must be cut down on a lathe to be useful.)
- L-screws for reed plates in a "pin" reed instrument (smaller than the ones used for long-plate reeds).
- Grommets for "sound holes" at front of instrument.
Some experimentation with various action arrangements and CNC manufacturing techniques was done:
- Wood (solid, aircraft plywood).
- Sheet plastic.
- Molded plastic.
- Wire (similar to some English-construction concertinas).
- Various bushings and pivot methods.
Some experimentation with reedblock arrangements and CNC manufacturing techniques was done.
Suppliers were located for materials.
