sticky pad - any advice?

[Michel]

hi all!
I recently acquired a lovely Eb flute which have a sticky G# pad. Do you have any advice to reduce the stickiness?

thanks beforehand

M

[plunk111]

Are you sure it's the pad? Try removing the key (it's easy) and scraping out the channel in the block with a toothpick. If your flute is post-mounted, forget this advice!

[benhall.1]

I found with a piccolo that I acquired that the keys suddenly started working properly after I had removed them and thoroughly cleaned the keys and the springs as well as the channel. I'd go with Pat's idea of a toothpick, but just add to be very careful when using it and make sure it's a wooden toothpick and not a plastic one, which is more likely to damage the wood, IMO.

With the pad itself, you can clean it off with almond oil, provided you use a tiny amount and clean it off thoroughly afterwards. Well, it's worked for me, anyhow. (Cue for Jem to throw his hands up in horror )

[LorenzoFlute]

Oil on the pads??? Don't we remove the keys when oiling the flute to prevent this?

[ImNotIrish]

If it is actually the pad and not the channel, take a thin cigarette paper and drag it between the pad and opening while gently pressing the pad key down. Do this a few times. Should remove any grime on the pad itself.
Arbo

[benhall.1]

Oil on the pads??? Don't we remove the keys when oiling the flute to prevent this?

Yes we do. (Well, actually, I can never be bothered, but I know you're supposed to.) I was envisaging the sort of state my piccolo was in. Dreadful gunk, on pads as well. A TINY amount of almond oil helped me clean them. Don't know whether Jem knows I did this ...

[plunk111]

Oil on the pads??? Don't we remove the keys when oiling the flute to prevent this?

I put a little piece of plastic under the keys when I oil - bread bags work great.

[tsackett]

Music stores sell small pads of paper -- similar to cigarette rolling papers -- for cleaning pads. The most effective kind are powdered (with what, I couldn't say).

[Michel]

flute is pin mounted, it's definitely not the key action.. the key pad tends to stick to the wood.
I'll give the smoking paper trick a try and let you know..

[Michel]

still sticky unfortunately..the pad looks blue-ish, I would like to remove the key to inspect the pad..
there's any tip I should know before I try to remove the key? that's the first time I need to remove a key on a pin mounted flute.

thanks in advance
M

[plunk111]

You could try one of the little alcohol swabs on it - works on my silver flute. Just don't get a lot on there!

[benhall.1]

It's pillar mounted, is it? Are the pins (axles) just pins or are they little screws? Check with a magnifying glass before removing. If they're just pins, my suggestion if you do want to remove it is to get a pair of flat-bladed, parallel pliers. Not too expensive and will last forever. Won't damage the pin if you use one of those. If they're screwed in, you'll need a set of jewellers' screwdrivers. They're cheap too, and will also last forever.

Having thought, it's a modern flute, yes? So it's almost certainly just pins as the axles.

[Jon C.]

What are the pads made of? If they are blue, they could be foam, and the rubber is breaking down.

[smoro]

Try putting a bit of talcum powder in the pad, very little amount. It will work for sure.
Regards,
S.

[peeplj]

I've not had good luck with talcum powder on sticky pads; however, I have used zinc stearate powder with good success.

The last time i bought zinc stearate--years ago, even a small jar lasts forever--it was inexpensive and readily available in hardware stores.


--James