What to do?

Irish Flute
1

Help. I am so sad… just discovered a headjoint crack on my recently purchased Hawkes and Son flute. I had taken the flute out during a cold night here in NYC and really only walked a couple of blocks in the cold with it. When I tried to play it that evening I noticed something was different, but I thought it was just me having not warmed up. I came home and left the flute in it’s case, inside my bag for the next two days. Having taken it out today to play, I again noticed something wasn’t right with the flute. Upon closer inspection I discovered a crack in the hj, about two-thirds the length of the hj. Oddly enough, the flute still has a wonderful tone, although I notice some difficulties playing the lower end. I usually keep the flute in a plastic box with humidity around 55%. Im wondering if it was the dry cold air and my having it in the elements for several minutes, or perhaps when I left it in its case in my dry apartment that caused the damage? Also, I want to know if I should repair the crack now, or wait and see if the crack actually makes its way the length of the hj? It’s playable, but perhaps not at its best. Thanks, Arbo.

2

If it was in a case on the walk, and you let it warm up slowly
in the case when you arrived where you were going,
a couple of blocks shouldn’t have done this. Rapid
temperature change would be more of a problem.

I would think you should get it to a competent
repair person pretty quickly, and refrain from
assembling it till you do.

3

I have had it assembled, and have been playing it. Considering that it is the hj, why do you suggest that I refrain from assembling it?

4

Sorry to hear about the damage, it’s always sad, and a bit of a shock when these things happen to a beloved flute. :frowning:

The good news is, the crack can be repaired, and if done properly, will barely be visible :slight_smile: I highly recommend you have the crack repaired ASAP, before it spreads, and don’t try to put wax, vaseline, cork grease, or anything into the crack to seal it in the mean time, as this makes a proper repair more difficult.

Best,

Loren