Not too long ago I had the cork strips replaced on my flute. The bit between the head joint and the connecting piece is very tight and I really have to twist to get it put together. The rest of the pieces fit together just fine, it’s just that one bit. I’ve greased and greased it but after I take it apart for the night it’s back to struggling to get it put together the next time I play. Has anyone had this problem before? Any suggestions?
~Tiff
It sounds to me that the cork will need to be lightly sanded down.
I wouldn’t keep forcing it together without fixing it first; you risk cracking the wood when you force a joint.
If you have access to the person who replaced the corks, take it back to him, it should be a quick and easy fix, very inexpensive or maybe even free.
If you are going to do it yourself, use fine grade sandpaper and make sure you sand only the cork, not the wood. Sand evenly and slowly all around, and test fit frequently, always having greased the cork well first.
It’s very easy to accidentally remove too much, so go slow.
–James
Has this been happening ever since you had the cork replaced, or did it just start recently?
What is the humidity where you are storing it?
It’s happened since I’ve had the cork replaced. I’m not sure the exact humidity here in Utah, but it’s very little. I’d say 8 - 10% or less.
~Tiff
So, it’s 8-10% humidity where you store your flute? Yikes!
Yep, very little humidity here. I looked it up for today and it’s at 13%. I was given a Damp-it humdifier thingy by a fiddler and was told to use it for my flute. Eilam happened to be in town and I asked him about it and he said don’t use it. Told me to put the case in a plastic bag and tie it when I’m done using it. I don’t know about humidity, or the lack thereof, and the effects it has on flutes. I’m open to suggestions.
~Tiff
dryness can crack a wooden flute.
This is a real issue.
So it’s best to store it in a humidifying
container of some sort. I use
a plastic box (walmart sort of thing)
with a damp sponge.
Another option is to buy a humidifier
that pumps moist air into the room
where you and the flute dwell.
Humidifies you too.
Sandpaper the cork, as peeplj suggests.
Hey Tiff,
I find an emery-board (fingernail file) works very well to sand down the cork on the tennons. 
Just go easy and keep turning the flute section to ensure the cork is removed uniformly around the tennon.
All the Best!
If you are interested in finding out about taking care of your flutes for proper humidity, it has been discussed many times, so a search will turn up lots of helpful info.
For a start, the 17 pages in this thread will probably answer a few questions about it too!:
Thanks for the tip. An emery board sounds less scary than sandpaper. I shall do that immediately!
Thanks for the link. I will look through those pages as soon as I’m done here.
~Tiff
The emery-board is a good idea. Thanks!
Sandpaper isn’t as scary as it sounds…there’s actually a technique I picked up somewhere…
You take a piece of sandpaper and cut it just the width of the cork, and maybe four or five inches long.
Wrap it carefully around the cork, and grab the ends with your right hand so that it’s snug around the cork. Use the other hand to turn the flute. Go slow and careful so that the sandpaper stays only on the cork where it belongs.
And very important: never try to test-fit the tenon without greasing the cork first, even if you’ve only sanded for a second or two.
Best wishes and good luck. Let us know what you wind up trying and how it goes.
–James
I used the emery board as Dill suggested and it worked like a charm! Much better. Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions!
~Tiff