Why do Bellows Need Replacement?

Bellows are long term expensive consumable items, a product of the Victorian book binders art, they are best described as a combination of goatskin, card, linen tape and wallpaper paste, they get brittle, wear through on the corners, the leather rots, embrittles and dies

Corner / card failure ; Gussets rot through ; Valley hinges crack ; They get wet and fall apart. Internal hinges fail and the bellows are self destroyed from inside; Bellows papers are spoilt

What can be done?

Special sized six sided, eight sided and twelve sided or 'big reed' instruments

Source and fit new (often very expensive) high quality bellows, or try to recover the bellows by selective repair or even re-building the existing ones

General standard sized six and eight sided standard instruments

Fit appropriate replacement bellows (there are grades of these) Often new bellows can work out cheaper than some more extensive bellows recovery programmes. They will also last a lifetime longer  literally.

Can bellows be repaired?

Usually yes, gussets can be repaired internally, internal leather and fabric hinges can be replaced. Fold outer corners can be re-patched or the instrument can be re-bound on all its folds, these techniques can re-life a set of bellows for a decade or two. Sometimes bellows are just life expired., ‘gone home’, or just dead. Bellows are a long term throw away item, perishable and vulnerable. The issue is usually one of repair cost and life verses replacement cost and their life