Baffled by keys "bindings"

[pied_piper]

Joe - I believe flutego12 is in located in Australia. Last I knew, toll free numbers aren't valid for international callers. Plus there's a big time difference - That's why he's emailing...

flutego12 - Ferrees replied to my email in about 2 hours. Send your emails to ferreestools@aol.com.

Here was their reply:
Yes, this is our main email. Maybe we have not received his emails. I normally respond right away when I get a message.
We will be closed Thursday and Friday this week for the holiday.

They sent me a PDF with their ordering information. If you PM me your email address, I'll forward it to you.

[JButky]

Joe - I believe flutego12 is in located in Australia. Last I knew, toll free numbers aren't valid for international callers. Plus there's a big time difference - That's why he's emailing...

Ah.. I see... Yes that make sense then...

[flutego12]

Joe - I believe flutego12 is in located in Australia. Last I knew, toll free numbers aren't valid for international callers. Plus there's a big time difference - That's why he's emailing...

flutego12 - Ferrees replied to my email in about 2 hours. Send your emails to ferreestools@aol.com.

Here was their reply:
Yes, this is our main email. Maybe we have not received his emails. I normally respond right away when I get a message.
We will be closed Thursday and Friday this week for the holiday.

They sent me a PDF with their ordering information. If you PM me your email address, I'll forward it to you.

Thank you very much for that, Bob. I will get in touch next week. Prob need to scan his catalog again, it's been a while. Very much appreciated.

[flutego12]

@All

Noted with thanks.
I sure would like to know how to get ferreestools to respond.

Just call..

800-253-2261

Thanks, Joe.

[flutego12]

I dont like to be disparaging, but realistically the only real repair is to pull it apart find the problem and re-assemble.

Everything your doing is really just a patch up.

I highly suspect you have a bent inner rod (why do you say that? logic), so no matter how much flushing you do, it will always provide unwanted resistance.

Instrument repair is not cheap, for simple things yes, you do not need much, but the moment you actually have to carry out any form of mechanical repair it goes up exponentially.

I shudder at the thought of how much money I have paid out for tools and equipment. Our trade is probably one of the most demanding of specialised equipment.

Steve

Good on you Steve. Awesum.

[mirwa]

Having done so many, one has a feeling or intuition as to what the root cause is.

If you flush a pinned set of keys and it improves slightly then that is an indication of gunge or rust.

If you heat the tube and it moves better that is a sign of a bent inner rod or pinched key tube, diss-assembly is required to rectify

Steve

[fluteguy18]

I never re-use pins, once there out, I taper ream and fit new pins

Not even when you're positive that the pin and hole are fitted perfectly to each other (like on a high end instrument in good condition with original pins)? It seems to me that at some point in the instrument's life you would end up having to replace your hinge rod and hinge tube, particularly if it is an instrument that is getting cleaned and serviced once or twice a year... I have no doubt that this practice works, but it seems to me that this hole will be getting bigger and bigger every 6-12 months if you do that every single time.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding.

[mirwa]

Ahh Grasshopper.

Your not mis-understanding, but an assumption is being made.

I have a database of every instrument I have ever repaired, when an instrument comes into my shop, an in-house repair docket / worksheet is raised, on the docket is a note informing me at the repair bench whether I have ever seen that instrument before and if I had how long ago and what was done.

If I have seen a flute before then I know that the pins have been removed and replaced by me, so the taper of the pins is my taper tool. When I remove and throw the pins away, I fit new pins, but when I fit the pins I use bluing marker, and fit the pins, this shows me where contact is being made and not being made by the pin, knowing this I then ream with pressure applied only to the side that is not seating against my piin

You have to understand the difference between reaming and fitting, fitting even though you use a reamer is really almost the lightest of touches almost a burnish

I would be very surprised if I could not do it a few hundred times per flute before I noticed any issues

Steve

[flutego12]

Hey Steve. Do you use a music industry proprietary system (db) to store your records or did you create one yourself?

[mirwa]

I paid someone to make the program specifically for us.

It records all the repair info, the stores docket or private customers details, and then it will print a report with our letter head or the relevant store we are working fors letter head.

Very good program

[flutego12]

Sounds really neat. What platform does it sit on?

[mirwa]

Windows XP

[flutego12]

Back to the surgical table.
================
A few posts back I said I would keep flushing the RHmechanism of the bound keys to flush out the rusts for a week to ensure the binding does not recur. Well I didn't get to do that and found the keys relapsing (thankfully not fully) - hence I'm back flushing the hinges. This time I need to make sure I keep doing it. Vast improvement.

Current symptoms as follows:
D/F#key is relationally fine - when D is pressed, F# simultaneously rises and falls with D.
E/F#key is a little sick - when E is pressed, F# closes but remains fully closed, does not rise with E. Funnily a tap on D will pop F# back up (D behaves like a reset)
F/F# key is also a little sick - when F is pressed, F# closes but remains fully closed, does not rise with F. Funnily a tap on D will likewise pop F# back up (again D behaves like a reset)

I need to go back to the flute books for a refresher as the cram has evaporated. Getting my head around where the E/F# and F/F# "link" is. Referral to a diagrammatic explanation will be great. Expositions similarly welcome...

In other words ... HELP.

[mirwa]

You need to unpin the mechanism.

[flutego12]

Done! Fixed. Thanks guys.