Photo Essay: How to Secure the Basses

When either removing or reassembling the screws that hold on the bass cover, it is important to use the correct screwdriver blade type and size. Don't use a flat blade screwdriver on a Phillips screw (shown here), and be sure that the blade size is a good fit for the screw head. If the blade is too small or too large, the screw can be damaged. Be careful not to scratch the body of the accordion while you are removing the screws.

If the screw will not come out even with the proper size screwdriver, it could be rusted into place. You can try applying a small drop of Lock-Ease, WD40 or similar metal lubricant directly to the screw head. Let it penetrate for a few seconds and try again. Repeat a couple of times if necessary. If the screw is not frozen into place, but simply stripped (or if the wood is stripped, which is more likely), and all it is doing is spinning around inside the wood, you may be able to pull it out with a forceps - this is a small tool with locking jaws that looks sort of like an anorexic pair of scissors. If you don't have a forceps, then use a small needlenose pliers or tweezers.

If after all this it still won't come out, you may have to drill it out. Never try to force the cover off without removing all the screws first - screws are easy to replace, covers are not. Regardless of what the problem is, you will not want to reuse damaged screws. Replacement screws in assorted small sizes, difficult to find at hardware stores, are available at the House of Musical Traditions.

In this picture the text reads "unscrew all 4 screws in bass feet", but on most accordions, the screws holding on the bass cover are separate from the feet, in which case it is unnecessary to remove the feet in order to remove the cover.

See next picture. See previous picture Go back to start Go to text page, How to Ship a Squeezebox.

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© 2005, Wendy Morrison

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