Accurate sheet metal cutting

A CBA (Chromatic Button Accordion*) has got buttons on the treble side (unlike a piano accordion that has piano keys). Historically, the buttons have been arranged in 3 rows, with several layouts. B system, aka Do3 (B note in the first (outer) row), C System, with C in the first row (aka Do1). There are other, region - specific systems, like Do2 in parts of Belgium and Finnish C system. Since 3 rows are very hard to play, some clever guy decided to add 2 more rows to the keyboard, so that row 4 doubles row 1, and row 5 doubles row 2. This has made the C system easier and has revolutionised the B system, making it a lot more user-friendly than it used to be.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatic_button_accordion

In essence, C system is typically associated with French musette, while B system with Eastern European music. Unless you are in Belgium or Netherlands, where B system is associated with musette music. Or in Germany, where B and C have existed side-by-side regardless of what music you were playing.

I hope this has cleared things up for you - the accordion is really, very straightforward. Until you open it up and see over 2,000 moving parts that all need to be set up to work perfectly.

*Do not confuse it with the British Chromatic Button accordion, which looks exactly the same, but is, in fact, a hybrid between a bisonoric 3-row melodeon and accordion-style Stradella bass, and is therefore not a chromatic button accordion, despite the name.

Fascinating, and thank you

Best rgds Simon

Kiwi Bloke - I've got a couple videos by a Russian melodeon maker on how to make reeds with just hand tools, the traditional way. And I've got some official measurements from a mid 2000s Tula bayan (including the bayan bass monsters!). Happy to share - just in case you're interested in trying your hand at it.

One week down the line I've made half a dozen sample reed tongues, including rough tuning, cut a few slots in a solid plank (freehand! I've been told that if I can't do this job freehand, then I don't know how to use a file, so I should learn it first, before I start using jigs to speed up the process), and fitted a reed to to a slot, much better than a soviet factory. Albeit, I still have quite a bit to go before I can match the Italian master craftsmen haha. All that with just a couple regular files.

I now need to make some safety files for the job, which might be a bit of a challenge.

I am yet to discover the dark art of using solid rivets, but overall, I'm quite happy, given that I've got close to zero metalworking experience.

Aha! Electrochemical etching to make steel clock hands!