Hi everyone,

Just wondering if any of you have had any experiences with using contact cement to attach things to your flute (ie. key extensions and/or crystals). I am interested in experimenting with adding some crystals to my spare flute but was concerned about the removal process in case I don't like it.

I had heard that you can remove contact cement with alcohol. Is this the case, or is there another remover that won't harm the flute? Does the contact cement itself harm the flute?

Thanks!

Contact cement won't be strong enough to attach anything like that. I don't recommend attaching anything. But settings of jewels on headjoint crowns are often "insured" they stay in place with a little Super glue (gel). Super glue is not as easily removable.

Contact cement though is easily removable. Although I wouldn't recommend attaching anything other than the required means for whatever article you want to attach..

Joe B

I have a rhinestone in the center of the crown on my flute. It was one of those sticky-back ones where the adhesive is already there. Those are easily removable, but they stay in place quite well. It's been inside my crown for nearly two years, and it hasn't even come loose or moved around at all. I used no extra adhesive, and it's always stayed put. I would not recommend adding any crystals to anywhere other than the center of the crown though.

Thanks for your replies. Really what I'm looking to do is add some crystals to a few keys (like the Eb key), the crown, and maybe around the barrel of my (soon to be) spare flute. I like bling, and I think it would be a cool feature to have for certain gigs.

I'm more concerned with the removal of the contact cement. There are plenty of people who attach key extensions with contact cement and I've read that it doesn't harm the silver which is why I was thinking of it in the first place. I'm wondering about E6000 or Gem Tac too... Don't know if those are removable or not though.

Dianamarbles - did the stickyback stone hurt your silver?

Honestly, I have no idea. I haven't removed it since the day I put it on. I assume it left a sticky residue like all adhesives do. I would ONLY recommend putting the rhinestone decorations in the center of the crown, and nowhere else. The crown has a rivet that will keep it in place, and it doesn't have any effect on the tone or playability of the instrument, whereas putting decorations elsewhere might.

Hmmm, maybe I will experiment with the crown, then move on to other parts. At least the crown is replacable.

Have you seen this flute: http://flightflutes.com/#/swarovski-flute/4561548732

It's fully playable and sounds great. I'm not thinking of doing my whole flute like this one, just a couple of keys.

I actually HAVE seen that flute before. It looks cool, but it's not the sort of thing any logical person would recommend trying at home. xD If you're going to attach rhinestones to some of the keys, at least make sure it's a spare flute that doesn't have as good a sound as your primary one.