I started putting cork grease on my threaded tenons and found my flute sealed better and the tenons seem to expand and contract less. I think it’s probably fine to do this but I just want to double check.
Thanks,
jason
no harm there
Absolutely fine. Normal. Necessary. I always keep mine greased and lay on new ones with plenty. Bagpipes may have dry lappings but flutes use grease.
Thanks for the reassurance, gents.
Yes. But avoid putting thread grease on your corks.
Yeah, grease those rascals up. Chapstick is great too and, near as I can tell, exactly the same schtuff only cheaper.
Doc
Cork grease and chapstick are not the same stuff. Chapstick can be used to grease corks in a pinch, but cork grease does not work on the lips like chapstick does. Been there done that, so I know.
I’ve used chap stick on cork, but I think there is something in it that loosens the contact cement - my choice is cork grease.
Chuck
I’ve had great results with beeswax and almond oil melted together. Depending on the proportions you can change the consistency to whatever you want/need for your climate, etc. Add some lavender or vitamin E etc. if you are worried about the oil going rancid.
I use a fairly thick version for joints that are not meant to move very often, e.g. Bagpipe blowpipes and a lighter version for the flute joints. I had a phase of collecting little plastic pots from Bodyshop to put the stuff in.
Works on the lips too. But then the commercial stuff isn’t too expensive either…
And I like silk thread on the my Windward flute - the joints are already a very precise fit in themselves and the silk thread allows me to make a very smooth and precise join.
So we know it is okay. But is it necessary? (Just got my flute, so just want to know.)
It is absolutely necessary on cork lappings, and I would say pretty much so on thread too - how much so may depend on the kind of thread and how much condensation tends to get into the joint/the thread itself and how easy or difficult you find it to twist the joints apart and together. Most thread will absorb water (or at least hold it in the interstices between the threads) and is best protected by grease which will also lubricate assembly/dissassembly. Joints bound with the loosely twisted hemp thread often seen on bagpipes may be fairly OK left dry, but I’d grease those myself, and if any kind of cotton is used it must be greased thoroughly. Even polyester or other synthetic threads can still hold moisture between the strands (and thus against the wood, possibly causing swelling) and in any case there is usually a need for some lubrication to facilitate assembly/dissassembly. I’ve no experience with real silk but suspect even that would be best greased.
From personal experience I’d advise against beeswax (however cut) as it tends to emulsify over time and, because it is sticky it also holds more extraneous gunk, tending to lead to a faster build up of a hard deposit that ends up making the joint stiff. This will happen in time even with a proprietary joint or “cork” grease, but I’ve found it preferable to other things (though I’ve never used chapstick nor Vaseline nor paraffin wax - all things I’ve seen used or advocated).
Bear Fat.
Early Americans used to swear by it for their corks and thread and such and what not.
Much to the serious eye rolling of their native born neighbors, of course.
A hamhock or a side of fat back might well do as a substitute.
Reminds me of one lullaby my old granny used to sing me when it was time for sleep.
"Oh, It rubs the bear fat on its cork
It rubs the bear fat on its cork
It rubs the bear fat on its cork
Ifn ya ain’t got that… then use some pork!"
I miss granny.
@ jemtheflute: Okay.. But for me if I don’t grease the threads will it do any bad? Mine’s a Seery delrin.
With delrin, it’s up to the player. Copley gives a small jar of joint grease with his delrin flutes. I think it helps to be sure the flute is fully sealed and, of course, easy to put together and take apart.
Pretty much in agreement with Akiba here. The Seery that passed my way a while back had rather heavy, tight twisted thread as I recall, like the old-fashioned waxed linen thread you can buy cards of for stitching leather etc. On wood I’d have worried the thread could wear away the socket! But I’d still grease it, as Akiba says, for good seal, for assembly lubrication and also to waterproof the thread itself - it can still rot or swell and jam if it is an organic, not synthetic thread, regardless of the material the flute is made from.
Yes, not only OK but necessary. I’ve found leakage through the socket (as measured by the Magnahelic Flute Leak Detector) that varied as I rotated the socket. Greasing the tenon thread killed it.
Terry