I need some advice. I was recently given an old wooden flute. It’s stamped Goulding & Co. on every joint but the head, which is stamped Goulding, D’Almain & Co. Soho Square, London. A little research online tells me this flute was probably made between 1810, when Goulding & Co. moved to Soho Square, and 1830, when Goulding left the company and took his name with him. All in all, the flute is in pretty good shape for 200 years old. The sockets on the head joint and foot joints are cracked, the thread binding on the joints is disintegrating, and it desperately needs some oil. The single key on the foot joint works fine except that the pad is rather permanently stuck to the hole rather than the silver key. The cork is spongy but it passes a suck test. Unfortunately, the flute plays horribly. The first octave is very weak. The F# is very flat, almost an F natural, and the A is pretty sharp.
I wonder if restoration will ever make this flute into a decent player. Can cracked sockets and somewhat leaky joints make that big of a difference to the intonation? Can you recommend a good craftsman who can repair the cracked sockets and possibly replace the cork? I’m a handy guy, but this isn’t something I want to get into on my own. Any thoughts?
Dave Copley is a super good craftsman and nice fellow. I would call (or write) him and ask his advice.
Not his specialty, these old flutes, I reckon, but I’d do it anyway. The man knows flutes.
Since you’re in the US, you might contact Jon Cornia who posts here as Jon C. He’s one of the go-to guys for questions about flutes like these. He’s done some outstanding work for me on antique flutes.
Hello Ken, As you have noted the head and body on this flute are probably from two different instruments pieced together. This may or may not affect the intonation, depending on how well matched they are in terms of scale length and internal diameter.
The intonation on flutes from this period can leave a fair bit to be desired on complete originals anyway. Generally, the B. AND A. are often sharp. The G. close on target. The F# somewhat flat. The E. usually slightly sharp. The D. nearly always flat to some degree or other. The overall sound and tone of the flute will be weak at the moment due to considerable air loss through the joints and cracks. I can give you some advice, which if you choose to follow, will give you a pretty good indication of how the flute will sound once properly restored. You can then decide whether or not you feel it is going to be worth the expense. ( both companies were well regarded in their time and are still highly esteemed and collectible today - so it should be worth the effort ) Instructions are listed below.
Slowly and carefully remove the old thread wrapped around the tenons until you expose the bare wood beneath. Do this unwinding one single thread at a time.
Wrap the clean tenons with P.T.F.E. plumber’s tape in the recessed area exposed after thread removal. Take care to wind it on flat and evenly building up enough layers so that they ( the tenons ) fit snugly ( not too tight ) into the sockets, Do this in stages and marry the two up until they slide together comfortably without force.
Finally, fit the pieces of the instrument together, and then wrap the cracked sockets with electrical insulating tape, overlapping by 50% or so as you go.
The flute should be now ready to test. ( assuming it has no other issues - make sure the cork in the head fits tightly - if loose wrap this with P.T.F.E. tape also ) The Eb. pad in the foot is stuck on air-tight ( in closed position ) as you say, so should not have any adverse effect on the other notes when sounding off the instrument.
This is not a complicated procedure, and if you are in any way " handy " you should be able to manage without any major problem. Work slowly, carefully, patiently and never use force.
If for any reason you feel daunted and unsure of yourself - there are quite a few flute restorers/makers that you can contact on this site. Good Find - Good Luck. Owen.
Just a thought, if you follow ZTOOTS advice with the temporary application of the plumbers tape - if the flute is dry any blowing may swell the joints so might be best to give it an oil first and check that the joints aren’t binding as moisture gets down into the bore.
John Gallagher did nice work on a flute I had that had tuning issues. This was before he was known as a maker himself. Depending on where in Appalachia you are, he or (previously mentioned) Dave Copley may not be too far to visit.
Definitely don’t get any oil too close to any cracks. It’s a much more involved to repair them if oil wicks up into them.
Thanks for the replies. I think I’ll re-thread the tenons and tape up the cracks and see how it sounds then. Maybe it will be worth restoring, but I’m guessing probably not. Looks pretty, though.