Hello,
I play a pin mounted 6 key M&E flute. I want to give it to a luthier to renew the 6 pads and the 3 cork pins.
There is no luthier close to me, who specialises in Irish flutes, but a guy who specialises on oboes. (and from the key mechanic, cork pins, etc. the wooden flute is a closer to an oboe than to the silver flute imho)
He would plan around 2 1/2 hours in work in and it would cost me around 180 Euro (60 Euro for each started hour). Do you think this is justified, or I should send it to an actual Irish flute maker?
How much have you paid for this kind of maintenance work?
I can’t comment on the price rates, but the timescale seems realistic to me. The pads (leather clarinet pads) will cost around €3 each and the amount of cork needed for 3 tenons will also likely be worth at least €4. That’s €20+ in materials alone, not counting glue for the cork and shellac for the pads. Time spent checking that the pads are sealing properly and adjusting the key actions can be significant, especially on an unfamiliar type of instrument even if it is considerably simpler than the technician’s usual specialism. And you are paying for expertise and for the technician being stocked with all the necessary parts and materials to perform the job as well as for time.
That said, I have all too often seen antique and modern simple system flutes repadded very poorly by mainstream techs who don’t really understand them and have little sympathy for them. If you can find someone experienced with simple system flutes, that’d be better; better still if they play them!
Aside: A luthier is someone who specializes in guitars, or violins, or similar stringed instruments, so you won’t find any luthier who specializes in flutes.
In France/modern French any artisan maker of musical instruments is referred to as a “luthier”, though in English we tend to stick to the older, narrower, more literal meaning. I’m not sure that a non-maker technician can legitimately be so termed, however.
If you are replacing the pads this is likely fair. I’d be surprised if you need to replace the pads though. If you are having problems with pads seating I’d send it directly to the maker if he is willing to do the work. His keys are made of a metal your oboe specialist may not want to work with. So if there is something bent Michael Cronnolly will likely have spares. If all you have to do is corks, a local clarinet repair person may also be handy. If the keys are getting slow you might just need to use some key oil like on a clarinet. Unless they are particularly gummy for some reason. Pin mount keys are a different mechanism than the block mount and respond well to key oil. But it has to be key oil. Other oils will just gum up the works.
thanks for all the suggestions and input! The instrument maker is directly in my neighbourhood and also has experience with antique instrument and overall a really good reputation. Therefore I am quiet optimistic, that she will do a good job
