I’d like to try my hand at restoring a flute, in part to get more in tune with how the instrument works physically so that, should I need to fix my own, I can. Also, it’d be nice to be able to
I’ve been trolling eBay looking at flutes to restore, and while I know some basics, I don’t yet have a sense of what is and isn’t hard to do. For example, I know that a crack through the embouchure isn’t great, but I recently saw a flute with a crack through one of the fingerholes. is that worse, easier, about the same? Or if it’s missing a key, is there a place I could buy new ones, or would I have to either scrounge one off another flute or make my own?
I’m guessing that what I’m looking for is an old French or German flute, maybe in the $100 range, without a major crack or one through the embouchure, and with all the major parts still intact (end cap, keys, etc.). That way, the flute’s not valuable enough that I would be scared to ruin it, and I can focus on re-padding, cleaning, and other more simple repairs.
Any advice as to what I should look out for or avoid when it comes to finding a good project flute?
I have a keyless Pakistani flute I could sell you. A friend already had a go at redoing the embouchure. It might he good to practice filling and reboring holes to adjust intonation, or even to take apart and look at the inner workings of the tuning slide or whatever.
Thanks for the offer, I’m more looking for keyed flutes in part because, while I love my Lehart keyless, it’d be nice to have something with keys lying around the place.
There are many details to consider including the fact that not every antique flute out there will play in a=440. Many of us have a few flutes lying about that we bought with a similar idea in mind only to have them end up in a drawer. I don’t want to discourage you, but you will also likely find anything worth repairing (with the idea you will be able to play it at a=440) might set you back twice as much as you’ve mentioned. Then again I might be completely wrong. We’ve got some folks on the forum here who have become experts at restoring and repairing and had to start somewhere.
I think you’re probably in the best place to decide, because it depends on your resources available.
For example, it’s pretty likely that you wouldn’t be able to get a key from anywhere to replace a missing key, so unless you’re happy with plugging the hole and doing without the key, avoid anything with missing keys. Indeed if you are not equipped for metal work, avoid anything with missing or broken metal parts. If you don’t have access to a lathe, I’d avoid flutes with broken blocks. (I guess you could carve a block replacement, but it wouldn’t be my favoured starting point.)
So, I’d look at potential flutes, list the problems you expect to face, and make sure you have directions forward on each of them.
The good news is that around here, you’ll have lots of people looking over your shoulder and offering you advice!
I’d suggest you aim to start where I did when I restored my grandfather’s violin: with a mentor to guide you through the process. With direction from him, I completed the work I could, and I paid him to do a couple of tasks I wasn’t comfortable with tackling.
One day, I was dropping off a bow for re-hairing. His new apprentice was removing the back from a violin and the back split in half in her hands. He said, calmly and patiently, “That’s ok. That happens sometimes,” and explained how they would put it back together.
I have a mid-nineteenth century English 8 key cocos flute, with metal lip plate and wide ferrule rings. It should fix up fine with some work and play in tune. I picked it up for similar purpose but never got around to it. There’s the usual type of crack through head and barrel, one of the key pins is missing, pads probably need replacing. Otherwise seems OK.
…but it is maybe more of a ‘major crack’ and above the $100 mark
Thanks for the offer, I actually had quite a few people messaging me with various flutes. Settled on a standard 8 key Nach Meyer in bad but not terrible shape, which should arrive in the mail tomorrow. I’ll keep you guys posted as to how it shapes up.
Eventually, I’d love to fix up an older English flute of some value, but I certainly need more experience before I attempt anything like that!
So, I have the flute, and spent a couple hours today taking the keys off (with the help of some penetrating oil and lots of patience) and putting blu tac in the holes to see how it played. The answer is OK, although notes get considerably fuzzier as you go down the scale. Intonation has some of the usual quirks (eg flat F#), but for not replacing/adjusting the headcork at all, I was a bit surprised at how OK it was.
Here are some pictures from when I just received it, and a recording of me going up the scale and playing 2 jigs. For the one in D especially, it was very hard to get any kind of decent 1st octave sound at all out of the bottom E and D.
As you might see in the pictures, there are two long cracks, one down the length of the headjoint and one down the length of the barrel. The headjoint passes the suck test, and the crack is far enough away from the embouchure that I’m not going to bother with it for now at least. The barrel, however, does not pass the suck test, and it seems to be because the crack goes from tenon to tenon, creating a little valley for air to leak out.
The cork on the tenons is fairly loose as well, so I’m thinking that the loose cork plus the crack in the barrel might be the culprit for the fuzzy low notes. The cork is a bit easier to replace, so I’ll probably do that first, but any further suggestion would be much appreciated! I’ll have to adjust the cork in the head for intonation as well, but right now I just want every note to actually sound first!
Also, ideas about the wood? I’m thinking cocus, but I don’t really know much about the ins and out of wood grain and color.
A couple of things: this flute may be grenadilla (otherwise known as African Blackwood). I think it may be not too old, as early German flutes were often Madagascar rosewood. Also it doesn’t have the relatively common silver end and foot caps.
You could try taping over the barrel crack with scotch tape, and seeing if that improves the bottom end. If the cracks are not too wide, you might try filling them with medium viscosity super glue. Otherwise, a major reaming of the head joint and barrel may be in order.
As for pads, you can order them online. Same with cork. J L Smith and Ferree’s Tools are good sources.
I forgot to mention that plumber’s Teflon tape is good for temporarily tightening up loose cork joints and even tightening the cork in the head joint. But you probably knew that already.
I have restored a couple of flutes quite similar in appearance. A very close examination of the tuning barrel with a bright (LED) light and a magnifying glass may reveal a faint embossing. Particularly side light. All my flutes showed ‘Dealer Marks’ rather than maker marks, which on research proved to be Music Shops in New York City. Close examination of the wood may show it is not granadillo or ‘Blackwood’. Mine are apparently cocus, extremely dark with red highlights, revealed under very bright lighting. You may also find evidence of a ‘French Polish’ having been applied. All or any of the above may cast some doubt on the flute’s German origin.
Dark wood with red highlights could be Cocus. However the English makers had a lock on cocus, coming from English colonies, shipped to England. The Germans made do with a similar looking wood that they called Madagascar rosewood. Initially, I had been tricked by a flute I am currently restoring - unmistakably German with wood that looked like cocus. Upon further research it turned out to be mad. rosewood.
Also French polish is not really French. It is a mixture of shellac, alcohol and olive oil applied with a tampon. It is not stable in the presence of water and would be a poor choice for polishing a flute. The finish (if any) would most likely be a wax.
Looked up and down the barrel, and could not find any marks to identify a maker or seller. I uploaded a close-up of the barrel to the link above to show the grain and color of the wood. At a distance, it looks black, but close up, it is a dark brown that is much more apparently brown when a bright light is shining on it. A bit of a reddish tinge as well.
Thanks for all the advice, tomorrow I will try taping up the tenon cork just to see if that will help stop the fuzziness, and I have a woodwind shop close enough to head over and see if they sell cork and pads.
As for the barrel and headjoint crack, I’ve seen multiple references online to the technique of removing the wood from the liner, closing the crack, re-reaming the wood, and fitting it back over the liner. Is this something I could accomplish without a lathe/reamer (perhaps just with sandpaper to sand the inside?), or should I try other methods like simply filling the crack with glue?
I should add that, in regards to the provenance of the flute, I assume that it’s German primarily because of the keywork, which looks almost identical to a number of Nach Meyers I have seen.
Be on the alert for this possible ‘wrinkle’: the bottom of the outer tube in the tuning barrel may be swaged into a flare, making removal a unidirectional proposition.
When you get to sanding, the dust will be rather reddish if it is not Blackwood. The dust from Blackwood will be quite dark gray.
Could you tell if there was any attempt at ‘threading’ the key axles? Or are they simply tapered pins, possibly split at one end?
Cocuswood was readily available to French and American makers during this period. The French called cocus Palisander.
After looking at your pictures again, I am inclined to agree with Bob that your flute may not be German. Looking at the G# key, most German flutes that I have seen have the key going transversely, or at an angle across the flute. It could be an American copy of a German flute, or even French, but I don’t have enough experience with French flutes to be able to say one way or the other. Looking at the close-up of the barrel, the wood doesn’t look dark enough to be Madagascar Rosewood. It could very well be cocus.
I’ve restored several flutes just like this one. I’m pretty sure the wood on your flute is not African Blackwood. It looks like cocuswood to me.
I think it is most likely American made, or at least made for the American market, and probably mass produced judging by how many of them
are around. Aside from the wood, some of the other small differences between it and a typical Nach Meyer are the embouchure cut, the inline
G# key, the indented/concave touches on the G# and Eb keys, and the ring on the end of the foot. How is the tuning? A lot of the Nach Meyer
flutes I’ve come across seem to be low pitch, whereas most of the flutes I’ve seen that look like this one are close to A=440, generally a bit higher,
which again might suggest an American provenance.
By the way, I should mention that I have been paying a lot more attention to some of these details since Bob called me out a year or so ago when
I referred to a flute in a video as a Nach Meyer when it probably was not one. I have learned to look more closely at these kinds of flutes since then,
so thanks Bob!
As for the barrel and headjoint crack, I’ve seen multiple references online to the technique of removing the wood from the liner, closing the crack, re-reaming the wood, and fitting it back over the liner. Is this something I could accomplish without a lathe/reamer (perhaps just with sandpaper to sand the inside?), or should I try other methods like simply filling the crack with glue?
You can do this without a lathe, its just a little more tricky. You can wrap sand paper on some fat sections of dowel and mount them in an electric
drill, and use that to slowly ream out the head, frequently testing for fit. You’d extract the head lining first, using lots of heat to loosen the old glue.
This is generally the hardest part of the process, but its worth learning how to do. Then you clean the wood up and allow it to dry. You can then use
hose clamps to hold it together, ream the inside a bit using the drill and sandpaper to get some wood dust, then use that to
fix the crack seamlessly using the techniques described earlier. Then finish reaming the head joint, using several hose clamps to hold it together
securely. Finally insert and glue the head lining in place being careful to align the embouchure hole perfectly.
