Hello:
I have a flute made by Paddy Ward. but now it has some crack.
I need it to be fixed.
But the emal Paddy left on his web is never responed.
Could someone can tell me how to contact with Paddy??
Hi Tau,
I sent you a PM with some information.
Sorry to hear about your cracked flute. You didn’t mention how it happened, but with the change in the weather most wooden flute players have to take extra care with humidification and a somewhat rigorous procedure of disassembly when not in use. Of course you also didn’t say how badly cracked the flute is, or how it got cracked.
I have a Ward blackwood flute also. It has a fantastic traditional tone, good “sessionable” volume, and I’ve never seen a hint of cracking. Of course I’ve been pretty careful with both the oiling and humidification. I may also have the advantage of living in the same general area that Paddy makes the flutes in; as some have suggested that may be an assett.
I did try to contact him via e-mail about a year ago regarding tennon cork replacement, but never heard back. I’m not sure he is all that internet savvy. His site doesn’t seem to have a e-mail contact button any longer, and there is no phone number. You may have to resort to snail mail.
On the other hand, certain cracks are not all that hard to repair. There is lots of information on cracks and crack repair just a search away on this site. I recently repaired/filled a minor barrel crack on a 19 century flute that had dried out and shrunk using one recommended procedure (cyanoacrylic glue and matching sawdust). The repair seems very stable and is virtually invisible.
Best of luck.