Loose head joint cork in hot water....

[gpavone1@comcast.net]

My Jupiter student flute (quite new, just one year old) started having problems in playing the higher notes, finally with the help of a friend who knows flute repair better than me, I discovered that the head joint cork was loose. He suggested me to put the head joint in hot water for 30 minutes to have the cork expand, which I did. Actually, it worked and the flute now plays perfectly. But I wonder if this is just a temporary fix ? What happens when the cork will dry from the water ? Will it shrink and it will become lose again ? Or, instead, once expanded, it will stay tight ? Thank you for your advice.

[pied_piper]

It's difficult to say. Sometimes that trick will work for a good while and sometimes it's very short lived. It depends upon the porosity and age of the cork. It might last a few days or it might last a few years. Just keep check on it and if it starts getting loose again, have a repair tech install a new cork. Many shops will do that for less than $20.

If you are do-it-yourself type person, you can buy a new cork online and install it yourself. Here is a good video that shows how to do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsQuTZcnEMc

You can get a complete do-it-yourself kit with instructions here for $11:
http://instrumentclinicusa.com/index.ph ... cts_id=235

[JButky]

No it will not stay. You should get it replaced. For future reference, the "water trick" is probably the least lasting temporary repair.

You be better to wrap some tape around the cork. I've done some ghetto repairs on site and informed the owner to bring it to my shop to have it properly replaced. Some had forgotten to show up 6 months later because it was still working. But it is always best to have it properly replaced sooner rather than later as you are on borrowed time before it fails again.