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Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 6:42 am
by AuLoS303
Anyone know about flute repair? I have no access (or money) to a flute technician. The flute, a student model made by Fortissimo, was given to me to practice on. Anyway... The Eb key on the foot joint is tight, so it doesnt spring back, and I think the spring was on the wrong side of the post, so I moved it to the other side. Now there is a bit of spring action but its still stiff. I also undid the screw at the other end but it was very tight! I might have to disassemble the whole rail and inspect the rod barrell.
Video here
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi4ICTFHu-a/
Re: Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 8:53 am
by AuLoS303
I fixed it!
All it took was lubrication. I had no oil per se but we had a little tub of olive oil from my daughter's cooking class. I took a very fine needle and just carefully applied a few drops. Capillary action drew it in, and the key now springs back. Victory!
Re: Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 8:59 am
by kkrell
Nope. But you can download
"AN ILLUSTRATED BASIC FLUTE REPAIR MANUAL FOR PROFESSIONALS.pdf"
AN ILLUSTRATED BASIC FLUTE REPAIR MANUAL
FOR PROFESSIONALS
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS DOCUMENT
Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
The Degree Doctor of Musical Arts in the
Graduate School of The Ohio State University
By
Horng-Jiun Lin, M.Mus
* * * * *
The Ohio State University
2008
There's an active link to download a 7MB file:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... 4nPa26daNB
If you can't access it, I can possibly arrange a Dropbox for the document.
Re: Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 12:24 pm
by an seanduine
kkrell's suggestion. It will shed a little light on the subject.
Olive oil is probabably not a good long term solution. Eventually, parhaps after a long time, it will become viscid and the problem will repeat itself.
Bob
Re: Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 1:12 pm
by AuLoS303
an seanduine wrote: kkrell's suggestion. It will shed a little light on the subject.
Olive oil is probabably not a good long term solution. Eventually, parhaps after a long time, it will become viscid and the problem will repeat itself.
Bob
Yea its a bit thin but its all I had. I read elsewhere that engine oil is best, or even 3 in 1 oil.
Re: Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 6:51 pm
by awildman
Viscosity is probably overrated. How well the oil wicks and sticks, as well as its longevity is way more important. Others might disagree, but the fact is that viscosity is only one single factor in oil performance.
Personally, as somebody who has been around a lot of machinery and tools, i don't think that the type of oil generally makes much of a difference unless you are talking about high performance or high stress equipment. Basically anything expensive. That being said, I would probably never use motor oil or a generic oil on a musical instrument. But I'm sure those won't hurt anything. There are products designed specifically for woodwind keys. Hetman synthetic is a fine product. A small bottle only costs $7 and will probably last you for life.
Re: Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 6:54 pm
by an seanduine
To be clearer: viscid=gummy.
Bob
Re: Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 7:59 pm
by oleorezinator
Oil is probably it but you
could back the screw out
a very tiny bit.
Re: Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 11:54 pm
by Kade1301
As Bob says, olive (and other vegetable oils) get sticky with time. In the bore of wooden recorders, that's good - on moving parts, not so much. Super Lube Synthetic Oil comes in a 7 ml Precision Oiler that should be perfect. Or, in a pinch I'd try to get a few drops out of a WD40 spray can (every household should have one of those) to unstick things.
Re: Anyone know why a flute key would be stiff?
Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 3:10 pm
by keithsandra
If it's a wooden flute I'd definitely check for Priapus syndrome.