Small flute for Big Hands

[fyffer]

Well, I just got my Kohlert piccolo in the mail, and boy, is it tiny!
I guess I really had no idea how small a D pic was ...
I feel like a bull in a china shop trying to get my left thumb out of the way of the Bflat key ...

This little guy does need a bit o'work. The G# spring is shot (it stays open after depressing it), but perhaps there's a bit of gunk under it that makes it stick. There's a hairline crack in the head joint, running the full length, but not through the embouchure, and thank goodness the headjoint is fully lined, so no affect on sound, though the crack should be filled (?).

My next purchase is a set of tools small enough to take this baby apart (eyeglass repair kit?) , and some DIY info on how to clean the pads -- they still seem pretty supple, but I'm unsure as to what they are made of -- some kind of leather perhaps? What should be used to clean the holes? They seem a bit nasty based on my twisting a paper towel and reaming a bit.

Anyway, my impatience at starting to play this cutie will likely drive my effort to acquire the right tools and tips to repair it properly, but hopefully my haste will not do me in.

Any advice from any of the repairers/restorers out there to a fairly handy, though green repairing novice?

[crystalflute]

Heh I thought this was the same as one of my first posts here til I read the title 3 times. LoL I'm afraid I can't help you there. I have a C piccolo and I love it because it's just my size. But I love my low D. It sounds great, too.