Help, the pad on my Db key just came adrift. What do flute makers use to attach the pads so I can stick it back on again? And how do you ensure that it still seals accurately?
If the pad was put on by a respectable flute maker/repairer, it will be glued with shellac. If this is the case, get a soldering iron, place the key on the flute with the pad in the cup and heat up the key cup with the soldering iron, just takes 30 seconds. Press down on the key to seat the pad while it is hot, with a screwdriver (CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF! ) then let it cool, and the pad will be seated. If there is not enough shellac in the cup you can get either stick shellac, flakes or shellac in a tube. It should be thick stuff.
Good luck!
Thanks Jon. It’s a Casey Burns, so it is a reputable maker. I have a soldering iron and am reasonably handy with this kind of thing, so I am happy to do it myself rather than shipping off to Casey and being fluteless.
Well, maybe you should check with him, to see if he used shellac.
I’m a rank amateur compared to our esteemed Jon Cornia, but I’ve had great success with hot glue. I fill the cup with the glue, seat the pad, and remount it quickly. It seems to seat really well. I’ve used the technique to re-pad my Copley and Boegli and to re-pad a couple of eBay-ers.
I remove the old stuff by using a propane torch (VERY carefully!)… Just touch the area with the torch (holding the key with some needle-nosed pliers - trust me on this part) and then scoop out the old junk. It usually takes two or three “shots” from the torch and you need to be very careful NOT to overheat the key - they WILL melt (I haven’t done THAT one yet).
Pat
Just to say that, with shellac, you don’t need to use anything as violent or risky as even a soldering iron, let alone a propane torch! I use a miniature oil lamp (one of those votive shrine things - picked it up in a charity shop) with a glass chimney, but a spirit lamp (is what Chris Wilkes uses) or even a candle (though that may leave a soot deposit) will do, or a Bunsen Burner if you have such… even the gas cooker ring would do, with care!
Simply hold the key-cup over but not in the flame - use pliers to hold the key if it is silver (very conductive) or a short one (even in German Silver) to avoid burnt fingers/dropped key. The shellac will melt and bubble up after a few seconds. Using a cloth or heavy gloves, press the pad back into the key cup at an angle that looks suitable - you have several seconds before the shellac starts to set again. If there’s not enough old shellac there, you may need to clean out and start afresh.) Replace the key on the flute and, being careful not to scorch the wood, holding the key open, address the cup area to your heat source again (this especially is where the lamp with the chimney is very good) and re-melt the shallac, then with your fingers protected, press the key-cup down into its bed, making sure the pad doesn’t move out of position as you do so (but don’t worry if it does - you can just repeat - that’s the advantage of shellac over any glue). Hold for a few seconds until the shellac re-sets and then suck test. If it seals, you’re done. That is known as “floating in” a pad, and should ensure it sits right on the bed with a good seal when the key is in normal use. Wipe any sooty deposits away and you’re done! If you don’t have shellac, some brands of sealing wax will suffice as an alternative. Either is better than glue, though that will do in emergencies.
NB if you overheat the shellac it will burn, go hard and not be reusable - and after multiple reheats it does tend to get “tired” - in which case you need to melt and wipe/scrape it out and renew. Also, any excess shellac will just flick or scrape off (by finger-nail usually).
I’m just lurking here from the uilleann pipes forum, while I am waiting for my Olwell keyed cocus Pratten. Jemtheflute is quite right. I put dozens of pads in with shellac over the years, and I only used a Bic lighter. If it is a used pad, and there is still some shellac in the key cup, just put the pad on the seat, making sure it is centered on the old crease in the kid, warm up the key with the key depressed, and when the shellac gets hot, let the key touch go. Presto.
No, do not use shellac!
The pads on my flutes are made from closed cell neoprene and are glued with cyanoacrylate adhesive. The key cups themselves are filled with a resin (made from cyanoacrylate and baking soda!) and then ground flat - so essentially you have a flat pad.
Remove the key by unscrewing the axle, then pushing it out from the opposite side. Then simply reattach the pad with a small drop of cyanoacrylate. If the pad is worn out you can get more of this material from a shop that sells Kayaks and such - its used as flotation (I use the lower density kind, 1/8" thickness). A new pad can be cut out using a piece of hobby store tubing as the cutter. Once glued on, the pad has to be sanded to proper thickness. I usually do this with a rotating sanding disk.
The closed cell neoprene will adjust its fit in time - over a day or two. If not, a new pad would be best.
Casey
Casey, that is a really timely, helpful bit of information for me - I have an old German flute to overhaul for a young lady who is a vegetarian (grrrr!) and who really doesn’t want leather pads!!! She has some more flutes for me to fix up in due course too - same issue. I had been wondering how best to go about it… and you’ve just provided the solution. Thanks!
Jem - here’s a little more info on this technique on the Earlyflute board to complement what Casey said above:
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/earlyflute/message/7114
Garry
Thanks Casey,
As someone suggested earlier, I probably should have just asked you in the first place.
As it turns out, I haven’t done anything yet, since I inspected the inside of the key cup and saw no shellac. Your advice is timely!