Assembling piccolo with bubble style head

[atoriphile]

All of the piccolos I've had in the past did not have bubble style heads, so it was easy to assemble them without touching the keys by holding the body at the metal part where the headjoint is inserted. You can see this in the picture below (Gemeinhardt 4W piccolo):

http://www.gemeinhardt.com/images/piccolos/4W_big.jpg

However, I just acquired an Emerson Boston Legacy piccolo (in Ironwood) with the bubble style headjoint and can't figure out a way of assembling it without touching they keys. I'm afraid I will bend the keys or knock them out of adjustment. For a nice picture of the Boston Legacy piccolo, see the following link:

http://www.flute4u.com/emerson.htm#EmersonPicc

What is the proper way to assemble this and similar (e.g., Yamaha 62/61) piccolos that have bubble style headjoints? Where do you hold the body?

Thanks in advance!

[flutepicc06]

Just as you'd assemble a flute, hold the body above the key work (yes, the area to grasp is pretty minimal, but if you've got the cork greased and fit well, that's not really an issue), and the head below the embouchure hole, and gently push the head onto the body. I use my left hand for the head and right for the body so that I avoid having to wrap my hand around the uppermost section of rod.