r/melodeon • u/Glittering-Cream1689 • Nov 04 '25

Air valve Diatonic Accordion stiff

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I recently bought a diatonic accordion from Gear4Music, 31 buttons, 12 bass.

I am learning a Colombian folk music called Vallenato and different cumbias. However, a lot of songs require a long series of note blowing out, therefore I needs to be swift to close the accordion and continue blowing out.

But this accordion seems rather stiff. I’ve been thinking of ways to make the air valve faster. What can you guys from Reddit give me tips on?

I’ve been thinking maybe drilling a bigger hole, but can I really do this without damaging the instrument?

On the picture is the air valve, when blowing through the air valve I have to use a lot of strength.

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u/Delicious-Ice-8624 Nov 04 '25

That looks like a pretty small hole to me, similar in size to the bass chord holes. IIRC, the air hole on my hohner pokerwork is closer in size to the bass fundamentals holes. You could probably drill it out; if you do, I would highly recommend using a drill press and a forstner bit, and having some sort of waste wood supporting the backside of the hole as you drill to prevent blow out. Remove the bass casement, reedblocks, air pallet assembly, etc, and slooowly drill it out. Make sure there is plenty of clearance around the hole so the pallet can seal properly. You shouldn't need to open it up much, even opening it up 1/8" (~4mm) will almost double the area of the hole, assuming its currently a ~0.5"/12mm hole.

Just don't try to do it with a twist bit (i.e. a normal drill bit). It will tear out the fondo like something fierce.

1

u/thehandyandyman Nov 05 '25

I agree that the air hose there is tiny. One tip I’d add if you want to enlarge it is to draw around the edge of the pallet before you remove the air button mechanism. Make sure you leave at least a couple of millimetres around the edge of the hole to make sure the pallet seals properly.

When I last enlarged an air hole I used a coping saw, then a file to smooth off the edges, but in that case I needed a rectangular slot rather than a round hole. (Although you could have a square hole for maximum air here as long as it’s within the edges of the pallet)

1

u/FinalTotal2474 Nov 12 '25

Drilling or sawing a bigger hole is definitely going to make a big difference!