The keys on my early 1800’s Goulding/Potter flute do not seat well. I’ve been advised to occasionally add a drop of oil to the pewter plugs (valves?) to help seal them from leaks, and this seems to be doing the trick. The whole flute likely needs a thorough overhaul, but for now I’d like to do some proactive maintenance.
My concern is oil buildup in the brass sleeves where the plugs seat, and the possibility that dust and other foreign materials (cat hair) will clog up the tone holes.
My question is how can I clean gunk from the tone holes without removing the keys themselves? The space is too narrow to allow access to the residue.
Note: I have not actually noticed any significant buildup, but I’d like to address this before it becomes an issue.
Just wanting to check what kind of oil you are applying to the pewter plugs. If a mineral oil, I wouldn’t expect any significant build up. Although I suppose dust might change the oil into slime!
But just checking that you aren’t using a bore oil. That is likely to build up a gummy mess!
I’m just adding a drop of almond oil to the pewter valves about once a week. (Should I be using something else?) I find if I don’t do this, my tone gets a little soft, so I assume the keys are not sealing well. From what I can see of the brass sleeves, there is some buildup of residue in the tone holes. I am not experienced enough to tell whether this has any impact on the function of the instrument.
Hmmm, interesting, but confusing. I would have guessed that almond oil dribbled into the key would end up drying out and forming a crust. But when I look up almond oil, I see it listed as a “non drying oil”. So hard to know what to think. I guess observation is your best bet. Look at the keys now and see if they become more polluted with time.
Here’s the only period reference to the subject I can bring to mind. It comes from “A few practical hints” by Thomas Lindsay.
“The only directions which we can venture to give, in reference to the METAL PLUG KEYS, is that they should be kept perfectly clean and free from dust, and occasionally slightly touched with a very little oil; if more is required, the maker must be consulted.”
I’ve always assumed “oil” in that context means mineral oil.
A variant on my observation suggestion above might be to apply mineral oil to some keys and almond oil to others, and see if one set pollutes faster than the other?
My original question is how way to clean generations of grime from the brass sleeves that line the tone holes - without having to remove the keys themselves. The space is too narrow to allow easy access to the area. As I mentioned in my first post, there does not appear to be a lot of gunk there yet, but I’d like to know what to do when the time comes to deal it. I suppose an aerosol spray of air might free up any loose stuff under the keys.