Is there any home remedy to make the fit between flute pieces looser? The cork seems almost expanded somehow. This is on a keyed LeHart that I have had the good fortune to be able to borrow. I worry because I have to grip the pieces so hard to separate them that I’m afraid I’m going to bend the keys in the process.
Thanks!
Carol
I take it you’ve already thoroughly greased the corks prior to assembly?
Hmm, are all the joints really tight, or just the top joint? If it’s just the top joint, then it’s likely the top tenon swelling from absorbing moisure during play.
Sometimes a single wrap of teflon take can help, but usually no more than a good lubing of each cork with vaseline prior to assembly.
Loren
The only flute I’ve had this problem with is a boxwood flute. It warps in the winter – not along the length, but across, so that one of the tenons goes out of round a little. Keeping it very well humidified helps. In this case, I can feel the wood of the end of the tenon actually in contact with the socket – can you feel wood-on-wood on the LeHart? I have sanded the end of the tenon a little, but don’t want to do too much of that, since it could lead to worse problems. Sanding the cork is a possibility, too, but that ought to be up to the owner (who probably ought to check with the maker before doing anything like that).
I’ve been advised by a highly respected maker to sand
a cork that was too tight–but Chas’s reservations
plainly apply, especially concerning this being the
owner’s decision.
Another option, unless the tightness is extraordinary,
is to live with the situation (after using cork grease, etc).
Grip the flute carefully and twist. Some flutes are tight,
especially at the beginning of their career.
hi! i had same problem with my lehart ( keyless and keyed), and also another owner or lehart had same problem. i fixed problem with sanding cork a little with sanding paper.
and it hapened on all connections, not only on first connection to flute head.
marin
Hello,
The same for me, but i like it 
so just a little cork grease …
Patrick.
I had the same problem with my old Lehart - it arrived with really tight tenon joints… so I took a fine emery board and sanded around the cork… regularly for a few weeks, and then it settled down. It’s amazing how much cork can swell in a different humidity.
p
It’s also worth noting a that makers have different preferences with regards to how tight they like to cork their instruments, which can partially be due to simply what they prefer, but can also have something to do with how they size their sockets and tenons to fit: If you go for very close tolerances between socket and tenon, then you might choose to fit your corks somewhat “easy” as the joint won’t tend to wobble, even if the cork isn’t really tight. OTH, if you prefer to leave a bit more space between socket and tenon, for the wood of your sockets and tenons to expand, contract, or go out of round over time, without coming in contact with one another, then fitting your corks more tightly tends to be necessary in order to avoid slightly wobbly joints.
Also, when corking instruments, makers/restorers usually take into account the fact that natural cork will compress a bit over time, particularly when folks leave flutes assembled for long periods. So typically, on newer instruments, the corks will be fit a bit tighter than they expected to become over the first 6 months to a year of the instrument’s life.
And finally, it can just be a personal preferance thing: Some folks just prefer to have tighter fitting corks than others. Just remember “properly” fit natural corks can feel quite tight if you don’t lube them just prior to assembly - it’s amazing how a cork that’s “way too tight” can feel “just right” after lubing.
There could very well be other reasons, for Carol’s tight joints though, like shrinking or swelling of the joints, as Charlie suggested, however having several LeHart owners report in with similar experiences, I’m guessing Mr. LeHart just prefers a tighter fitting joint than many folks are used to. I normally always go for a tighter fit myself, as I can’t stand wobbly joints when I’m playing an instrument, blech.
Loren
Thanks, everyone. Yes it does seem to be something consistent in Leharts, judging from responses. I did grease the cork when the flute first arrived but I guess I need to to it each time I play. (I’ll talk to the owner about the emery board idea–thanks!–but probably wait a few months to see if the cork compresses on its own.) After reading this thread I put on much more grease than I had before and it was relatively easy to take the flute apart, though I still had to do what jim says, grip and twist.
Carol
For the record, I own a Lehart flute too, and I use cork grease every time I play it. I use wool fat, as recommended by Mr. Lehart himself. It changes into brownish gunk which I clean from the tenons every few weeks. None of the joints ever got stuck so far, I didn’t notice any wood-on-wood contact, and I, too, prefer tighter joints.
peace,
Sonja
I just came across this same thing with a new flute from Paddy Ward. He told me vaseline as Loren said, but particularly vaseline rather than cork grease as its more lubricating.
Also to assemble and let it stand about an hour before playing - but I’m certain this is for new cork and not something that suddenly tightened. At any rate this handled it for mine and there was no need for sanding.
My other flute got swollen at the tenon last year and I was advised to let the moisture in it dry out for a week, which is what I did. But also - it was way too dry in terms of oil. Keeping an eye on the shine inside the holes, and oiling if no shine, is how I’m handling it now (esp oiling the end grain).