Any tips on replacing cork with thread?
- BrendanB
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Any tips on replacing cork with thread?
i'm thinking about putting thread on the joints of my flute in place of the cork. before i went forward with it, i was wondering if anyone who has gone through the experience could offer me some tips.
i used to play highland pipes, so i'm not worried about waxing the thread and wrapping the joints, but i'm more concerned about taking off the existing cork without hurting the flute.
thanks for the help.
b
i used to play highland pipes, so i'm not worried about waxing the thread and wrapping the joints, but i'm more concerned about taking off the existing cork without hurting the flute.
thanks for the help.
b
- Terry McGee
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You should probably discuss this with the flute maker (if the cork is original) to find out two things - how is the cork held on (and therefore how is it most easily removed), and is there combing under the cork to secure thread.
The second question is more important. If there is no combing - the closely spaced scored rings in the bottom of the lapping trough - thread will tend to slide along the trough, bunch up and jam. You can create effective combing by putting on one layer of thread, and dribbling glue (eg superglue or a woodworking glue) over it to lock it to the bottom of the trough. Then add the remainder of the thread as normal.
There is a reasonable argument simply to add your thread on top of the existing cork. It will locate it securely, preventing the sliding and jamming mentioned above. It will also be more resilient than thread alone, requiring less adjustment with seasons. It will also reduce the tendency for thread to compress the wood at the tenons.
Terry
The second question is more important. If there is no combing - the closely spaced scored rings in the bottom of the lapping trough - thread will tend to slide along the trough, bunch up and jam. You can create effective combing by putting on one layer of thread, and dribbling glue (eg superglue or a woodworking glue) over it to lock it to the bottom of the trough. Then add the remainder of the thread as normal.
There is a reasonable argument simply to add your thread on top of the existing cork. It will locate it securely, preventing the sliding and jamming mentioned above. It will also be more resilient than thread alone, requiring less adjustment with seasons. It will also reduce the tendency for thread to compress the wood at the tenons.
Terry
- BrendanB
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Thanks for the advice Terry, I really appreciate it.
Neil - the reason that i'm intrested in switching from cork to thread is that i think that thread makes a tighter seal than cork since it doesn't respond as much to changes in humidity once it is properly waxed. i also think it is a more even seal if you wrap it well. i've had flutes in the past that used thread on the tenons and i just prefer it.
b
Neil - the reason that i'm intrested in switching from cork to thread is that i think that thread makes a tighter seal than cork since it doesn't respond as much to changes in humidity once it is properly waxed. i also think it is a more even seal if you wrap it well. i've had flutes in the past that used thread on the tenons and i just prefer it.
b
- rama
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in place of using glue, i have used bees wax to anchor the initial threading. i advise don't use glue unless you have to. i would not lap it over the cork. i would remove all the cork. better to have thread directly on wood. cork will cause displacement and shifting as it changes it's form, breaks, and wears away; it really serves no purpose(just gets in the way) if you go to use thread.
Last edited by rama on Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Tom O'Farrell
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And this discussion brings up the obvious (to me anyway) question of which is superior, thread (and which thread as well) or cork.
Tom O'Farrell.
www.tomofarrell.ca
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- Doc Jones
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I was just asking Casey Burns about this very thing. Here's his response.Tom O'Farrell wrote:And this discussion brings up the obvious (to me anyway) question of which is superior, thread (and which thread as well) or cork.
Thanks again Casey.
"Hi Patrick!
I get my thread from Forrests Music in Berkeley (size EE reed thread)
and the wax is toilet ring wax, used to mount a toilet to the plumbing,
available at your local hardware store. You can order the thread from
Forrests online at:
http://www.forrestsmusic.com/thread.htm "
I went out and bought the supplies and sat down to thread an an old flute I had bought just to practice on. I re-threaded the rascal and tried to put it together. Hmmm, seems a little tight. Pushed a bit harder and CRACK!
Take home messages:
1. Don't put on too much thread.
2. When re-threading try very, very hard not to be a moron!
Doc
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Having repaired, recorked, rethreaded and made literally a few thousand instruments, I couldn't possibly disagree with you more - In my experience cork is simply the better choice everytime: Cork's greater elasticity makes for a better seal, and also allows more margin of safety with regards to the swelling and shrinking of tenon/socket joints - all things being equal, a properly corked joint will prevent a cracked socket from overswelling/warping of a tenon than a properly thread lapped joint will.BrendanB wrote:Neil - the reason that i'm intrested in switching from cork to thread is that i think that thread makes a tighter seal than cork since it doesn't respond as much to changes in humidity once it is properly waxed. i also think it is a more even seal if you wrap it well.
b
Loren
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Make a new plan, Stan
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Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
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Just drop off the key, Lee
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Thanks for proving my point Doc: very little margin for error with thread lapping.Doc Jones wrote: I went out and bought the supplies and sat down to thread an an old flute I had bought just to practice on. I re-threaded the rascal and tried to put it together. Hmmm, seems a little tight. Pushed a bit harder and CRACK!
Take home messages:
1. Don't put on too much thread.
2. When re-threading try very, very hard not to be a moron!
Doc
"Hear me now and believe me later"
Loren
- Doc Jones
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Yeah, I wish you'd been here to whack me with a stick or something. Oh well, live and learn.Loren wrote:Thanks for proving my point Doc: very little margin for error with thread lapping.Doc Jones wrote: I went out and bought the supplies and sat down to thread an an old flute I had bought just to practice on. I re-threaded the rascal and tried to put it together. Hmmm, seems a little tight. Pushed a bit harder and CRACK!
Take home messages:
1. Don't put on too much thread.
2. When re-threading try very, very hard not to be a moron!
Doc
"Hear me now and believe me later"
Loren
By the way Loren or Terry, can cork be put on combed tenons?
Doc
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