The advantage of Delrin flutes...

Yeah, if every delrin you make is like that first one, I think I just might take you up on that offer.

Oh no, my flute shrunk!

This should be a lesson to anyone that trys to play a wooden flute in the stream…
So don’t let this happen to you! remember to keep your flutes dry and oiled!:smiley:
Jon

Wow! Not only did it shrink, but the short F became a long one, and ivory turned into silver! :laughing:

What’s this 4 key BTW? It’s beautiful…

This is my latest ebay buy, two flutes for the price of one. The flute was all dirty and cracked. When I cleaned it up I found that it had a makers mark: Chabrier Peloubet -Bloomfield, New York. He was born in Philedelphia, second generation Frenchman. (You would like that Matt!)
The flute plays beautifully. I am trying to figure out if I am going to whiten the existing ivory or stain the new ivory ring. The thing that amazed me is the original pads are in perfect condition, with no leaks!
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad deal for $170!
Jon

Hey Jon!

I saw your picture of the Peloubet and thought it was the one you sold me (years ago)! :astonished:

Here’s a picture of your old Peloubet:

Are there any keyed Delrin flutes that rival the best wood flutes for sound and playability?

Yes, she was a beauty!

I thought to make a 8 key delrin, but haven’t got around to it yet. Terry Mcgee made one, maybe he can tell the horror stories, of turning the blocks on a delrin flute! The main problem is the finishing of the blocks, not to mention the big ball of delrin string that woud be generated between the blocks! :wink:

Yep. They’re called pin(post)-mounted flutes. Made of ebonite the old ones.
Rudall even made some (though I’ve never seen them) and Hawkes made many.
I play a Hawkes Excelsior 8key in D (with an Olwell wood head on it for an extra gritty sound).
Also noodle with a Boosey 8key in Eb

They play very well indeed.
Only problem: greasy feel if your palms sweat at all. So nervousness=slippery flute.

Block-mounted delrin doesn’t sound too good an option because of the finish issues, “cross-grain” whiteness and overall aesthetic. But perhaps Jon and crew would do well to inlay the blocks, so turning isn’t a problem.
Then again, a well-made post-mount would be quite lovely, I bet.

Ebonite - that’s the stuff that bowling balls are made of? Everything is slippery in my hands: metal, wood and delrin. Maybe the delrin surface could be given a sand-blast finish for better grip-ability in wet hands?

So, only Terry McGee makes a keyed delrin today? I don’t see a picture of a keyed delrin on his site.

I’ve only seen a M&E keyed delrin and the finish was not a match for the finest in wood flutes.

Desi Seery makes nice, keyed delrin flutes. He used to have a website, so I don’t know if he’s no longer making or just no longer maintaining a website.

M&E are wonderful sounding flutes if you spend some time with them…but I’ll grant you the keywork is not up to the aesthetics of a really nice wooden flute (although the keys work fine…I traded a keyless Seery to move up to a keyed M&E).

Eric

I played an ebonite flute at Ralph Sweet’s place. It was old and green
and it sounded VERY good. I think Ebonite may sound better
than delrin. I believe some people perform on old Ebonite flutes.
Maybe we should bring them back.

Never played Ebonite, but have an amazing delrin Pratten, which for once I can compare to its wooden brother,my delrin Hammy is beautifuly made and I think about four years old the blackwood Hammy a few years older and on loan the owner reckons about 10 years old, he is selling it but it will probably end up on ebay.

I prefer delrin, and to be honest the differnce is tiny, both flutes can honk and sound very growly, but I can make the delrin do what I want easier and quicker than the wooden model, so all in all they sound alike, I know there are some purist that think wood is the only material, and I know I have years to go before I get reasonably good with my flute playing but to finally pick up a flute that sounds great from the word go is a godsend, it requires zero maitenance apart from a bit of cork grease every now and again, this is the first pratten I have owned, I e-mailed Hammy before buying mine, he said he didn’t advertise the delrin as its a special order and takes him longer to make than a blackwood model due to its workability, and he charges a bit more so I am quite lucky to have got hold of one, which I bought of a chiffer and a top guy, so now I can move away from what I think Peter Laban calls flute Tourist, I like that expression. :smiley:

sponge

I gotta say I tried one of Jon’s delrin flutes and it was brilliant…the first one that made me seriously think about getting a delrin flute for myself to keep in the car or to bring when traveling to dry or otherwise extreme climates.

I’ll second that. I own one of Jon’s R & R models in delrin.

Wonderful flute (and a lot better flute than I am a player, alas). I’ve had some very good players say nice things about it after giving it a try.

Much as I love the look and feel of wood, the nice thing about my R & R I don’t need to worry about it when I travel. I’ve hauled it everywhere from the desert to the humid tropics with no problems. I have noticed that I get more condensation inside when it’s cold than I do with my Burns Folk Flute, but that’s a minor annoyance. On the other hand, I can play the polymer flute in conditions that would have me worrying about damage to a wooden flute, so it’s a worthwhile trade-off.

That would probably work well. Some 19th c flutes had cross-hatching applied to key support points, like the right thumb. Or sharkskin. Some “wet&dry” sandpaper applied with the sandy side out and held on by double sided tape is a modern reversible workaround.

So, only Terry McGee makes a keyed delrin today? I don’t see a picture of a keyed delrin on his site.

I imagine any of the post monted flute makers could do you a keyed delrin. I’ve done a few block mounted delrin flutes - it’s not too bad when there’s an isolated block on the section (eg Bb, short F, G#, Eb) but cleaning up around long F and upper C, especially in the presence of adjacent blocks, is murder! So you’ll understand why I don’t promote interest in them!

I’ve only seen a M&E keyed delrin and the finish was not a match for the finest in wood flutes.

You have to work pretty hard to get rid of the scratch marks, and I wouldn’t blame the makers of low end or medium price flutes for not achieving the best finish in the time they have available. Delrin has its attractions (water proof, tough, smooth, non-porous) and makes a very resonant flute (being an almost perfect container for a vibrating air column), but it needs to be worked very carefully to get the best out of it.

I’ve also worked in ebonite. It also brings the same benefits as delrin, and is also awful to work with. Does anyone remember seeing an ebonite block mounted flute? The worst bit is that it makes your workshop smell like a car tyre factory!

Terry

Re: finish, Dave Copley sands his delrins for grippability. It works well.

Yeah, Jon C. does that too.

Its real nice finish and it looks like wood grain sorta.

It very “grippy”.

I have one of his Delrin Pratten’s. Its monster honkey good flute. Its thin and light and the profile is much like an Olwell.

For some reason it keeps getting better… I’m sure its the Delrin just getting seasoned. :smiley: :thumbsup:

The really nice thing about ebonite is that sooner or later it turns green.
Fits right in on Saint Pat’s Day.