Corking a Tenon

[Julia Delaney]

Gee, Doug, the glue fumes is one reason I love to do the job.

[Denny]

It's one of the simple joys in life....

[kmag]

I personally would avoid Teflon tape however for a wood flute. It is too slick and allows the tenon to enter the socket even if it is too tight. I know most flute and piper makers tell people to avoid the stuff.

[greenspiderweb]

Fearing for the safety of my blackwood Copley flute, I left it at home for two weeks, while I travelled up North for my summer vacation. (Not to worry, I have a Seery, too).

Anyway, last night I reassembled the Copley, only to have the upper cork give out, and basically shred. I removed what was left, and cleaned the tenon carefully. Today I was able to talk a repairman out of a couple of strips of cork, and would like to give the repair a go myself. I plan to use a razor blade, bevel the end of the cork, wrap, cut, glue with contact cement, and carefully sand until I get a good fit.

Any tips, like maybe 'don't do it, you idiot, or you'll be really, really sorry'? Or is this as straightforward as it looks to be? Any war stories? All comments are welcome.

You have the right info, and materials, so what could go wrong? As long as you don't force the fit, and crack a socket, what do you have to loose? It's really not rocket science, just a matter of tolerances once you get the cork to adhere. I've done it once (OK, on a recorder), and there were no problems I am aware of, and it was done for a paying customer, no less!

$40 is more to some of us than others, so you be the judge!

[Denny]

sax is a slight bit trickier

[crookedtune]

Thanks, Barry. I flip-flopped again, and did the repair. I used a paper template before cutting the cork, and got a good, clean fit. It does need to be sanded, but I think it'll be fine. You're right --- not rocket science. To me, it's not a money thing as much as the satisfaction of being able to do manageable tasks myself.

[greenspiderweb]

Good for you Charlie! Thought you might prevail, given your character-congrats!

Blast away!

[Denny]

[Casey Burns]

Now you know why I like thread wrapping. No fumes, no having to find a piece of cork etc. Cork simply doesn't lend itself to user friendliness.

Casey

[Jay]

. I can't think of a single reason of why corking a tenon is a good thing to learn to do, but thank you for playing.

Here's one- I can recork in about an hour and be ready for the session tonight. That's much better than sitting in the repair shop for a week amongst the student clarinets (and possibly treated as such).

-Jay

[Cubitt]

. I can't think of a single reason of why corking a tenon is a good thing to learn to do, but thank you for playing.

Here's one- I can recork in about an hour and be ready for the session tonight. That's much better than sitting in the repair shop for a week amongst the student clarinets (and possibly treated as such).

-Jay

Well, given that corkiing a tenon is something you hopefully will not need done more than once in your lifetime, I'd still opt for the ease and security of having it done by someone for whom this is a known process. My primary flute is worth several thousand dollars, so I am circumspect about how it gets worked on. BTW, the $40 I paid was for four tenons, not one. At ten dollars each, I think it is a false economy to take even the slightest risk. However, as I stated earlier, if doing this sort of thing lights your candle, by all means - go for it! I know how satisfying a successful do-it-yourself project can be.

[Jay]

All my flutes are worth thousands of dollars, and they're all thread wrapped so this is a non-issue for me. Just giving you a good reason, since you said you couldn't think of one.

As for once in a lifetime, it depends. I once owned an antique that was meant to be thread wrapped. The gap between the tenon and socket was so close that the cork had to be sanded very thin. As such, it was prone to tearing and required more frequent cork replacement. I wish I had someone local I could trust with my flutes, since shipping for such a simple repair is not worth the risk.

Kind regards,
Jay

[tucson_whistler]

I personally would avoid Teflon tape however for a wood flute. It is too slick and allows the tenon to enter the socket even if it is too tight. I know most flute and piper makers tell people to avoid the stuff.

Thanks for this one. Some of the cork on my M&E 8-key broke off; i just wrapped it back around with a piece of plumber's tape and it's ready to go.

but it's ebonite, and i'm not as worried about cracking the socket. i might have had the false confidence to try it on my wood flutes if you hadn't posted this...

i also change my the oil on my car, so i'm definitely in the try-it-yourself camp.

Has anyone else tried Hammy's dvd? 35 euro is a bit steep, but i might enjoy watching it even if i never try any of the repairs...

Cheers,
eric

[Doug_Tipple]

I'm just curious. Consider a hypothetical. You have a corked tenon joint on a wooden flute that you think is too tight and therefore exerting too much pressure on the socket. No doubt the fit was once just right when it left the maker's workshop, but in a different environment and with time the joint is now too tight. Too loosen the joint and relieve some of the pressure on the tenon socket you would need to sand off some of the cork. However, 6 months later the joint may be too loose and leaking air. Without removing the cork and installing a thicker piece of cork, how are you supposed to adjust the corked tenon at this point? Remember, teflon tape is not recommended.

Cellists have a similar problem having to do with changes of temperature and humidity from season to season. A cello bridge that fits perfectly for one season will usually be too high or too low for another season. The way to remedy this is to have two bridges, a summertime bridge and one for winter. Adding or subtracting material to the base of the bridge is a no-no. I should say that fitting a cello bridge is definitely not a "do-it-yourself" project. You will need someone who specializes in stringed instruments to do this.

[crookedtune]

My (albeit, limited) experience is that cork is springy enough that it can adjust to minute differences in the flute's dimensions. A properly-fit corked tenon will not vary much through the seasons or changes in humidity. If anything, it might dry out and compress, and need to be re-humidified. I wouldn't expect a corked tenon to start fitting tighter over time, though.

Accordingly, I sanded this one to fit snugly, but not tightly. It's great right now. Ask me again in a month!