Does anyone know if it’s possible to check/replace the cork in a Dixon conical 3-piece flute?
There does look to be something which could be a cap on the end of the flute, but initial attempts at twisting it produce no movement.
Yep, it’s a most straightforward set-up. All three of the Dixon 3-pc flutes I have owned had the same arrangement. The crown is merely press-fitted into the head. You can easily twist it and pull the cap/crown out. You will then see a typical, plain cork inside the bore. You may want to locate a dowel with a diameter somewhat less than the bore of the flute as a tool to help this effort. Use the dowel to remove the cork for examination. The bore of the flute head is a cylinder so don’t be concerned about wedging the cork or anything like that. Corks shrink if the flute doesn’t get enough humidity. So if the cork is loose you can remove it and re-hydrate it. Heat a cup of water and give the cork a long dunking. (Assuming yours is a delrin flute, if the cork hasn’t moved in the head you can submerge the entire head in water since it’s delrin.) If the cork looks OK you can re-insert it. Mark a line on one end of your dowel with a length equivalent to the diameter of the flute’s head bore (~19mm). Insert the cork positioning the face of the cork with the dowel so that the line you marked earlier on the dowel lines up with the center of the embouchure hole. That’s a good position for starters. You can search the board further for best practices on positioning the cork.
Have a read here if you like: http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/Stopper.html
Feadoggie
The end cap on mine is thread-wrapped and will come out. Twist it a bit and I’m sure you’ll break it free.
Cheers,
Kirk
Thanks for the tips 
The end cap on mine was resistant to twisting and, being pretty thin, difficult to get a grip on.
However, today I went for it and, using a piece of chamois leather that has come in handy for getting tight lide off jars, managed to budge it.
Unfortunately, I think I’ve broke it 
i.e. the ends off, but there’s no thread or any visible means of re-attaching it.
And, inside I can see the cork, but there also seems to be a structure, which I’m assuming should have been attached to the bit that came off, but has instead remained stuck inside?
Certainly, the cork, though visible, is innaccessible cos of the remaining structure.
The slim brass ring also remains on the flute- I suspect that it forms part of the cap that should have come off?
The flute still works, but obviously, i’d prefer to either get the rest of the cap out so I can change the cork when necessary, and, get the end back on for aesthetic reasons (only obvious option i can see for this currently, is glue).
Any suggestions most welcome.
Wow, I didn’t think this was going to result in a broken crown. I’m rather surprised. I’ve maintained the corks on my Dixon flutes for the past ten years without incident. I assumed in my earlier post that your Dixon was made in delrin. Tony Dixon made them in blackwood, rosewood and maple for a few years too. Is this a wooden flute by any chance?
It’s difficult to say without seeing a picture of what’s going on there with your particular flute. As I said. I’ve owned a few of the delrin three-piece Dixon flutes and while there have been small differences they’ve all been constructed in the same manner. The cap is one piece and the cork is another separate piece. I did take apart the most recent of my Dixons to examine it’s cap after I posted yesterday. I guess I hadn’t messed with it much. It is made as Kirk B described. The cap is wrapped in thread to help with the fit. It has the brass rings which you also mentioned. Here’s a picture.
Is that what you see?
The upper ring on each of my Dixons have been mounted in a groove at the top of the head. They are not part of the cap/crown. Again I’ve only had three of these flutes to base my advice on.
I can’t guess what structure is left inside. Has the thread maybe come off the cap? The caps on mine were rather typical t-profile plugs turned from solid polymer.
I wouldn’t recommend glue, personally. Delrin is difficult to glue anyway. Wax is non-threatening and provided there is something to grip on to may work. But…
At this point it might be a good idea to drop a note to Tony Dixon and seek his counsel. He may be the best source for a simple solution.
Feadoggie
I too am surprised to hear this. My cap actually worked its way loose all by itself. This is what the cap should look like once removed.
If you could get the inner tube out you could epoxy the pieces back together. I use JB Weld for stuff like this and it works quite well. I concur with Feadoggie that it might be best to drop a note to Tony Dixon first. Fortunately the flute is still functional without the cap. It’s only there for looks.
Kirk
Right, Kirk B! If we can clear up what’s left inside besides the cork we can probably fix you up. Any chance of a picture? I lost the cap on my first Dixon at a festival. They can come loose. Is it possible that the thread came off the plug? Or is it possible that someone may have used something to secure the plug previously? Is the plug still intact as shown in the photos? If it is, you can probably clean out the bore (delrin is nice that way) and use plumber’s tape to make a firm fit. If the cap is broken, a replacement can be made easily enough. I turned a nice stout replacement for my lost cap and I would offer to turn one for you if you are in the US. Dixon may offer a replacement as well.
Feadoggie
I was guessing the tenon part of the cap was the remaining bit.
You might be right , Denny. The cap in Kirk B’s photo shows the tenon bit is hollowed out. Mine cap is merely center drilled and rather solid. Either way I’m thinking the cap is delrin and that’s really tough stuff to break…unless it was maybe epoxied in before this. We’ll see, hopefully before the year is out. I love a mystery - Colonel Mustard , in the music room with a delrin flute.
Feadoggie
I have no theory on how one could break a delrin cap.
I do have a 2 pound short handled persuasion device. 
It’s pretty clear from the pics posted above what’s happened- the end cap on mine has broken in two, with the falt bit coming away and the rest left inside the flute.
It’s been mentioned that the cap comes out pretty easily, so i guess, for some reason, that mine was jammed solid- previously I had tried twisting it but got no movement. Today I twisted harder and the thing must have been so firmly jammed, that it broke.
Here’s some photos-
Thanks for the offer- I’m not in the U.S. though.
I’m guessing that the borken cap isn’t too much of a problem though- the flute sounds fine. There’s probably a good chance that, when it comes time to switch the cork, I can push it out past the embrouchure hole and replace it the same way?
Incidently, the cork looks substantialy smaller than wine corks- where can I can a cork to fit the flute?
Thanks for the pics. I feel like I encouraged you to rip the head off your flute. I apologize. Denny got it right I see. I’m somewhat gobsmacked by your pictures. I have to wonder if the cap had been glued in place for that to happen. Since you are in the UK Tony Dixon might be able to set things straight for you in short order should you need that. And yes, you can push the cork in and out past the embouchure hole if you need to do that.
The head of the Dixon flute I pictured earlier has a bore diameter just shy of 19mm. Wine bottle corks come in standard sizes. A size 9 cork may be most common and it is large with a diameter of .9375" but they can be turned down or sanded to size. I bought a carton of a couple hundred size nine corks for a few dollars some years ago for my flute work and I just turn them down to size. A size 6 cork, which is fairly common, measures 3/4" in diameter which is just a hair larger than 19mm, maybe too close for a secure fit. You want to compress the cork just a little bit for a nice fit. Wine bottlers compress the cork by as much as 25-30% routinely(maybe a bit much for a flute). A size 7 cork, another common size, is .8125" in diameter or about 20.6mm. That could work or might need to be sanded down a tiny bit, your choice. Some synthetic corks are a composite of true cork particles bound together with polyurethene. These compress quite easily and remain elastic for a long time. You should be able to find a wine bottle cork that works. Have fun finding one that fits. This is a good season to be looking for corks.
Feadoggie
smaller? length doesn’t matter much, diameter is the one
I don’t see how the cap could not have been broken before you got it.
Don’t blame yourself Feadoggie. I’m just as guilty here. Since mine practically fell off I encouraged the twisting as well. I guess it’s our good-ol’ Pennsylvania smash-mouth football mentality to just grab thngs and growl. 
That cap on Dave’s flute had to be either glued in there or stuck awfully hard and fast. If it were my flute I know how I would get the plug out and fix it [smash-mouth style] but I’m inclined to quit while I’m ahead. Since Dave is in the UK, I too would go with contacting Tony Dixon and seeing what he can offer in the way of a fix.
Kirk
Yep! No wussies here in Pennsylvania, eh Mr. Rendell? I can’t wait to hear what he says about postponing the NHL Winter Classic tomorrow.
there’s something wrong with “grab things and growl”? 
I’ve been dying to see how that’s going to work out. I guess it was an idea that had some merit but Murphy’s really weighing in heavy on this one. I just now came in from ice skating at South Pointe where the Penguins practice and it’s still about 55F outside. 
Kirk
No need for apologies- clearly my particular flute had some kind of defect or, for some reason, had been glued on.
If it hadn’t happened now it would have happened later cos, as far as I can see, there was no way to get the end off other than by twisting it.
The end cap should have been rather easy to remove by twisting it, so I’m guessing that it may have been glued in. I used to repair violins, and you can never tell what a prior owner may have done. Sometimes you find out the hard way, that is, when something breaks because of an improper prior repair.
As long as the flute plays well, I would leave the cork alone in the Dixon flute. Should you need to reposition the cork, you still are able to do so in both directions, although the dowel through the end cap with need to be considerable smaller. A pencil might work.
I would re-attach the broken crown or end cap with a light adhesive, something that would allow me to remove the cap without too much difficulty but still strong enough to keep the cap from falling off.
You’re right! I forgot to type the “i” in “things”. I got that expression from an old friend of mine who was an HVAC mechanic. His two mottos regarding mechanics are, “Grab it and growl” and “Take absolutely no s#*t from inanimate objects.” Goes well with, “just keep backing up until you hear glass break.” 
Kirk