Overhaul Gemeinhardt 3HSB

[tcarlisle]

Hello everyone! I am in the process of overhauling a Gemeinhardt 3SHB made in the mid-80's. So far I am please with progress, but there is still much to do.

I just finished replacing the pads. I used a pat set purchased from Votaw, which seem good. I shimmed them using feeler gauges and a light of the type that goes inside the flute, I used a heat gun to "iron" the wrinkles, and to establish the pad seat grooves, I simply used electrical tape to tape the keys in the closed position, with a good bit of force, and left it for a few days. That was a few weeks ago, and I just finished doing a final re-shim and am pleased with the results. I get a good seal using minimum finger pressure. It did take quite some time to get the g/g# key pair shimmed and working in unison.

I was the original purchaser and only owner of this flute, and I am sure it already plays better than when new now.

Now I need to replace many, if not all, of the little cork pieces that control key height, and what I call slack.... like the mechanism that makes the b-flat key press when the F-key is pressed -- there shouldn't be any movement of the F key before the b-flat key starts to move, etc.

Does anyone of anywhere that sells a complete cork set specific for a flute make/model? Or am I going to have to buy cork and make them all from scratch?

Also, because this flute was neglected for over 15 years, the tarnish did eat away all the finish on a few spots on the rails (or that is what I call them) which is what the 4 keys for the right hand (F, E,D keys) are attached to. You know, the whole assembly that comes off and the keys with their pins and rods..... the rods have lost finish completely in a few areas.

Now, I have seen enough youtube videos on overhauling to know that removing the pins is something I should avoid. This is purely cosmetic, as the rods and keys work as they should. But when I am done I want it to be good as new. I am wondering if those kits you buy to silver coat items would be good enough? It probably wouldn't be perfect, and if you look close I am sure you could tell, but that would have to be better than no finish.

Or maybe I should just find a way to buy that whole mechanism? I am not finding the entire assembly, but Votaw has the keys, etc.

Thank you for your help!

Tom C

[pied_piper]

You cannot buy a complete cork set specific for a flute make/model. Each piece is hand fitted for both size and thickness. The repair tech selects a piece of cork of the appropriate thickness and then cuts a small piece to fit each key where needed. Cork for those types of adjustments is generally sold in 4X12 inch sheets and is available from several vendors in a variety of thicknesses from about 1/64" to 1/8". The issue you will have is that you may need a little bit of each thickness. Some vendors also sell assortments of cork such as this http://www.jlsmithco.com/SHEET-CORK/800 ... ASSORTMENT, but even then you end up buying much more than you will need for one flute.

For the worn plating, don't even think about trying to get new keys and replacing the old ones. Each new key will have to be fitted and adjusted because they will never fit exactly the same as the old ones. If you try to do that, you are opening a whole new can of worms. Key replacement is a last resort for lost keys or those damaged beyond repair. You could try using a brush plating kit like those from Caswell plating, but be aware that brush plating will never apply silver as thick as the original plating. Most often, the worn spots are places that are in constant contact with your fingers. The newly applied brush plating will wear off much quicker than the original and it takes a lot of work for very little payback. Unless the worn spots are highly buffed, the brush plated areas will still not look the same as the original. IMO, you are better off to live with it the way it is. If you aren't happy with the appearance, trade it in for a new flute.

[Zevang]

Wise words Bob!

[tcarlisle]

Thanks for the help. I had a feeling I would be hand making the corks, just wanted to shave a little time off the effort. The big ones are fine, like the trill keys and the d# on the foot. I just have to replace all those little ones.

As far as the plating issue, i'll probably live with it. It is from sweat. It is that little piece of rod to the right of the d key, just about a half inch long. Not terribly noticeable, but was trying to come out with a like new look given all the effort. Maybe in the future I'll send it off for professional replating. But that will be after I am equipped to deal with those pins.

It plays very well, excepting of course the improper key heights and the noise because of the missing cork pieces.

I have electrical tape on those areas right now to help silence it and prevent wearing/scratching the body. This week end will be about the corks.

[trumpettech]

There are shaped corks available through Allied and JLSmith. I often use these to save time on repads. Online catalogs are available.
I generally don't recommend a flute repad as a do it yourself project, but if you would like, I can give you some of my fine tuning procedures.