In a recent thread, I mentioned that I had purchased an old (the seller claimed 18th century or possible civil war) flageolet. Well, it arrived and I’m very happy with it, but I need some advice:
Is there any way to remove a strong tobacco smell from the inside of a wooden instrument.
It has eight finger holes and six keys. The first octave plays in tune in the key of D, with normal whistle fingering, but the upper octave is sharp. The extra two holes are an upper thumb hole and a lower pinky hole. The bottom key is right beside the pinky hole, so those are for C sharp and C, but I’m guessing the upper thumb hole has something to do with the upper octave. I’ve tried half-holing it like you would on a r******r, and that helps a little. Anyone know official English flageolet fingering?
I want to clean up the keys and repad them. I have been able to remove only the two horizontal key pins, but the four vertical ones are stuck. I don’t think they are threaded, because neither end has a slot.
So far, I have cleaned the outside and oiled it. I also reshaped the connector where the long sponge-holding mouthpiece used to be into a whistle mouthpiece. I have cleaned and replated the two keys I was able to remove.
Cool purchase. Have you thought of emailing or calling Ralph Sweet? He’s a big collector of these things and might be able to offer advice.
As for getting those other keys off, I’d suggest a small jewelers type of hammer, a small nail with the sharp point flattened (or other suitable piece of metal small enough), and you can very gently tap the pin out - but those kind usually go one way only (one end is thicker than the other). So, try each side gently at first.
The Von Huene workshop in Brookline MA does restorations of old instruments too, although I don’t know how much they charge. Loren may chime in here with more on that.
For the smell, (Ick!) you might try using something that smells stronger. Like tea tree oil (a recent suggestion in another thread). But this might end up bothering you also.
Alternatively, chew Nicorette gum every time you play it…
Sounds like a great find. Have fun with it!
Jennie
For the tobacco smell - you might try cleaning it with isopropyl alcohol. After cleaning w/ alcohol, you’ll need to re-oil it as the alcohol will sap moisture and oil from the wood.
As for the pins for the keys - I’m guessing these are block mounted keys if you’re thinking they aren’t threaded. I agree wityh Jayhawk, but if they won’t budge with some firm pressure using some sort of metal punch, try heating they key & the pin with a heatgun or alcohol lamp before applying pressure. Sometimes there is oil and/or corrosion gunking up the bin and a little heat can help loosen it. Whatever you do, the main thing is to support the block so that you aren’t applying undue pressure to it - watch out they will break!
Have fun! And post some pictues when you’re far enough along to show off
Are the keys and posts made of German silver? From the photo, they appear to be.
You might want to be most careful about using force on those pins, because the mechanism seems to me to be rather delicate. A good gunshop or hardware store will have a penetrating oil called “Kroil” – the oil that creeps. It cuts rust and corrosion of all sorts, and may help you to move the pins. I would use a tiny amount, applied with a toothpick, and let it sit for quite a while before attempting to remove the pins again. Don’t overdo it: Oils like Kroil can have a deleterious effect on wood.
Is it possible that the “stuck” pins are tapered, and you’re trying to drive them out the wrong way?
