For my current project, I’m restoring an old 1-key flute. It’s mostly going well, but the key is post-mounted, doesn’t work very well, has no pad, and the pin is stuck. Currently I’ve just taped over the hole, but I think I’d like to completely remove the key and posts and plug them up somehow. Can anyone recommend a good way to do this? It’s by no means a museum piece, so I don’t feel bad about doing this.
Have you tried a drop of penetrating oil and a few taps with a small nail and a jewelers hammer on the pin (while supporting the flute and the far pin - I put the flute part in my lap…makes me extra careful)?
I’d hate for you to lose the chromatic ability of the one key…besides, I don’t have any answers with regard to filling the holes or how to cut the parts off without cracking the wood… 
Eric
I don’t know anything about this, but would also like to learn how it is done. Are post mountings screwed or glued into the wood? Is there a safe way of removing them, or must they be drilled out? As for filling the holes, I have heard of several methods, like mixing sawdust of the same type of wood with glue to make a filler, which is later sanded and polished down to the surface. Again, if there is a better or preffered way to fill the holes I would be interested in hearing about it.
djm
Post mounts are screwed into the wood but with the pin stuck you can’t unscrew them because the pin holds the two posts in place.
Eric
Be aware that some sneaky axle pins are slightly tapered, and so have to be driven out the opposite way they were driven in. The degree of taper is very small so it’s not always obvious which way to go. Usually the shape of the end of the pin gives a clue - the rounded end is usually the thick end. But if a few taps don’t do it, try the other way about.
As mentioned above, it’s very important to support the more distant post while tapping the pin through. A piece of dowel with a hole drilled in it (to let the pin push into) held vertically in a vice would be one solution. Get a second party to hold the body section in place over the support so you can concentrate on tapping the pin squarely.
Once you have the key off, the posts should screw out easily. But why not have a go fixing the key first? Your local clarinet repair person will have a pad that will work and can install it if you don’t want to.
Terry
The best Pentrating oil you can find is Kroil, http://www.kanolabs.com it gets anything loose.
True. Post mounts don’t seem to scare woodwind repair folks; they deal with them all the time. Those leaf springs under block-mounted keys, on the other hand … 
My local repair guy’s a big strong fella, but he gets a little pale when I drag something block-mounted in for him to see.