Testing foot joint pads on flute

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RudallCarte6950
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Tell us something.: Own and play RC 6950, made around 1888 and Boosey Pratten 14901 ( 1890 ). After three decades I am still devoted to the flute and Irish traditional music on the flute.

Testing foot joint pads on flute

Post by RudallCarte6950 »

Hi
Has anyone made a device ( cork stopper and tube ) to blow air into a stopped foot joint ( in water ) to test for bubbles ?
Need to be sure the C# and C are air tight B4 I try to make them sound ( they work individually, the challenge is getting both to close with the C lever alone , light touch )
Pad heights - lever bending - shimming might be involved, but:

What materials did you use for this foot joint bubble tester gizmo ?
Thanks
Pat
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an seanduine
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Re: Testing foot joint pads on flute

Post by an seanduine »

Pat, check your PM´s.

Bob
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Hack with a Flute
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Re: Testing foot joint pads on flute

Post by Hack with a Flute »

If you have ACTUAL pads- here is how to seat them. If you have “Pewter Plugs,” I can’t help- talk to John Cornia or Jem Hammond.

Foot joint pads (and all pads, really) are best tested with a feeler gauge. Filling a plugged foot joint with air will compress the pads and many times give you a false reading. Also, the mechanism that depresses the pad will be sensitive to your playing style and using wedges to close the keys will not approximate your playing. It’s a fools errand.

If you don’t feel like paying Music Medic too much for an official feeler gauge, you can affix a 1.5 inch piece of 90-180min cassette tape to anything you want to use as a handle (leave an inch sticking out). I use an old precision screw driver and it works as good as the overpriced feeler gauge I bought years ago (and lost).

Start at one point on the C# key and depress the key JUST until the pad barely touches the tone hole. Go all the way around and if there is a point where the feeler gauge encounters little to no resistance, you have a leak right there. Exactly opposite to the leak, put a wedge (I use a flat-head precision screwdriver) between the pad and the tone hole and lightly depress the key. Using a precision source like a soldering iron in a vice, or a small plumbers soldering torch, heat the cup until the pad glue or shellack becomes elastic, but not liquid. Hold it there till the pad moves very slightly- then immediately remove from the heat, take out the wedge and depress the key gently till the pad is seated. Use the feeler gauge to test and repeat till there are no leaks using the lightest of touches possible.

Now, since the C# mechanism is closed by the C key, it sometimes helps to remove the C# and repeat this process with the C key on the body of the flute all by itself.

Once both keys are seating properly, you’ll need to insure that the C mechanism is closing both keys. Press the C key and use the feeler gauge to make sure both keys are closing properly with the lightest touch possible. If the C# key is closing, but the C is not, you’ll need to raise the C lever so it presses the C# less. If the C key closes, but not the C#, you’ll need to lower the C lever so that it press the C# more. Raising and lowering the C mechanism can be accomplished with thin cork applied to either the bottom of the C mechanism or the top of the C#- apply it and sand (VERY LIGHTLY) till the action is perfect. The problem with this is that the cork will depress over time and you’ll have to do it again. My favorite method is to simply bend the C key till it’s in alignment. If the C key is too high, stick a wooden wedge under the C pad cup arm and depress the C key with enough force to slightly bend the lever down. Wedge the C Key and depress the cup arm to bend it up.

Best of luck!

There are some excellent YouTube videos that walk you through the process.
Charles Henderson
The Hack with a Flute

Student: "Teacher, what's the best sounding flute in the world?"
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RudallCarte6950
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:47 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Own and play RC 6950, made around 1888 and Boosey Pratten 14901 ( 1890 ). After three decades I am still devoted to the flute and Irish traditional music on the flute.

Re: Testing foot joint pads on flute

Post by RudallCarte6950 »

Hack
Thanks. I just saw this.
I am getting a pro. to set the foot joints ( I don't want to practice on my keeper flute )

Thanks for your detailed helpful post.
Pat
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