Chiff and Fipple Forums

I was recently window shopping for old flutes on ebay and came awfully close to pulling the trigger on this one. I ended up finding a listing for a Kohlert "piccolo" that looks a lot like your new axe. I've been able to remove all but two seriously stuck keys, which cleaned up nicely with some 0000 steel wool, as did the rings. The wood was pretty gross so I gave it a light scrubbing with the same steel wool and a good oiling. After a little bit of work it looks really great and is a lot of fun to play. If you dig tinkering away on a project, and it sounds like you do, then I think you'll enjoy fixing it up.

That looks like a pretty nice flute. I have worked on a few very much like that one. It does look like a German flute, but it could equally well be an American made flute using a fairly standard set of mass-produced keys. The fact that the G# key is not slanted across the body, and that the foot is separate from the body, and the shape of some of the key touches, makes me think that this could easily be a no-name, mass-produced American flute. Its not a Nach Meyer, and certainly not an original Meyer (I have examples of both). Some of these no-name German looking, potentially American flutes are nice players and play well at A=440 hz.

It is not a bad idea to check the sounding length, and the C# to D# measurement, but don't read too much into that without actually playing the flute in front of a tuner. Depending on the bore profile, tone hole sizes, and whether the flute is designed to play with the slide open or closed, flutes with basically the same sounding length and C# to D# measurements can be pitched anywhere between A=425 hz and A=445 (which is a huge range!). It seems hard to believe, I know, but I have just profiled a whole load of American flutes that I have restored and played in front of a tuner, and measuring these lengths really doesn't tell you that much about how it is pitched. In particular, flutes with narrower bores and smaller tone holes tend to have fairly long measured values for their pitch.

Judging by the condition of your flute it should be pretty easy to get it playable in front of a tuner. Assuming the cork/stopper is in reasonable shape, you can do this fairly quickly by stripping the keys off and covering the keyed tone holes with tack, and if necessary using some plumbers tape to temporarily snug up the socket/tenon joints.

I'd recommend cleaning the flute thoroughly, drying it, and then doing any crack repairs BEFORE you apply any oil to it. Oil will cause problems with the crack repair. If you use a drying oil (which is fine at this stage of a renovation) be careful to thoroughly clean off any excess oil before it dries. If you forget to do this you'll end up having to grind of the mess with 0000 grade steel wool and start again. That is not a disaster, but it is a pain. Been there, done that.

Now as to boiled linseed oil, what it the argument against it?

Recommendation from Hammy Hamilton's Irish Flute Players Handbook is - not to use boiled linseed oil as due to added drying agents it dries too quickly to a sticky consistency before becoming very hard. He says raw linseed oil dries slower allowing the oil to enter the pores and block them.

In the past when the flute was new I used Almond oil mixed with medicinal liquid paraffin - but rarely oil these days.

Info also here - http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/McGee-Flutes-Care.htm

If you google boiled linseed oil wooden flutes you will be sent to an number of different articles, one of which is in the woodenflute.com page. Have fun!

Well amazingly the flute arrived today, this morning. It was pretty much unplayable at first. I spent most of the day with it--took it apart, cleaned it well, took the keys off, put teflon tape on the tenons, and taped over the key holes. After some fussing around it became completely playable. Quiet, weak low D, excellent second octave. I put the keys back on but the pads are in terrible shape, so I'll have to find a way to deal with that. I might just plug the holes and leave the keys on for now

It takes less air to play than either of my two polymer flutes, but is much quieter

Sounds like you still have a leak.

Check head-cork and I would vacuum check.... With each section; cover tone holes with fingers and use other hand to cup/seal the opposite end of section and gently suck on the tennon/socket to check for leaks. I then proceed to add sections (top to bottom) and keep checking for leaks.

Good Luck!

Than I you I have found some leaks and it’s gotten better. It needs pads replaced

You don’t want to seal the inside of the flute, which boiled linseed oil will do. You want moisture to absorb into the wood very slowly which is what the recommended oils will allow. Btw, flaxseed oil is actually linseed oil, just hopefully not with all the chemical additives that they put into boiled linseed oil to make it dry quickly.

John

Good find, especially as it is complete and nearly playable. I have a Nacht Eatons and enjoy it very much: it’s small embouchure and holes really reward good technique and listening, and the skills transfer to my other tooters. The intonation on mine is totally acceptable, but ymmv.

Also, it’s nice to be able to f*rt around fixing a flute knowing that it’s replacable. Learning repair on a classic worth many thousands would be nerve wracking.

Have fun!