hi all
the cork lapping on the tenon of the foot joint of my Schultz flute is coming off (after 11 or so years). still seems to be some substance to it, should i try to reglue it? if so with what? should i try to thread the tenon? should i send it back to Glenn to get it repaired or should i take it to a local woodwind repair shop? anyone know a good one in Chicago?
yikes, so many questions… 
TIA
I’ll leave this one to you Glauber, I know it’s your favorite subject 
Loren
back story here? i’ll have a look in the archives then
Well, we discussed this a few times. A year ago more or less, the corks on my Cotter flute disintegrated, so there was no way i could even glue them back. At the time, with some encouragement from the people in the Woodenflute list, i replaced the dead cork with thread lappings.
Clive Catterall was one of the people who encouraged me to go this route, and he published some information:
http://www.flutes.fsbusiness.co.uk/tenon.html
At the time, other people (not Clive) told me horror stories about cork that is not fitted properly making flutes crack, etc. I’m not sure if this is true or not. Other people make it seem that replacing cork is very easy; you can buy a sheet of cork in a hobby store, glue it, and sand it down with sandpaper.
I guess if you search you could probably find some posts where i may have told people emphatically that they shouldn’t try making cork tenons at home, leave it to the pros.
Right now, i’m in a much more tollerant period. I can say that thread worked great for me; i have 2 flutes that have threaded tenons, and they work very well. I have no experience replacing cork. Can’t say much more than that.
I know a great repair store in this area: http://www.thebrassbow.com/ but i don’t know how good they are with wooden or antique instruments. They’re way up north for you, anyway, so may not be a good choice.
In your case, it sounds like the cork is still in good shape, and you just need to glue it. I don’t know what’s the best kind of glue, but i’m sure Loren and others do. I’m tempted to say “horn glue”. Elmer’s is probably good too. But i don’t know.
My personal, humble opinion, unless it’s just a simple glue job, send it back to Glenn.
g
thanks, glauber. the cork is actually still intact and attached to itself, but moves freely on the tenon, if that makes sense. it hasn’t ripped, but if i start to assemble the joint it starts to mush at the bottom. elmer’s is water soluble, innit? so it probably wouldn’t hold for long, i’m guessing.
if it is indeed a minor matter i hate to entrust it to the whims of ups 
actually, this is the only cork-tenoned flute i own, the seery and the hozas have thread. mark’s thread is green which looks quite lovely next to the golden grain of the cooktown ironwood, but of course the effect is lost when the flute is assembled. 
obrigado
I’ve always used contact cement for replacing cork on tenons. Make sure you read the directions for applying the the contact cement, i.e., apply to both surfaces and wait for 5 to 10 minutes before attaching. Might be worth a try if the cork is in okay condition, e.g., pliable.
The following web site show how to replace tenon cork for a clarinet, but it’s the same for a flute.
http://www.musicmedic.com/info/articles/num_3.html
http://www.musicmedic.com/info/articles/pop_22.html
Bill
thanks, bill!
contact cement is ideal glue for the job. I don’t think it’s easy to find sheets of natural cork at stores, usually they carry composition cork. it’s a really easy job if you have a lathe to sand the cork evenly around the tenon. I personally like cork better then thread, but that really is a personal matter.
good luck.
e.
Doh! of course. Sorry about that.
Cool. Notice the bevel; that’s important.