So, I bought me an old-timey flute off eBay. It’s actually a beautiful instrument: it’s a Firth, Hall, and Pond, boxwood and ivory (particularly nice endcap), with 4 brass keys. No slide.
I realize all this means it’s not a fancy model, but hey, it’s in incredible condition. NO CRACKS. Very slight warp.
So I’m messing around with it. Today, I oiled the bu-pinkus out of it and re-wrapped the tenons. The keys, of course, are now totally pad-free.
What would be an easy way to repad that would let me play the thing? I’ve seen some instruments padded with some kind of white rubber/plastic pad . . .? Maybe this goes without saying, but the brass keys have simple flat “cups.” I guess more like saucers than cups.
Any suggestions? Other than that I post pictures, which I will do (they’ve already been taken off eBay).
I saw that one, it looks a lot like mine, except my brass keys are saltspoon, and yours are flat discs. http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=49001
You can use the closed cell foam, just pop down to Home Depot and get some of those foam outlet-switch plate gaskets and cut them out of that, then glue them on with some shellac. Tradistional pad for the flat keys is kid leather, glued on with sealing wax or shellac.
Leather is a traditional pad material, and, because the key generally is flat but the hole generally is not, the leather needs to be thick enough to seal the hole.
Shellac is a traditional adhesive, but there are modern alternatives. I have even used rubber cement with success. Once a new pad is on, moreover, wetting leather with a few drops of water helps in the initial fitting of the pad to the hole, but press very gently, and wipe away any excess moisture.
Then again, on this very forum I have also heard about the wonders of modern silicone, which just could be worth looking into.
After all, for a technology which is more than three hundred years old, as beginning with the original, one-key flute, a solution simply can’t be all too complicated, eh?
OK, so I decided to try Eric’s idea and go for the silicone. That was easy! It’s like a repadding easy button.
Next question (and I hope people are still looking at this thread) . . . how best to replace a cork? It’s in the wrong position, and I can tell from looking at it that if I try to shift it, it’ll disintegrate.
Hey Stuart - glad you liked the silicone experience! It is truly easy, and very, very cheap.
Replacing the cork in the headjoint should be an enjoyable experience…especially if you like wine. Splurge…get a few nice bottles of wine and use the nicest cork (alternately, Jon C knows where you can buy good cork without the wine, but that’s not as fun IMHO). You’ll have to sand it down (I have one of those mouse sanders that works grand - you just have to rotate the cork to sand it down equally), grease it up, and well, you know, insert gently.
Wow, that sounds rude in a Monty Python sort of way…
I still have 290 premium corks, if you want one or two.. You can wrap it with teflon tape for now.
BTW How does the Firth, Hal and Pond sound? In tune? Mine is tuned to A=445 so it plays well in 440.
Jon
Aside from what I believe is simply a cork issue, it is relatively in-tune with itself. Very nice tone, actuallu, and a blast to play. I think with the cork in the right spot it’ll be really nice. As for its cardinal pitch, I haven’t played it with anything yet but it sounds close to A=440 to my relative-but-not-perfect-pitch ears.
Speaking of cork spots, once I get a premium cork, I guess I should start where it is now and shift accordingly . . . does the adage of the cork being a headjoint-diameter from mid-embouchure work? Or am I forgetting the adage? I haven’t done a lot of cork-adjusting.
Pretty much, you can start with 19mm from the center of the emb. hole. If the second octave A, and B is sharp, push the cork out a little more, say 21mm, and visa versa… It was probably made about the same time as mine, except mine has saltspoon keys. With the American flutes there is not a problem with flat foot syndrome, as with the English flutes. I think I read that the tuning for the band instruments were 445 htz, so that is close enough to lip in tune, or you can puttl the head out 1/4".
As regards Stu’s question about tuning, I thought to relay an interesting turn of events here in Derreen. I’d about given up playing my old Rudall #2506 in any session because of tuning problems, even though I love the sound of this flute. It has medium holes and speaks easily and with good volume and projection.
A few days ago I thought I’d give it a go because I do love to play it.
I decided to experiment and I moved the cork so far back that it is a full inch from the center of the embouchure - 25.5 mm. The flute is now in much better tune. Every note is very good, and continues in good tune all the way to the 3rd. octave D. It doesn’t seem to be less responsive and the hard bottom D is still there. I played for a bit last night with my friend the super-critical box-player and he approved of the tuning. The next test will be in a session with the All-Stars, with fiddle, concertina and pipes.
I’d like to hear what Jon C. has to say abut this. Wilkes says that he often puts the cork at 21-23 mm in an old flute but that the flute often loses responsiveness. At 25 mm the flute feels just right to me.
Thanks Aaron for the explanation and photo of the mouse sander. I’ve not tried sanding down a cork yet. I know some people clamp them in a lathe.
Is it difficult to sand the cork, keeping a true round profile, using a mouse sander? Perhaps there is a technique to employ?
Maybe a strip of sand paper wraped round the cork would be easier. Holding one end of the strip with one hand and the other end with the other using a back and froward motion. The sanpaper will wrap around 1/2 the circumference . Move around the cork in even progression cheking for roundness. The cork would need to be clamed in a vice. Does any one do it this way ?
