loose hedjoint

billcoulter · Post by **billcoulter** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 5:31 pm

Hello fluters,

I have a 3 key Sam Murray. Lately it seems that the headjoint is quite loose when I put the flute together. Almost seems that it might move when I play it. Is there an easy way to make it tighter? Have I heard of using dental floss over the thread?

Thanks so much.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 8:09 pm

first try to figure out if it's caused by the flute drying out

billcoulter · Post by **billcoulter** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 8:31 pm

thanks for the post

hmmm, it is true that I have not oiled the flute in a long while - and have been traveling to some dry places. . .

Are you suggesting that some oil on the inside of the part where the tenon goes into the headjoint will swell the wood a bit and it may fit more tightly?

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 8:36 pm

You should definitely make sure the flute is properly oiled and humidified. If the head joint is still loose, a few windings of waxed dental floss should give you a snug fit. This is a very common fix.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 11:48 pm

if the rings get loose you've gotten to the point where it is almost too late to panic

if a joint gets loose over a short period of time it is most likely due to the flute getting too dry

pipersgrip · Post by **pipersgrip** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:20 am

That happened to my flute, and Mike Rafferty took and put pluming tape around where the thread was, and I haven't had a problem yet with it.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:51 am

billcoulter wrote:thanks for the post

hmmm, it is true that I have not oiled the flute in a long while - and have been traveling to some dry places. . .

Are you suggesting that some oil on the inside of the part where the tenon goes into the headjoint will swell the wood a bit and it may fit more tightly?

Oiling's secondary; if it's made of blackwood, oiling's negligible, IMO. If your flute's drying out, what it needs is to be humidified.

billcoulter · Post by **billcoulter** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:54 am

thanks to all for the help with this

so how can I tell if it is drying out?

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:29 pm

the joints get loose.....

there's the buy a hydrometer technique...works pretty well

Santa Cruz is at 82% right now, if you have windows open then it isn't likely that the flute is drying out.
If you have the heat on then the humidity inside should be below the 82%.

Is it cork lapped? Do you grease often? (like a wee bit almost every time you put it together)

Jon C. · Post by **Jon C.** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:57 pm

Denny wrote:the joints get loose.....
there's the buy a hydrometer technique...works pretty well

Santa Cruz is at 82% right now, if you have windows open then it isn't likely that the flute is drying out.
If you have the heat on then the humidity inside should be below the 82%.

Is it cork lapped? Do you grease often? (like a wee bit almost every time you put it together)

The humidity is about 8% in Los Angeles at the moment, Santa Cruz is 33% humidity, a little better, but not enough to hydrate the flute. Is the Murray boxwood?

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:53 pm

ah ha......so much for weather.com, eh

Akiba · Post by **Akiba** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 8:10 pm

Bill,

I'll echo the others--get thee to a humidifier! That flute was made in Ireland, a land I've heard of very high humidity, i.e. dampness. It seems to me, and this is a bit of conjecture, that Irish flutes made in Ireland tend to crack more easily.

Get a cake container or something that has a lid and will fit your flute as well as keep in the moisture, put a sponge and a hygrometer, something that will tell you the humity within the container, and keep it between 55 and 65%. I try to keep my mopane Burns, as Dave Copley suggests, between 60 and 65%.

Please do it ASAP--I'm a bit scared and worried about your Murray.

Jason

plunk111 · Post by **plunk111** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 9:06 pm

I use a guitar humidifier (called a Dampit) and a digital hygrometer I got (cheap) on eBay - total outlay is less than $20... I hope you're not too late!

Pat

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 11:02 am

1. Humidify at 60% or more.
2. Or play daily.
3. If still shrunk, one or two turns of teflon tape or dental floss or polyester thread at joints but NOT TOO MUCH, and NOT TOO TIGHTLY. (You can always add more, but the joints will swell as you play and you don't want to crack the sockets with too-thick tenons. Also, if the flute still has some swelling to do you don't want to bind the tenons.)

Guinness · Post by **Guinness** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 12:16 pm

Cathy Wilde wrote:1. Humidify at 60% or more.

This is good advice up to a limit. I recently found one of my stored flutes covered in specs. As I recall, the presence of mold is a function of humidity, temperature, hygiene, and air circulation.