Recommendation for flute repair?

Irish Flute
1

Greetings all.

A few months ago, I acquired a rather nice antique german keyed flute. It’s a Meyer knockoff. The headjoint and barrell had been cracked, and repaired. The repairs were done nicely, so the flute played well. Very soft, but a sweet tone.

Unfortunately, yesterday, a new crack opened up in the barrell. It’s downright scary how it happened - I was playing, heard a pop, and then couldn’t get a sound of it. Looking it over, there was a crack about 1/2 inch long in the barrell, starting from the tenon, and wide enough that air can leak through it. During the course of the day, the crack expanded, until it now runs the full length of the barrel.

I’m wondering where to find a competent person to either repair or replace the headjoint. I’ve been considering calling Pat Olwell, since he made my pride and joy keyless blackwood flute; but I feel awkward calling this incredibly busy guy with a waiting list of more than a year for new flutes, and asking him to fix this old piece of junk.

Does anyone have any suggestions for where to find a good woodwind repair person that won’t charge more than this flute is worth? (My guess is that it’s probably only worth around $300 - at least, that’s what other Meyer knockoffs in similar condition go for on ebay.)

Thanks,
-Mark

2

Best bet is to look in the nearest mirror…

Seriously, Pat showed me the easiest way to fill cracks…superglue…make sure to use low viscosity (you can get colored as well as clear from a luthier’s supply)

The trick is not to overdo it. Use a little at a time and let it set (Pat seemed to wait about 20 minutes when he showed us and then sluffed off the excess…he didn’t wait for it to fully harden up…but I didn’t find out what brand he was using)

I generally let it harden overnight then use a scraper to shave it down (but then I’m a lot slower than he is)

He was able to fill a thin crack in one shot…fill, scrape, then polish.

I wind up doing a number of repeats …fill, scrape, fill, scrape..etc until I get the finish and look I want…sometimes I can’t find the crack (sometimes..that is)

Jack

3

I agree with Jack that superglue would be a good choice to repair that crack. It is also good for repairing difficult cracks on violins and guitars, etc. Superglue works well because it will flow into a crack, whereas with other types of glue you need to separate the crack in order to apply the glue.

Hide glue is preferably used on violins because it is not too strong, and it is possible to take the violin apart without destroying the wood. However, with inexpensive violins, it sometimes is not worth the expense of having to remove the violin top just to fix a small crack on the top. Here is where I have used superglue successfully. I have used it for a difficult top crack along the bass bar on my personal violin, and the repaired crack has held for several years. I think that the same reasoning would apply to an inexpensive flute, where a professional repair would not be worth the expense.

Like Jack mentioned, it is important to get the right kind of superglue. You want a glue that doesn’t set up immediately. This fast setting glue is great for gluing pieces together, but it sets up too fast for the glue to be able to penetrate the crack. I would avoid using superglue gel, as well. I like to use Loctite super glue. It comes in a clear bottle where you are able to see the contents. I look for bottles where the contents has a yellow appearance. It is my opinion that superglue ages with time, and I prefer using the yellow appearing glue that is probably older. I recently purchased a bottle of the same glue (same part number), but the contents appeared clear. I wasn’t able to use the glue in the way that I had intended because it set up quickly. I went back to the store and looked for some older glue, and it works just fine. I recommend that before you attempt to glue your flute, test the glue on something that you don’t care about. Even if you just put a drop on a hard surface, you can soon see how easy it will be to work with.

One trick that I use on violins and guitars is to put masking tape along both sides of the crack. This keeps the glue from flowing over the wood where you don’t want any glue. After applying the glue to the crack you can wipe off the excess and remove the tape after the glue has set up. I think that you could use this same technique to repair wooden flutes.

4

Good point on the tape Doug…I’m going to pick up on that…I’ve got Kapton circuit board tape at the shop..the orange transparent stuff…solid silicone adhesive (no reside) and I don’t think the glue will penetrate the tape.

I’m using Locktite “QuickTite”…very slightly yellowish…

Jack

5

Mark, have you been playing in an unhumidified area? If you haven’t been humidifying your flute, cracks can happen when the the interior absorbs moisture due to playing when the exterior is still dry by comparison. The swelling will strain the contracted outer layers, and that’s a contributor to cracking, as Peter Noy tells me.

Just my $.02USD for prevention’s sake…

6

Thank you guys! This is a thread worth saving.

7

FWIW supaglue mixed with ebony dust is the instrument makers repair stuff of choice. SOme pin or stitch the crack for extra strength. Anyway, the glue with ebony dust finishes next to invisible.

8

Peter, do you think you could substitute any painter’s powder pigment ( not cheap powder colour) for the ebony dust? That way you could get just the right brown for cocus, rosewood, mopane, whatever. Just wonderin’.
Julia C

9

Good question. I’d heard about ebony dust, etc., too but … where does one find the stuff?


(And I have to laugh – one way to fill cracks in carpentry is, of course, carpenter’s wood glue and sawdust – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, eh?)

10

A few thoughts from someone who repairs cracks virtually daily:

In truth, for the best results, different viscosities of superglue are needed for different types and locations of cracks: Sometimes a thinner glue is needed for me penetratration, but then an accelerant is often required when using super thin superglue, to keep it from running into the bore.
Thicker glues are good for wider cracks and when more set-up time is required.

In addition, a crack often needs to be spread wider during the glueing process, and then pressed closed and held that way while the glue sets, both of which can be difficult to do at home.


Tape can help you keep glue from running all over the instrument, but that can lead to having tape trapped below superglue when you go to remove the tape :frowning: This is sometimes more work than simply removing excess superglue.

Adding the proper wood dust does make for a nearly invisible repair (if you have the dust on hand), but again, the proper superglue is critical if you want to get a good bond and finish.

There’s more but, those are few things to consider in the process.

Loren

11

Ferree’s

http://www.ferreestools.com/

sells both the ebony dust and a very thin superglue that is supergood for fine cracks- flows right in.. Lots of other stuff for repairs as well, including leather pads and thinner “onion skin” pads all at a reasonable price. They’ll send a catalogue for the asking, and their mail order is fast and efficient.

12

Is it not a bit tacky repairing a barrel crack with just superglue ?
( even when the glue has gone off )
The crack is there because the barrel is too tight on the tube. The tube should be removed and the barrel reamed a little, and, properly, the crack screw- pinned, like any decent head/ barrel crack repair.There is a lot of force on the wood where the tube stops, and a bit of glue run in as a botch scarcely suffices, I suggest.

13

In a block of ebony. Sandpaper it. Or you could sand some old piano keys.
Terry writes about re-reaming cracked barrels/heads on his website.

14

Well, they didn’t sell ebony at Home Depot, so after an evening spent unsuccessfully trying to remove the keys from the piano I finally resorted to the Sawzall …

big ol’ :wink:

Seriously. Thanks so much for the directions, Larry and Kevin! (and good point, Andrew) I’ve got a “retired” flute with a hairline crack near the crown (it’s a lined head, so no playability issues) that’s been stable for about 6 years now, and since it doesn’t appear to go all the way thru the wood, it sounds like the ebony-dust-and-superglue treatment could be ideal.

Again, thank you ever so much!

15

Well, that’s one way to do it, however it’s not so cut and dry:

First there’s cost - some might not want to pay the extra labor charges, since removing a barrel, reaming, pinning or stitching, reinstalling the barrel, etc. will certainly take quite a bit more time, hence greater cost to the customer.

Second, the method you suggest entails the risk of even more damage to the part being repaired, since bad things ocassionally can and do happen when trying to remove a barrel or HJ liner, and one does have to create more holes in the wood to pin…

Next there is room for debate as to whether the method you suggest actually provides a more durable repair and reduces stress: Sure, reaming is necessary for such a repair, and when properly done will relieve much, or possibly all of the stress that caused the crack, however that assumes two things A) Reaming just enough to make the crack close and the barrel fit tightly is actually enough reilieve the maximum amount of stress that existed at the time the instrument cracked, in other words, you’re assuming that the shop conditions are the same as those at the time of the crack. Once you’ve pinned the crack, if you estimated incorrectly the flute will split somewhere else when the instrument is returned to the conditions (playing or environmental) that caused the problem, and now you have multiple cracks… this is less likely with a superglue repair as cracks over liners are glued spread out (stress relieved), and if more stress does occur, the glue bond is more likely to break before a separate crack opens elsewhere

And B) The method you described assumes that all the stresses are running lengthwise along the section of wood, rather than somewhat diagonally (which is more likely). Reaming and pinning doesn’t take this into account.

Having said all of that, I’ve got nothing against pinned or stitched cracks - more than one way to skin a cat and all. However, I think it’s a bit uptight to suggest that pinning is a patently better method than glueing. IMO, both methods are valid, and both have their pros and cons.

Loren

16

I guess the one thing I wonder about is whether pinning certain cracks isn’t just re-creating the stress that caused the wood to crack in the first place (at least given the same set of circumstances) – sort of like if you’ve split the seat out of your jeans, even though you sew 'em and patch 'em back up, they’re going to split again if your butt isn’t any smaller next time you try 'em on … and worse, they may blow out in an entirely different place! :boggle:

17

Cat,

That’s the point of removing the metal liner from the headjoint (or barrel) and then reaming the headjoint, before reinstalling the liner. Although as I mentioned, there are reasons to believe this doesn’t completely address the issue.

Loren

18

You are quite right, Loren. If it is a cheap flute botch it.
Most of the flutes I come across cracked are 150 + years old, so should have stabilised. If the tube is removed ( which I don’t think is so hard ) the crack can be made to close properly, and probably nearly disappear. I hate to see filling done unnecessarily .
If the ancient stress is relieved there is no reason to expect any trouble in the future.
I suspect that the proper thing to do with fine old headjoints is to ream them a touch before they crack, as one knows they are going to do sometime. To wake up and find a Rudall & Rose headjoint gone for no apparant reason is upsetting.
I don’t hear of properly screw-pinned joints failing.The stress should have been relieved before the pinning.
If a good flute needs filling perhaps new wood should go into a milled slot ?
If a supply of cocus could be found a new head joint is a better option,provided the headjoint is not stamped. Nobody should know or care provided the new head is better than the old one.