as for adding a section in front of the cork. It would have to be fairly tight and couldn`t be easily removed with a suction cup. You could remove it by removing the main cork though. If you were going to do that, check out one of the Bigio plugs and crowns. They may actually make more sense even if they don`t actually have any basis in fact for improving the tone.

http://www.bigio.com/stoppersandcrowns.html
http://www.larrykrantz.com/stopper.htm


As for these fixes jose_luis. I can`t imagine a local repairman here in Ohio charging more than $25 USD for replacing the cork and repairing the leaking pad. It`s a common set of repairs.

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

Thanks Bilbo. Seriously, could you check and eventually repair my instrument at that price level (provided the problem is just one pad and possible cork position)?

I say this because I could have it taken to Ohio by a friend and back here, practically at no cost. (albeit, no immediately)

But I`m not sure if you make repairs yourself or not and also had the time and would accept to do it..

Concerning the Bigio gadget, its`s expensive (37 Pounds the cheapest) if not proved that it really works. I will post a new thread asking for opinions out there, see if anybody has experience with this device.

As is obvious, I`m not any expert on Flutes or corks, but I`m an engineer and the construction of the cork as I have learnt from all posts so far, resembles a reflector for the air column vibrations.

This is an analogy of a very common device in electronics (specially in microwaves) and probably all of us have at least one in our TV YAGI reception antennas.

So this alleged duplication of the vibration chamber on the other side of the stopper sounds a little as black magic. But the guy puts an "O" ring on the crown, probably because the stopper does not seal good enough, being so short. Or maybe another reason?. Humm...


<Added>

Added: sorry again, Its not related to flutes al all!

You mentioned TCA (2,4,6-Trichloroanisole). I did not know it was used in wine corks. It's important to me because my wife suffers terrible headaches when drinking very small quantities of certain wines and not with others (always of good quality, of course).

We have researched in literature what contaminant or additive could be involved in this strong body response.

We discarded Sulphur (used to sanitise the oak barrels in some places) but TCA could be the culprit.

Do you have more information about this or could show a link to some place where I could read further?

Thaks!

jose_luis,
Although I`m not a repair technician, I could have the work done and I would check it over to make sure they do it properly. For the price, I can`t gurantee that would be the exact charge from the repair tech but I would assume that would be fairly close for a new cork, check F# pad and Bb linkage adj. my check over would not be any charge. Sometimes the repair people tend to find something else to fix and then the price may go up but I could stick them to repairing and checking only the three items. If you want this done we would have to figure out how to better connect (Email) so that we can get each other`s locations, addresses and such.
Ove the next week I will try to get you a more exact price estimate.

As for the Bigio stopper. I don`t know anyone myself who has used one and I have not used one but it may be a good alternative to the cork. All it is is a metal stopper with a silicon O-ring that may be available at a plumbing shop. The metal stopper is of a certain circumference and length. which from the descriptions can be easily turned on a metal lathe. Only problem is getting an appropriate metal.
It probably is more for someone who wishes to get the very utmost out of a flute and not one who plays just for fun or even for a lesser professinal. Replacing the Cork is fairly cheap.

~Bilbo

Thank you Bilbo, but don`t bother right now. I have not decided what to do yet. For the moment I can still play on the M2 and I would rather not interrupt the classes. If it remains playable I will probably do nothing until end of June.

It is like training with weights on the arms and legs; it might even improve my skills when I will come back to a good instrument.

In the meantime, I may also buy another instrument (I`m looking for a Yamaha YFL311).

For the Bigio, StephenK reporyted that there is an active thread going on at Galway`s site. I could not log-in yet, will try again later.

Ok. I understand.
It maybe like using weights to play but don`t damage your tendons trying to clamp the keys too tightly.

There is a thread at the Galway site. I`ve been engaged in it. See message #1862 when you get it figured out. It is written by Sir Galway himself...

~Bilbo

Welcome back, Micron.

Bilbo, thanks for the reference to Galway`s site. I`m now a member (just a reading member) and I was most impressed and did not expect Sir James` frequent participation.

I read hundreds of post but still I`m not clear about R. Biggio`s device. Probably it is not possible to be, short of buying or building one to test oneself.

I had an idea of using pure tin as a material. It is safe (not toxic), can be easily molded by melting it`s soft and the groove for the "O" ring could be made by hand without a lathe. (I wish I had one, but no...)

Galway`s is a quite different place compared to this Forum. Though I like much this one, I believe that some efforts in moderation would save us a few problems.

I`m tempted to post Galway`s site "Netiquett" rules on a new thread.

You are active in both and have more experience. What do you think? Could such a thing be taken as positive or at least neutral on a site so "spontaneous" as this one? Importing the behavior recommendations of one site into another would be acceptable (netiquette-wise)?

I think that Galway`s site is a different experience. To some extent I feel that it is like visiting Galway`s house. One should show respect for the host and respond accordingly. This defies the concept of a free-speech forum. -not that there is actually one on the net. Many of us here know what issues an un-regulated forum can breed.

I did mention the Bigio stoppers to a pro from that forum who teaches and plays in Oslo and he has invested. Remember he is a pro. Not sure if tin would be a good material for one of those stoppers. I considered brass or aluminum but the one site says that the response difference was marginal or not good.
At any rate....from an email:

"Jimmy has his quirks but he is one of the nicest, most generous people I`ve
met in the flute world. Even if people don`t agree with everything he says
(I have a few problems with some of the things he and Jeannie recommend in
Flutewise), or maybe don`t care for everything he plays in some styles, he
still deserves their respect for all he has achieved and all that he gives
back.

As to the stoppers, try out the delrin first. My view at the time was it`s
worth a try for so little outlay. I`ve even helped a student with a totally
bodged embouchure cut on a Gemmy to improve her flute, rather than buy a new HJ:-) Use a HJ with a fair deal of resistance and re-establish the octaves after fitting. Then work on scales with reference tones. I think you`ll be surprised at how much flexibilty there is, but I found the delrin stopper to be a bit slow on the attack. It will give you an idea though of what is possible and if a zirconium stopper is worth the outlay."


~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

Hi Jose and list,

The same questions and issues here do pop on Sir James` own flute chat, but because there are around 2000 flutists and Sir James` is incredibly supportive of just about everything, people learn not to make sweeping generalizations or attacks or face the attention of a gaggle of flutists or the moderator.

Although Larry Krantz, the moderator, is known to have a heavy hand. He is an active moderator and will certainly respond to your concerns on moderation of your own posts. I have had couple extremely confrontational subjects there far far more worse than here actually. Thankfully Larry is quick to deal with personal attacks when they get into a topic.

I should add for those of you who avoid Sir James` forum due to moderation, it`s a completely different place now. Larry Krantz can`t stop your message from going out to everyone, though can remove it from yahoo groups and digest if he catches it soon enough. It`s getting to be busier than the flutelist now.

Regards,
Stephen Kaupiko
Los Angeles, CA
Flute Hobbyist, failed flute major.

(I still think the formal introduction and closing is silly )

The Galway board frustrates me to no end. I can`t for the life of me figure out where half of the posts are, it is just too difficult to try and follow. I prefer posting on here because it is smaller more family like where everyone knows everyone else so well. There are a lot of professionals on that group, and unfortunately that is when you run into more uppity people.
Some may not see it that way, but that it just how I feel, maybe I am reading into things. I would probably fit right in. Lol!

There are some very knowledgeable people on that board though, so you might want to give it a try. I learned a lot when just reading some of the threads, they are very interesting.

I see. There are different problems on different sites. That`s normal.

I appreciate the free style and spontaneity of a Forum without an omnipresent human moderator. I believe more in self-moderation than in an enforced system.

True that Sir James has imposed his style and this is reflected in the Netiquette rules. Normal, I also felt that I was almost visiting him at home.

But importing here some of those rules, and suggesting that everybody tries to follow them could do no harm. Well, maybe some quasi-personal attacks... and maybe such a suggestion could also be totally ineffective... I think I will better let it drop for the moment.

Concerning the stopper, there`s really no explanation as how and why it works (if it does). Those materials, Deldrin and Zirconium, (with Al and Bronze in the middle) are in fact at the opposite ends of material properties.

Tin has the advantage that it can be easily modelled without a lathe. One must only make a model in something suitable (wood, children putty, wax, etc.) and then make a two-halves plaster mold with the model. Finally the real thing can be cast with melted tin. Even the grove could me made in the model.

When I ws a kid I made my own "clones" of my lead soldiers and it worked fine. At that time we were not concerned about the toxicity of lead. Even the water tubes were made of lead (used water tubes were my personal mine of metal)

Though lead is easier to find, it is now known to be so toxic that it is not a good idea to use as a stopper in a HJ (IMHO).

Even if something goes wrong, it`s very easy to repeat the process.

I may try this in the coming weeks if I`m successful with my F key shim. But I suppose that the crown must also be modified, as Biggio`s is longer and has an "O" ring.

Or maybe is it just because Biggio`s stopper has no screw for the crown on it?

I agree with Micron. I can play the flute with or without the head crown and hear no difference and I would like to think that after many years of playing I would pick up any minor subtleties, but in this case I can`t.

Dear jose_luis
I can agree with this experiment. Why the stopper idea works. I don`t know. It may have to do with the vibrations of the head joint metal being less damped by this type of stopper over a cork plug but that`s just a guess.

"Tin has the advantage that it can be easily modelled without a lathe. One must only make a model in something suitable (wood, children putty, wax, etc.) and then make a two-halves plaster mold with the model. Finally the real thing can be cast with melted tin. Even the grove could me made in the model."
You can easily do a "Lost wax casting"
This is where you make the object out of wax -including an inlet funnel. and then encase it in plaster. When the plaster has dried, heat up the mold and the wax soaks into the plaster. Or pour the excess wax out the opening funnel. Then when you cast the object out of tin, you break the mold and clean up the cast tin or lead. Personally I don`t think lead is much of a danger unless you are working with lead on your fingers. Because you aren`t in much danger of injesting lead when it`s in the flute head joint. As you say, some water pipes even here in the U.S. are still the old lead type. Unless you chew on them, it not too toxic. THe possible disadvantage of lead is in the weight. After a few hours of playing fatigue may build up.

"I may try this in the coming weeks if I`m successful with my F key shim. But I suppose that the crown must also be modified, as Biggio`s is longer and has an "O" ring.

Or maybe is it just because Biggio`s stopper has no screw for the crown on it?"

That is why it`s longer. No screw attachemnt so the flange for the O ring is going to be longer. He makes his stoppers out of dense wood that turns well and not just metal. As a matter of fact Delrin is something like a synthetic plastic or similar to nylon.

http://heritage.dupont.com/floater/fl_delrin/floater.shtml

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

Micron,
Although I don`t discount the possibility of supression of test results in regards to the stoppers, I can`t imagine that R. Bigio would be into that kind of sly marketing. He is basically a one man operation. I have a fairly well constructed Baroque flute replica that he made which I am happy with the quality and tone.

Besides, even if they weren`t a magical improvement to the tone and response, wouldn`t they make some sense as a more modern replacement for the somewhat antique cork setup of the past few centuries of flutes.

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

I agree; I`m sure R. Bigio is acting on good faith and he is convinced about his device.
Howver, it`s puzzling that big manufacturers like Yamaha, that invest much in trying to improve this instrument (and simplify the manufacturing) have not adopted a different stopper such as Bigio`s and basically keep the old cork system.

Anyway I think it merits trying. But for the moment I do not want to spend the money it costs. I`m saving for my new Flute (I think it will be a Yamaha YFL 3xx). I could buy a new instrument for about 880 Eu (+or- 1,060$) right in Spain; compared with some 700-800 $ I have been asked for an used one I think it`s better a new one...but still checking prices

Sounds like you have the right Idea going now The Yamahas are fairly sturdy. Make sure there is a guarante and or you can try it out before paying.

~Bilbo