Substance for filling in holes on wood flutes?

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 2:59 pm

Anyone know of a clear or light-colored substance (easy-to-use resin of some sort, perhaps) for filling in a little bit of a hole (to flatten the pitch slightly) on an antique flute?

shoner · Post by **shoner** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 3:04 pm

modelling beeswax

pbar03 · Post by **pbar03** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 3:27 pm

Nail polish

chas · Post by **chas** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 5:27 pm

I dunno how well it would stick (if the wood's resinous), but a clear epoxy, like Dubl Bubl, might be worth a try. Available at your local home improvement shop.

skh · Post by **skh** » Sat Jan 10, 2004 7:04 am

Beeswax, as it can be removed without damaging the instrument. I'm fascinated by the fact that my flutes will most likely live much longer than I will, and would always try to make the job of the flute restorers down the road as easy as possible (especially if the instrument is antique even to me, in my lifetime).

Sonja

AaronMalcomb · Post by **AaronMalcomb** » Sat Jan 10, 2004 12:37 pm

Speaking from a GHB standpoint *room empties, crickets chirp* beeswax was the old fashioned way to flatten notes on toneholes. Nowadays we use tape (usually electrical or medical). Might sound kind of sloppy but when you think of all the folks with rubberbands over the keys of their old flutes it's not too bad. Just replace the tape regularly and use fresh tape to get any gunk off of the wood.

Cheers,
Aaron

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Sat Jan 10, 2004 1:17 pm

I will try beeswax, but I would think it would melt under my fingers.

Dominic Allan · Post by **Dominic Allan** » Sat Jan 10, 2004 2:04 pm

If you apply the wax with a hot needle around the inside of the hole your fingers won't even touch it.
I don't know the melting point for bees wax but I'm certain that it's well above your finger temperature. Mind you, I don't know your finger temperature either.

skh · Post by **skh** » Sat Jan 10, 2004 3:02 pm

JessieK wrote:I will try beeswax, but I would think it would melt under my fingers.

It might get soft, but as you don't usually poke around in the tone holes of a flute with sharp pointed things accidentally, this shouldn't be a problem. It will certainly not melt to the point of liquidity. To my knowledge beeswax has a higher melting point than other / synthetic waxes commonly available and used in candles - but I admit being too lazy to google for it now.

Beeswax is also used on recorders for the same purpose. At least over here in the old world.

cheers + happy tuning,

Sonja

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 3:29 pm

I've had good success mixing beeswax with a few drops of pure linseed oil for malleability and melting it in an aluminum pie plate over a pan of boiling water. Formed into a block (I pour mine into an empty, foil-lined Altoids tin (& then peel off the foil after the mix cools)), this is also a great emergency tool for "dirtying up" a loose tuning slide or joints contracted by cold. Have also used it around loose tuning corks. Best of all, it wears off eventually or is wipeable. Good luck!

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 4:02 pm

Cool, thanks.

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 4:38 pm

Jessie,
I've mixed neetsfoot oil with pure beeswax to soften it. The process works great. If you need either PM me an address and I'll mail you some.

Dominic Allan · Post by **Dominic Allan** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 12:55 am

Just in case anyone has been lying awake at night wondering......the melting point of beeswax is:62C/146F. apparently.

eilam · Post by **eilam** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 1:33 am

Good! now I can go to sleep

I keep thinking that there is some Shellac stick that you melt, like hot glue stick, that is used by flute makers to set the pads? but I've never used it. I have used wax to retune recorders, but did not like the fact that you could not call it a permanent fix. I have used epoxy as well, and shaped the hole with a Dremel tool.
Jessie, there are great wax's in the jewelry industry for casting, I'm sure you know more then I do about that, but they seem much harder and more stable then bee's wax.

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 8:58 am

Yes, but jeweler's waxes are dark blue, green, or burgundy...they wouldn't look very good on boxwood, and I wouldn't know how to get them to stick.

A non-permanent fix will be fine for now. But if I find that it doesn't poorly affect the rest of the tuning, I will try something more permanent.