Hello,
My student flute is in need of a overhaul. I have it all apart except for one stubborn key pin. It will not budge for the live of me. Any advice of how to free up a stuck key pin?
Stubborn pin
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WeekendFlutist
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2018 5:44 pm
Re: Stubborn pin
Thank you for the reply.
It's the B Flat key pin (off set G). In fact it's the A key that is sticking and why I am taking it apart.
I don't have have a pin removal tool. I'm guessing that is going to be step number one for most people. All the other pins I was able to remove with a small hammer and punch. It's a student flute and the other pins had a lot to grab onto. This one though, seems to have been broken off below the shear. Is it possible that it could me soldered? It's a Armstrong 104.
A good key pin removal tool would cost more then what the flute is worth. After striking it a few time with a punch and it didn't budge I figured I should step back and ask for advice.
It's the B Flat key pin (off set G). In fact it's the A key that is sticking and why I am taking it apart.
I don't have have a pin removal tool. I'm guessing that is going to be step number one for most people. All the other pins I was able to remove with a small hammer and punch. It's a student flute and the other pins had a lot to grab onto. This one though, seems to have been broken off below the shear. Is it possible that it could me soldered? It's a Armstrong 104.
A good key pin removal tool would cost more then what the flute is worth. After striking it a few time with a punch and it didn't budge I figured I should step back and ask for advice.
Re: Stubborn pin
Pins on students flutes do not come out as easy as on pro flutes. Plus they can be bent, have rust in them, making the removal process more difficult. If you've already hit it with a punch, depending on how hard and how many times, you may have peened the end over and it will no longer go through the hole. When that happens, you may need to grind it off slightly leaving a nice flat surface. Then with a proper punch tool, line it up perfectly and give it a good solid hit. Miss and you start over again. Do it too many and there's nothing left to grind!
Sometime the key side is soldered. Try taking the other side off, Probably two pins, one for the clutch and one for the kicker. If they are going to solder anything, it would be either the Bb on the LH and sometimes the F# on the RH.
If there is rust in there, you can put some penetrating oil in there and heat the tube over an alcohol lamp. If you get rust oozing out, you'll definitely will find out that way.
Good Luck,,,
Sometime the key side is soldered. Try taking the other side off, Probably two pins, one for the clutch and one for the kicker. If they are going to solder anything, it would be either the Bb on the LH and sometimes the F# on the RH.
If there is rust in there, you can put some penetrating oil in there and heat the tube over an alcohol lamp. If you get rust oozing out, you'll definitely will find out that way.
Good Luck,,,
Joe B