Question: If a maker replaces a cracked barrel,
does this involve making a new one from scratch?
Or is the silver part of it used again?
Obviously replacement is a more expensive
proposition the first way, but I don’t
know why the wooden part couldn’t be
taken off and replaced, re-using the original
metal part.
But then I don’t know
much about this.
If the metal outer sleeve (not always silver, often brass) is working fine, then it would certainly be less labour intensive.
However, some things to consider: In both flutes I have, the brass sleeve was given a lip, put in through the tenon (ie body of flute) section and then the silver covering glue/soldered on the end sticking out of the barrel, after the fact, thereby making it very difficult to reuse.
I am reusing it, but only due to the fact I sanded the lip off after deciding it was impossible to move the tuning slide. Turned out all I needed was heat. A lot of heat. Such that the end of the brass caught on fire. So now I am going to try epoxy on my new wooden barrel piece and hope it will hold.
So, in conclusion, it is possible, but maybe not the first choice.
I had the barrel replaced on a flute of mine because of a crack, and the maker just re-used the parts from the old barrel and put them on a new piece of wood.
Hi, any other info? Any makers out there? Jim
Also let me expand the question to the top part of the headjoint too,
the part containing the emobouchure hole. On a lined piece,
can the wood simply be wrapped around the old silver part?
Jim, I think Terry McGee has discussed techniques previously, although it may have been covered either on the Woodenflute mail list or the Flutemaker’s list. Essentially, if the tubes are in good shape, and can be removed from the original wood, then new parts can be bored to accept them. The actual fitting and gluing procedure, which seems to involve raising burrs on the tube to grip the inside wood of the HJ seems best left to the experts. Then of course, if the HJ is fully lined, what do you do about matching up the embouchure hole & cut?
Kevin Krell
Thanks
Hi Jim,
Why don’t you just get the barrel repaired?
That wasn’t the question, but is what I would likely do, unless the wood is too chopped up. Of course, it might not be as attractive, particularly if a crack needs to be pinned or can’t be properly filled. Blackwood should look decent, but with Boxwood there’d probably be a more obvious repair.
Hi Kevin,
Quite true, boxwood would be best replacing. I agree, should be able to reuse the silver, I thought it was Blackwood for some reason.
Actually, Jim hasn’t specified. Maybe he’s being hypothetical, or watching an eBay flute (although I haven’t seen much interesting, except maybe that Pask.
Going to have any spare flutes?
Kevin Krell
Hi Kevin,
Maybe…
Having a nice time up here in Washington. Met a lot of great flute players at the Irish Session Festival up in Olympia, should of brought some WFO CD’s to sell for you… 
Got to check out a variety of flutes, A nice blackwood Olwell, Skip Healy Blackwood (very powerfull), a nice Gallager 8 key, a beautiful Boxwood 6 key Peter Noy (nice keywork and amber), a Bryne Brynt blackwood keyless flute, a antique Hall 6 key flute with both a Casey Burns and Peter Noy head. There was a impressive pile of flutes there! I had a pile of flutes also… (Must freak out the Airport security, when they see all those cylinders in the suitcase!)
I have to go check out Ebay, Pask you say?
Sorry to sidetrack the thread…
Pask, here you go:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=734534054
Here’s an ivory flute, might have been nice without the cracks and all:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7346177398
You should have brought some CDs. David Shorey sold 51 at the National Flute Association convention in San Diego. And those were Boehm flute players!
Kevin Krell
Hi, I’ve cracked the barrel of a newish blackwood flute.
I’d like a new barrel because I want to keep the flute’s
resale value. I’m right, am I not, in supposing patching
the crack will lower that?
The maker has agreed to replace the barrel, albeit
reluctantly, and I’m feeling a bit guilty, because
I may have had something to do with the crack;
namely I played the flute for six hours
one day after having it for two months.
I really don’t like feeling that I’m exploiting
these people, cause I respect flutesmyths
as craftsfolk, and am thinking of offering
to pay for the thing, but I’m wondering
how much it would cost.
Confusing!
How much is patching, by the way?
Thanks for all this info, gang.
OK, I’ve called the maker who assures me the cause
of the crack was indeed a defect in the wood, not me.
I’m sending 40 bucks to cover his expenses.
There, I’ll take off the hair shirt now.
Info/advice you folks gave was much appreciated.
Jim