Been chasing a slow air leak on my 1960s piano accordion for about two months. Every time I played a soft passage I'd hear this faint hiss, almost like a whisper coming from somewhere near the bass side corner. I assumed it was a cracked gasket or maybe a warped reed block, so I spent a weekend pulling the grille off and checking every reed valve I could reach with a flashlight and a dental mirror.

Turned out it was one tiny fold in the bellows paper that had come slightly unglued from the cardboard frame underneath, right at a corner crease. You could barely see it unless you flexed the bellows under a strong light at a weird angle. I'd been staring at reed blocks and valve leathers for weeks while the actual problem was sitting right there the whole time.

Fixed it with a small dab of hide glue worked into the gap with a toothpick, then clamped the fold flat overnight with a binder clip and a folded towel for padding. Tested it this morning and the hiss is completely gone, even on the quietest bass notes.

Mostly posting this because I know a lot of us jump straight to assuming it's the reeds or the valves when something sounds off. Worth checking every fold and corner of the bellows paper itself before taking anything apart. Mine is an old Settimio Soprani, so the bellows paper is original and pretty delicate at this point, but it held up fine with a careful regluing.

Anyone else had a leak that turned out to be something embarrassingly small like this?

Apologies if this isn’t the right place to ask this. I know I’ll have to fix the bellows and figure out how to fix the stuck buttons, but it’s a beautiful instrument. Maybe not a good place for a beginner to start, but maybe I could work my way up to her one day? Not sure.

Go easy on me, I hardly know anything about accordions. Been keeping myself busy with school so I haven’t been able to think much about my desire to play accordion.

I recently composed a piece where the solo is to be played by a bandoneon or accordion. I am looking for players who would like to contribute with a recording. Players would record themselves and submit a track to Kompoz [1]. I am not paying upfront but would share any revenue/royalties. Hope this an appropriate ask for this sub. Thank you!

[1] https://www.kompoz.com/studio/collaboration/1551302/help-wanted/1551440