I sent my cocus Rudall and Carte boehm system flute away for a complete restoration and when it came back not all the newly fitted pads were sealing properly. I tried the ‘pipe-cleaner’ method’ of closing the keys over the tone hole using mild pressure to reshape the pads but without success. To those of you who are good at this sort of thing are there alternative remedies I might attempt myself to fix this problem or would it be wiser to find a flute mechanic to send it to for repair? Cheers.
I would send it back to whomever overhauled it and ask them to finish the job.
If the pads aren’t sealing, they can’t possibly know that it’s correctly regulated. So getting the pads to seal is likely not the end of your woes. Either send it back or get a refund and send it elsewhere.
The pipe cleaner method is worthless. The pads compress temporarily and stop sealing again once they uncompress. From my experience, if the shop that did your repad sent it back like that, they probably CAN’T seat the pads right. Properly seating Boehm system pads is known to be the hardest woodwind skill. I never really got the hang of it. I’ve worked with journeyman instrument techs who never learned to do it right (almost lost one of them a good paying job). I’d rather spend a week in the buffing room covered in red rouge dust than to be handed a stack of student Boehm flutes to “play condition.” If I were you, I’d ask some symphonic flute players who the best flute tech in your area is and use the refunded money from the first shop to get the job done right.
If your handy Its not a difficult job to install new pads yourself. I had no problem doing it on my own flute. There are a few instruction guides on this site I think.
Casper’s comment aside, don’t beat yourself up if you can’t handle the job as easily as he did. Everyone else finds it very difficult to do the job properly.
The definition of “properly seated” Boehm system pads means that minimum pressure applied to each key seals the entire pad. That means that you press the key down till the pad makes the lightest possible contact with the tone hole. If, by using a feeler gauge, you determine that any part of the pad is not hitting the tone hole at the same pressure, you have a leak. On Boehm systems, all but three of the open keys control multiple pads. This means that applying minimum pressure to any pad must result in BOTH (or all three) keys closing simultaneously sealing BOTH (or all three) pads completely. On top of that, the open key height (including the pad) must sit within a millimeter tolerance for proper intonation- not an easy task on wooden flutes with inset tone holes.
At a minimum, the tools you need are a feeler gauge, precision screwdriver, smooth flat-bill pliers, smooth needle nose pliers, a pad iron, pad clamps (for seating the pads initially, not as a method for sealing the pads), heat source such as a steamer or hair dyer, low grit emery cloth and a pad height gauge.
Other than that, it’s a snap! Nuttin’ to it!
Hello,
Agree about how tricky is to get a good result of a proper sealing flute by using modern pads.
I have a R&C that still has its original pads. Those are worn, but their different shape respect the modern
ones make the flute sings incredibly! I’m very much surprised about the different result of using old pads style
respect the new modern ones.
Thanks for your responses. Unfortunately, there’s no chance of me getting a refund and there’s been no offer to remedy the situation. The only offer I have had from the restorer is to buy the flute back from me for the amount I paid him for the restoration. This means I would effectively be giving it to him for nothing. One of the reasons he gave for not offering any more than that was that it was not working! Anyway, such is life. If anybody could recommend a competent person for the job, particularly in Australia, I would be obliged.
Sometimes it is difficult to get a garden variety technician to do any kind of work on an older wooden flute. Even one with a Boehm type mechanism. The two names that occur to me are geographically remote from you. Mr. Reviol is at least in your hemisphere: New Zealand. He may even be able to point you at a competent tech nearer to you. The other name is Lars Kirmser. He is even further away, but maintains an online group for instrument techs, which has a very wide geographic reach. He may be able to steer you as well.
Good Luck!
Bob