I'm building a flute out of PVC Until I can afford one.

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:43 pm

Wish me luck.

And give me tips.

I'm using Tipple's instructions. I'm also refering to this guy http://www.cwo.com/~ph_kosel/designs.html

You know, when this all started, I thought all that I wanted was a nice low D whistle cause my friend made it sound so nice. Things change. people change.

Somehow I'm building a flute, and buying little whistles as well...

Crap.

But yes, the tips.

JeffS · Post by **JeffS** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 4:31 am

Unless you are exceptionally good, it should take you several attempts to come up w/ a good PVC flute. The emboucher hole needs to be filed just so.

I tried the Tipple dimensions and they're pretty good. I had a problem with the small blow hole because I'm used to a larger one.

I made a flute recently with a 1/2 inch emboucher, from the link that you include, and the sound is surprisingly full. The tone holes are all larger, however, which makes it slightly more difficult to play.

I have an expensive wood flute and have been experimenting with PVC making. I have to say, the PVC flute sounds pretty good.

Have fun and good luck.

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 11:01 pm

Thanks Jeff.

That's a bit discouraging in a way. Not because it will take several tries. I got the PVC and the spare time. The issue is that I don't actually play the flute yet, and I can't afford one. Hence, I can't play the flute yet.

If I can't play the flute, I may never know if I've cut a crappy emboucher. I may just think I'm blowing wrong, but in actuallity I've just cut the emboucher wrong. On the other hand I may cut a great emboucher, but because of my inability to use it, I think it sucks. Both situations would be very irritating.

I suppose I should borrow a flute from someone else and learn to get some sounds out of it... bugger. (I'll probably only be able to find Concert flues in this neck of the woods)

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 11:10 pm

a Boehm flute would be better than nothing...they still work the same way.

hans · Post by **hans** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:34 am

If you drill the embouchure hole with a 10mm drill bit, and just undercut the sounding edge a little, by filing it, you should get a tone out of the flute. You don't need to make it elliptical for a start. It may not be the best embouchure hole, but it still will teach you to develop your embouchure. It is probably easier not to make your first emb. hole too big. Later you can try out wider emb. holes. Have fun!

~Hans

Eivind · Post by **Eivind** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:58 am

(Just a tip;
those bamboo flutes by Olwell are a screaming bargain...less than 100$ for a flute that good is just incredible. I prefer my bamboo before the delrin flute I first bought.)

seisflutes · Post by **seisflutes** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:51 pm

http://www.markshep.com/flute/index.html has some info and stuff. A few years ago I was able to read the whole book online and print it too, but most of it seems to have vanished, leaving only the part on PVC. Now you apparently have to buy the book to read the rest of it. But since you're using PVC, there might be something you can use in there.

And yeah, the embouchure hole doesn't have to be perfect for you to get a sound out of it. You don't even really need to undercut it, though that certainly helps. A plain old half inch hole will work well enough if you just smooth its edges.

Chang He · Post by **Chang He** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 4:29 pm

Those Mark Shep instructions are great, that's what got me started on making flutes. I'm sad to see you can't print the rest of the book anymore. However, ninjaaron, it seems you're off to a good start. Best of luck.

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 9:38 pm

Well, I finished the fluted. It turns out it's CPVC pipe, so the walls are thiner that what the instructions were anticipating. I think I messed up the hole spacing a touch. the tuning is messed up on the top hole. I plugged it with a peice of styrafoam insulation I had lying around.

I can get sounds out of it. It's difficult, but they are there. It works. The tuning is a touch off, but it works.

however, I think I will put the further flute making on hiatus. I just got a new job. I will buy one of those tipple flutes, or possibly that bamboo one, learn to play on an instrument that I know is correct, and then come back to the work bench with a little more insider know-how. Maybe I'll get a book about flute making as well.

Well, I might try a couple more. It's so cheap.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 9:57 pm

Congrats on your first attempt!
Electricians tape is customary for patching holes.
Learning to play on a known good instrument is a good idea!

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 12:43 am

OH MY GOODNESS!!

I looked up some proper blowing instructions and gave this flute another shot. Golly. It pert' ner sounded like music!

I guess I cut the Embroucher ok after all. It doesn't sound like gold, mind you, but it sounds like something nice sounding. We'll go with it. Having trouble hitting the low F#, E, & D. I assume it's technique, rather than workmanship, though it could be either.

By the way, I didn't mean that I plugged the sixth hole with inulation, I meant that I used it for the quark. I can see that I communicated very badly there.

Thomas-Hastay · Post by **Thomas-Hastay** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 10:15 am

A Yamaha plastic fife costs $10 bucks, about the same you would spend on PVC and the proper drill bits. I suggest a better source of information if you still wish to make your own flutes. The "craft manuals" section of ....

http://www.shakuhachi.com/

...has the best amateur book on flute making by Lew Paxton Price called "Secrets of the Flute". It's $20 bucks, but think of all the flutes you could sell at the local flea market(?)

Note on embouchures: A round voicing of between 1/2 and 5/8ths of the bore diameter with a 7 degree inward flare will give the best results. Flute bores should be about 1/32nd of the 1/2 keynote frequency wavelength or a ratio of 1/32. This is variable but for your first time...

Hope this helps.
Thomas Hastay.