delrin/polymer

[chansherly212]

a few posts ago, i broke my flute, that has got me thinking, to get a delrin/polymer one in the near future , but what concerns me is mostly the weight of it, cause i hear it's a heavier material than wood, also, this just a minor observation, i had the chance to try out a seery sometime back, and noticed that the edges of the toneholes are much sharper, so they leave much deeper impressions on the pads of my fingers after awhile of playing. just curious if this would be a common trait that most delrin flutes have? its nothing that would greatly affect ease of playing, but seemed to be mildly irritating to me at the time.

anyway, i read lots of good reviews about copley, seery, sommers, forbes, and M&E. i'm quite fussy about tuning, and so would prefer one with a more conventional tuning, that doesn't have a particularily flat bottom D, or other notes set to be blown hard. also, i've small hands, so weight and tonehole spacing would have to be quite forgiving as well, any thoughts about the flute for me?

[plunk111]

The problem remains, however... If you sit on a delrin flute, it will break, too! As far as toneholes, etc - that varies by maker. If you were blindfolded and picked up a Copley or a Gallagher in delrin, I don't think you'd be able to tell if it was ABW or delrin. I (briefly) had a Seery and his do seem to have "sharper" holes - this is not indicative of the material, just the maker.

Pat

[skyspirit]

a few posts ago, i broke my flute, that has got me thinking, to get a delrin/polymer one in the near future , but what concerns me is mostly the weight of it, cause i hear it's a heavier material than wood, also, this just a minor observation, i had the chance to try out a seery sometime back, and noticed that the edges of the toneholes are much sharper, so they leave much deeper impressions on the pads of my fingers after awhile of playing. just curious if this would be a common trait that most delrin flutes have? its nothing that would greatly affect ease of playing, but seemed to be mildly irritating to me at the time.

anyway, i read lots of good reviews about copley, seery, sommers, forbes, and M&E. i'm quite fussy about tuning, and so would prefer one with a more conventional tuning, that doesn't have a particularily flat bottom D, or other notes set to be blown hard. also, i've small hands, so weight and tonehole spacing would have to be quite forgiving as well, any thoughts about the flute for me?

If you are considering a copley,he can move l3 and r3 closer. I am having him do that for one that I currently have. Doing that does not compromise the tuning. I tested it on a test flute that he sent me.

For what it is worth, I have a Christman 4 key and a Copley delrin keyless. Weight is about the same to me.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[dontf]

I have a polymer flute from Terry McGee, it's quite a bit lighter than his wooden Pratten, It has the minimum disruption tenon for tuning which also helps keep it light.

[Flexismart]

I played a Seery (for a few years) that I bought at Custy's Music Shop.
I didn't notice that the finger holes were particularly sharp - no help there. The tuning was OK, not great, but it served the purpose of getting used to a wide Pratten finger spread.

The particular thing I didn't like about the Seery was, unlike the McGee, it was very heavy, to the point of being noticeable.

[Doug_Tipple]

Generalizing with open hole flutes, finger holes with a rather sharp outer edge present a smaller area to the fingers and thus are easier to cover and with less pressure. In contrast, finger holes with a significantly rounded outer edge present a larger area to be covered and, although they may feel more comfortable when you hold the flute, such countersunk finger holes require more accurate finger placement and more pressure from the fingers to seal the holes. I personally feel that slightly-rounded finger holes, being a compromise between the two extremes, is ideal.

If you have a flute with finger holes that are too sharp for you, I think that these could be rounded a wee bit without significantly changing the tuning of the flute, although, if possible, you may want to ask the maker about this. It goes without saying on this forum that others are open to challenge my opinion.

[highwood]

My thought on reading this:

leave much deeper impressions on the pads of my fingers

was that maybe you are putting your fingers down with too much force.

[Denny]

isn't that called

death grip

huh, innit?


the sooner ya break that habit,
the sooner ya can work on the next thing

[jim stone]

I find the Seery holes sharp but helpful. One gets used to them easily enough.
First impressions....

[Elvellon]

M&Es are also heavy.
Copley is AFAIK a great hybrid design, you may look into the custom hole positions option.
Some flutes with smaller holes are M&E (but they are heavy!), Somers smaller Rudall model, McGee - some models (may be hard to get). I'd go for Somers, since they are also reasonably priced and can be made without a metal slide, which is another ergonomic factor.

[Grahnwolf]

I'm a big Copley fan. I haven't noticed sharp finger holes or a dramatic difference in weight. Also, if you're on a budget, you can get a basic Copley delrin for pretty darn cheap.

[david_h]

I think I probably squeeze too hard on any unfamiliar flute. If you are used to playing the Folkflute with a light touch, just enough to seal each of your particular fingers, could you have been squeezing too hard on the Seery because the 'fit' was different ?

My Folkflute has a chamfer on the edges of the hole up and down the tube but not at the sides. Most of my fingers make contact all the way round at the same time. On a flute with the same shape all the way round (I just tried it on a Tipple) I have to press down very very slightly more after the sides of some fingers touch. Nothing that would affect the 'squeeze' after getting used to it though

[chansherly212]

I think I probably squeeze too hard on any unfamiliar flute. If you are used to playing the Folkflute with a light touch, just enough to seal each of your particular fingers, could you have been squeezing too hard on the Seery because the 'fit' was different ?

My Folkflute has a chamfer on the edges of the hole up and down the tube but not at the sides. Most of my fingers make contact all the way round at the same time. On a flute with the same shape all the way round (I just tried it on a Tipple) I have to press down very very slightly more after the sides of some fingers touch. Nothing that would affect the 'squeeze' after getting used to it though

come to think about it, i may have been squeezing slightly harder than usual, because it was new to me, and the firmer grip felt necessary to support the weight

[Denny]

the firmer grip felt necessary to support the weight

yer doin' it wrong then

I'll give ya that Casey's tone holes do encourage a lighter grip.

[Feadoggie]

come to think about it, i may have been squeezing slightly harder than usual, because it was new to me, and the firmer grip felt necessary to support the weight

Yes, if you are accustomed to playing a Burns Folk flute or most flutes without the long foot, the balance of the Seery would feel different and the stretch is a bit different to boot. A Copley delrin with the short foot would immediately feel very comfortable to you I would think.

Feadoggie