Hi, just new to the forum! I play various flutes, whistles and have just came accross this forum, so decided to join.
A question I have is about drilling the wooden posts on flutes.
I was recently given two old flutes by my uncle. One is a Bb and the other is a Traditional D flute.
There were two broken wooden key holders on one and one broken key post on the other.
A friend of mine who does fine joinery work said he could glue two pieces of timber on and carve them down to the shape of the original posts.
He glued them on, carved them down, matched the timber well and done an excellent job.
Problem is when we went to put the keys on again, we discovered that we cannot get the posts drilled for the keys!!! (The smallest drill chuck that we can find still will not let us get the drill bit in close enough to drill)
Is there an obvious way of drilling them that we just cannot see, or should they have been shaped and drilled before they were glued on??
Any help would be very much appreciated!
When I did these I would drill them freehand using a Foredom type handpiece on a flexible shaft. A Dremel would also work. Best to indent the wood with an awl for where you want to start drilling and to work out the direction. Of course I ruined many until muscle memory caught on!
Casey
I long ago inherited some model maker’s tools from a grandparent, including a small box containing 4 or 5 c2" lengths of hardwood 1/4" dowel with fine twist drills mounted in one end of each in a range of sizes - dunno now what they were but probably Imperial sizes and working up from 1/32" or maybe 3/64". I have inevitably misused them over the years and now only two of the thicker originals survive, but I recently bought some 1mm and 1.5mm bits to mount in the same way - just drill about 6-7mm into the end of your dowel with the bit you want to mount, reverse it and glue it in. You could even shave down the dowel to a bit of a point if you needed closer access. Then drill by hand - twisting it between your fingers. It is actually remarkably easy and quick in hardwoods like blackwood or cocus provided the bit is sharp. I’ve done various block repairs and drilled them thus - got two in hand right now on a Metzler I’m doing up, including a short F block, which is going to be a bit of a challenge to drill (very low to the surface hole on the long axis of the joint, so bad access), even though the rebuild is only on one side and I have the hole in the other to act as a guide - that is often the case, actually. You don’t need a power drill or even a hand one. Incidentally my Dremel substitute multi-tool would allow access to most blocks with its flexidrive (though not for the short F block), but the chuck won’t close down to under about 2mm, so I can’t use it with the very fine drill bits unless I get them welded onto something a tad thicker!
Afterthought - a nifty modern approach would be to use an old artist’s paint-brush - a fine, round one. Remove any remaining hairs from the metal collar and fix your drill bit into it with something like Milliput epoxy putty or maybe solder - would give you a very narrow-shafted hand-drill.
Thanks for the feedback. I will try out some of the options mentioned and let you’s know how I get on.
Thanks again much appreciated!
What I did was silver solder the bit on the end of a 1/4" brass rod, then I have a brass tubing over it to guide it in. I don’t know how you would make this without a lathe to drill the hole in the end of the rod.
I inherited a clock makers pin vice - small chuck on the end of a rod. You can can put it in a drill chuck. Not sure how small they come but googling “pin vice” suggests that they are not expensive and used by modellers for the same sort of task.
Edit - I have just looked in the box I inherited and found what I had thought were watchmakers screwdrivers with (missing) replaceable bits held by a small chuck-like clamp. They may be meant for doing just what you want and must surely still be available. Smallest has an 1/8" shaft and would hold a drill maybe about 0.5mm.
Further edit after a cup of coffee and more thought. The box also includes bundles of fine stiff steel wires. My grandfather once showed me how to make a small drill by heating the end of a sowing needle to soften it, flattening and filing to a diamond shaped spade bit of the required size. Then heating and plunging into a block of soap to quench and harden. I think what is in the box must be part of his kit for drilling small holes.
Thanks to david_h for a superb tip! I’ve been doing a bit of web browsing, and as he says, just Google on “pin vice” and you’ll find plenty. Horological suppliers stock all kinds of mini tools and parts we would find uses for in flute fettling, including the fine drills to go with the pin vice collets. You can even get a pin vice adaptor for use with a Dremel type multi-tool. Model engineering suppliers are useful too. I haven’t posted any links because of the international factor, but search for such suppliers internally wherever you are and you’ll find these things. Go browse some of the online catalogues. Mostly inexpensive too. A jeweller’s Archimedean drill looks like a handy toy as well. Live and learn - it’s amazing what specialist tools and gadgets are out there that you’d never think of or come across without specialist needs and guidance to them!
BTW, just referring back to the OP here and a point none of us have yet commented on: fixing on the new block and shaping it to profile first is the only way to do this job - and then drill your hole in the otherwise finished block. Think about the original - they could hardly have pre-drilled holes into turned-in blocks!
Could get set of those cheap watchmakers screwdrivers (have seen them in the local £1 shop). Re-fashen the end of smallest into a spade drill and drill hole by twiddling and keeping a finger on the top cap to hold it straight.