CP? Brass liner? Silver liner?

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jemtheflute
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Re: CP? Brass liner? Silver liner?

Post by jemtheflute »

So far as I'm aware the vast majority of original C19th English flutes have either brass or nickel-silver liner tubes in head and barrel. They were most commonly tin-plated throughout internally and on the exterior of the protruding head tube. I've dealt with so many.... Often the tin plating is perished and has partially bubbled up from the surface, and any heating one may have to do in removing tubes for crack repairs etc. can finish it off. The corrosion often leaves the bore rough and requiring rubbing down. There's no easy practical way to re-tin them in restoration. As Terry says, the protruding part of the barrel liner was usually covered with a shrink-fitted silver or nickel-silver sleeve to match the rings and keys. Solid silver liner tubes were very rare. It's never bothered those of us who play the old flutes! Solid silver tubes seems to be more of a modern maker thing.
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Terry McGee
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Re: CP? Brass liner? Silver liner?

Post by Terry McGee »

Heh heh, and you've probably come across this issue too, Jem, particularly (only?) on Clementi flutes. On most barrels of the time, the decorative silver band went straight onto the protruding end of the barrel slide. Press fit or shellac perhaps, don't know, perhaps doesn't matter in practice. But on these particular flutes, the wood of the barrel, thinned almost to nothing, extended from the barrel covering the protruding end of the slide and was then covered in turn by an ultrathin tube of silver. A cylindrical sandwich.

Then, of course, over time, the barrel cracks due to the wood shrinking in a dryer climate, and the poor repairer has to get this sandwich apart to get the slide out and glue the crack back together before reaming or sanding the hole in the barrel large enough to re-accommodate the slide safely. What, ream or sand the inside of this feather-thin tube of wood extending from the barrel. Just done one, so it is possible. But argghhhh, what were they thinking?

My only thought is that they were reducing the thickness of the silver band to save cost. Why have solid silver when you can have a thin veneer of silver over wooden infill? The fact that they were prepared to go to that trouble probably gives us some idea of how expensive silver was at the time. Other indications are the rise of German Silver (Nickel silver) on flutes, EPNS (ElectroPlated Nickel Silver) cutlery and tableware, the military sticking with boxwood and brass (for the polishing of, by troops, Suh!), and so on. It would be interesting to track down some pricelists of the time to compare costs of solid silver with plated metals. But you'd have to make some allowance for snob value! "Now, I'm assuming Sir would not be interested in one of our cheaper popular plated lines, would he? No, I thought not. Giles, can you bring the gentleman and me a brandy each? Make sure it's from the special cupboard, Giles."
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