Hi.
No laughing please, but I teach flute to young children and have got these two selmer preludes for them to use. They are about 3 months old and for about the past month the foot joints have been getting harder to put on and now it is actually impossible. It doesn't look like damage is the cause and there is no obvious corrosion. Does anybody know of a way that the joint end can be filed down or something. Please don't tell me to go to a tech under guarantee because another teacher threw my guarantees out!
Thanks
Lorskimac

you need to make sure the tenon in the body of the flute is clean, maybe try some silver cleaner on it so it is smooth, then it should work

All areas of contact are clean and smooth. There is a sort of a tarnish but that would occur on student flutes anyway, wouldn't it? Can I (oh, horror) grease it?

You can put some parrafin wax on the tenon and work the foot joint on to smooth it out a bit. When you are done make sure to clean the parrafin off. This will also help clean some of the gunk that might be on there too.

(Supermarket repair. Go to the canning section for Parrafin wax...)

Sizing tenons at the repair shop is no big deal.. Usually done while you wait..

Joe B

Would that be expensive? Bloomin' things were fine when I bought them...

It shouldn't be at all expensive. Sizing tenons is pretty common work for techs, and doesn't require nearly as much time and effort as an overhaul or a repad. Having the tenons resized is the best option if cleaning hasn't helped.

My tech would do that for me while I wait, without charge. (Of course, I give him other business such as an occasional flute rebuild when I buy a flute to sell it.)

He would likely charge someone 'new' about $5, and do it right then.

My Pearl 501E gets a tight fit on its footjoint if I don't keep the tenon clean. I use an anti-tarnish cloth and rub firmly around the tenon, and that usually takes care of it.

But the the home-cure Joe mentions (and learnt from me, I believe) ...... .... Get the stump of a used one from a church maybe.

Yes Gordon my Man, I give you credit for this one...but not about stealing candles from a church!

Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!
Joe B

I second the parafin idea it works very well, it is easy and cheap. As mentioned put it on and then wipe it off- this will leave a very thin coat on the tenon.