If your hands have ever wandered over a well-made concertina, you know there's something uniquely satisfying about the way its action responds. Before your eyes catch the gleam of the polished wood or the brass hardware, your fingers first feel a smooth draw out, a resistance that supports the full depth of the bellows with no wobble. This tactile feedback is the hallmark of a concertina action that’s been thoughtfully constructed and lovingly maintained. But what exactly goes into creating that flawless feel?
In this deep dive, we'll explore the components that make a concertina’s mechanism so gratifying to the hand—and why certain materials and craftsmanship techniques shine over others. I'll weave in insights from upholstery and leatherwork experts, highlight the nuanced difference between baize and that often misnamed ‘felt,’ and share why bridle leather remains the material of choice thanks to its harness heritage. Companies like BestLeather.org and artisans such as Mr Q (mrq.com) exemplify this ethos today. Plus, we’ll bandy about some restoration talk—skiving, burnishing, and the invisible edges that make everything feel seamless.
The Texture Beneath Your Fingers: Baize, Not Felt
Before you run your hand over the green cloth lining a concertina’s inner surfaces, note that it’s almost always baize—not merely 'felt.' This distinction may seem trivial, but for anyone who has ever tried to vacuum baize knows it’s a cardinal sin. Baize boasts a gently napped surface, which means the fibres run uniformly in one direction much like a suede leather’s nap. A soft brush used with the nap is the only proper way to clean it, preserving that delicate texture and preventing crushing—a crushing that would feel nothing short of akin to running your fingers over a patch of rough cardboard rather than a smooth cushion supporting the components of the concertina's action.
So, why does the direction of the nap matter?
- Friction control: The nap determines how the moving parts glide over these cloth-lined surfaces. Running your finger against the nap creates resistance; going with it feels silky smooth. Noise reduction: Baize dampens mechanical sounds much better than harder textiles. Longevity: If you vacuum baize or neglect nap alignment during restoration, the fabric wears unevenly, leading to irregularities translating to that much-dreaded wobble in your concertina’s action.
Historically, green baize became the default cloth lining—not just because it was common or pleasing to the eye, but because the forest green hue related to its origins in billiard and card tables. The same durable, napped cloth that cushioned snooker cues and playing cards proved indispensable for the delicate, moving parts inside a concertina case. You could trace this tradition back to the collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum (vam.ac.uk), where many original concertinas show that signature green baize lining preserved across centuries.
Bridle Leather: Harness Heritage Meets Musical Precision
When it comes to the leather components of the concertina action—thumb straps, bellows folds, lever pivots—quality leather is non-negotiable. Bridle leather holds a special place here. Originating from equestrian harnesses that demanded strength, suppleness, and durability, bridle leather is vegetable-tanned and heavily finished to resist moisture and wear. This heritage ensures any action part made from bridle leather will age gracefully without compromising the smoothness of movement.
Mr Q (mrq.com) frequently emphasizes the qualities of bridle leather in his restoration projects: it isn’t just skin stretched over wood; it’s a living, breathing mechanical interface. Because bridle leather can be skived—thinned carefully to reduce thickness at the edges—and then burnished, creating invisible edges, it moves through small gaps with minimal friction, supporting that critical smooth draw out and eliminating any hint of catch or wobble.
Skiving, Burnishing, and Invisible Edges: The Artisan’s Secret
Anyone who’s touched upholstered antique tables or delicate leather instrument cases can attest to the skill involved in making edges disappear. Skiving is the process of shaving down the leather edges so they taper off thinly rather than abruptly ending, while burnishing—using a slick hard tool on dampened leather—seals, polishes, and rounds those edges.
Why does this matter for concertinas? Because hardware like levers and pads move in snug, confined spaces. Any exposed edge or thickened strip risks catching the movement, creating vibrations you feel as wobble or unevenness. Invisible edges support full depth bellows compression with a smooth tactile sensation rather than jerky interruptions.
What Does a Perfect Concertina Action Actually Feel Like?
Let’s cast the theoretical aside and focus on what your hands will experience:
Initial Engagement: As your fingers contact the lever, there’s a subtle but firm resistance—neither too loose (wobble) nor too stiff. Progressive Movement: You feel a smooth draw out as the action travels—a consistent glide that supports the full range of bellows movement, sustained by the friction-minimizing baize and perfectly burnished leather edges. End of Stroke: A gentle but secure stop without jarring, felt rather than heard, thanks to the combination of bridle leather padding and dense baize lining. Return Movement: The resilience of the materials pushes against the finger with just enough counterforce to return levers without delay or slack.
Throughout this process, your hand will notice that familiar, reassuring combination of resistance and fluidity. The concertina does not feel like a mechanical contraption but rather an extension of the player, holy ground where craftsmanship meets musicianship.
Common Pitfalls That Spoil the Feel
Unfortunately, not all concertinas live up to this ideal. In fact, typical mistakes that guild-trained upholsterers or leatherworkers would immediately spot include:
- Using low-quality cloth marked as ‘felt’: This is a pet peeve—calling baize “felt” blurs critical distinctions. Felt is denser and less directional. Baize’s nap, as mentioned, is essential. Many restorers ruin the feel by applying vacuum cleaners to the baize, compressing the nap and increasing friction. Over-conditioning leather components: A tip from the fine folks at BestLeather.org: Over-oiling or conditioning leather can cause it to swell, lose shape, and become tacky, which ruins the smoothness of moving parts. Ignoring floor structure in heavy table-top concertina stands: When concertinas are played on bulky frames, any wobble in the floor or table translates to the player’s fingers, ruining the delicacy of the action’s feel.
Ultimately, a sensitive hand knows when something’s off before the eye does.
In Conclusion: The Hands Know First
When you pick up a concertina that’s been expertly lined with green baize, carefully crafted using skived and burnished bridle leather edges, and assembled with supporting structure in mind, your hands will thank you. The hallmark is always that smooth draw out that supports full depth without any hint of wobble or hesitation.
Next time you examine a concertina—or any finely constructed reed instrument—take a moment to run a soft brush lightly over the baize, feel the resilient yet supple leather, and consider the invisible craftsmanship beneath your fingers. It’s not just about sight or sound. It’s about touch, and what your hands feel is the truest testament to quality.
For those interested in restoration or sourcing materials, check out BestLeather.org for premium leather advice, Mr bestleather.org Q for expert instrument restoration, and consult the archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum for historic design references.