Where can I buy keys. I have a 6 key M&E. It looks like the only way I can make it into an 8 key is with the key arrangment of a Bohem C foot. The Eb is situated such that I am not sure I will not have to make a new foot. I have a lath and could do that. When I cover my two bottom holes on my foot, the Cnat and C# come out good and strong. I emailed Michael Cronnolly and he said he could not get keys for the foot. Surely someone on this earth makes and will sell keys.
Incidently, I hate the bulkey, slow, keys on my M&E R&R but it is otherwise such an easy, responsive, dependible machine, and a joy to play, I would like to improve it.
You could try removing the foot keys from an unused metal flute or buy a cheap one on e-bay as a throwaway. Would need mods. no doubt, but may be a possibility.
Using keys from a German flute sounds dicey to me, as the hole sizes are likely to be different…I would think the C# and C holes on your flute would be a bit larger than those on a German flute, so the pads may not cover the holes completely. I don’t know if the Boehm keys would fit either…depends on the distances and hole sizes.
Making your own foot joint requires more than a lathe and a drill…you’d also need reamers as the foot joint isn’t a straight tube. And you’ll need some blackwood or delrin, whatever your original flute is made from.
If it were me, I’d send the flute to someone like Skip Healy, who might be able to figure out how to fit the keys on your existing foot joint or else he could make a new foot joint for it complete with keys. He has his keywork done by someone else (or at least he did last time I checked); it’s post-mounted so that’s what you’d want.
Actually if it were me I’d stick with just the six keys and start saving up for an 8-key flute from someone else. You’ve already said you don’t like the keywork on the M&E, so maybe this isn’t the flute you really want…why sink more time and money into it when you’d be happier with an 8-key with better keywork all around?
In support of Brad’s response I would also add that the holes on the foot are probably not in tune and are for venting the bottm D and not for playing Cnat and C#.
John Gallagher and Patrick Olwell are in your area or if you’re after polymer check out Seery or I believe Terry McGee uses delrin too.