Loose ring on the foot joint

[tradlad123]

I noticed on one of my flutes, the last ring on the foot joint has gone loose enough to rotate, but I haven't tried to do it a lot or pull it out. It doesn't fall off or anything.

Common causes?
Anything to worry about?
Should I contact the maker or if there is a quick fix to this?

Thanks in advance!

[kkrell]

A common cause is dehydration. Is the flute properly humidified?

[pixyy]

in addition to Kevin's comment, I'd say always contact the maker.
In the instructions from Solen Lesouef it states to never attempt to glue loose rings on. They have a structural function, so while the ring is loose the tendon is more vulnerable (unless it's the very bottom ring, I don't think there's a lot of pressure on that one)

[kkrell]

Here is the most referenced earlier discussion, with suggested fixes (after humidifying):

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=105605

There are some comments on techniques by flutemakers and repair persons.

[jim stone]

Humidify immediately. Not necessarily dehydration but if it is, you stand to
have a good deal wrong if you don't. Usually dehydration.

[busterbill]

The following comment is assuming you have a wooden flute. For delrin glue would be fine, but:

I'm interested in the fact that no one suggested oiling with a natural almond oil. I have had that issue with a flute or two and oiling seems to do the trick. I also use spinning rings as a sign it is past time to oil the whole flute. It is indeed usually a sign that your flute is drying out a bit. A friend got too busy to deal with this one year and actually lost the ring off the bottom of his olwell. It was no where to be found. I happened to have a size 7 silicone wedding ring lying about. So I gave that to him to protect the flute until he could sort it out.

Oiling and keeping the flute humidified will likely avert that crisis. Glue will not be needed. If you can contact the maker of your flute they may have oiling methods they recommend.

[Charles Montgomery]

That happened to me on my delrin flute. Should I be oiling it?

[tstermitz]

Some woods & some flutes are more susceptible to shrinking than others.

I have a blackwood, flute from a respected modern maker with that problem. I live in a dry climate and he makes them in a more humid climate, so that is a likely explanation. With fairly heavy humidification I am able to tighten up some of the rings, but a couple of them never really tighten all the way.

I'm thinking about putting thread under the ring to keep from losing any of them.

I did consider a carbon fiber band, but ultimately, the flute just needs tighter rings, probably a saw-kerf and a resolder.

[busterbill]

That happened to me on my delrin flute. Should I be oiling it?

Oil will have no effect on a delrin flute. Subtle changes in size in wooden flutes only happen when the wood absorbs oil or moisture or releases oil or moisture.

The nice thing about delrin is its stability. Oil and humidity don't have any effect. That's why so many people like them. They are relatively impervious to changes in temperature and humidity. You could easily put your delrin flute in the bottom of a canoe and take a jaunt, never worrying about splashing on it or submerging it entirely.

In the case of a delrin flute you could just shim it with a bit of thread or use a glue that would stick. I'm not sure what glue you would use. Contact cement would be my first bet. It is pretty cheap and comes in small tubes. With contact cement you put a layer on each surface of the items you are trying to stick together, let them dry a bit, then press them together. You don't need any fancy clamping. The two surfaces stick to each other nicely. But there are better minds than mine regarding whether that is the best glue to use.

[tradlad123]

Thanks all for the tips.
I will try humidifying it more.
I have a couple other flutes that are kept in the same room and don't seem to have any issue, so maybe the rings are looser on this one to begin with.