Screws

[JellyJack]

Hi I've got a second hand flute and after half an hour of playing I couldn't get a sound out of it despite how hard I blow. I looked at the flute and noticed some of the screws had unscrewed themselves. I screwed them back in and it sounds great again, but now they seem to unscrew themselves even faster, about 15 mins of playing.

One of them is located near the pad above the one that the left hand index presses (B)
The other is between the two that go down with the left hand third finger (G and A)

Does anyone know how I can DIY fix this myself?

It still works ok, but it's just annoying to have to keep screwing them in every 15 minutes... sometimes I forget and think it's my technique going badly... and sometimes when my technique goes badly I blame it on the screws!

[jim22]

You could use a little blue locktite or a little clear nail polish on the adjustment screws. If you are talking about rods, I have successfully used a bit of Teflon tape on the threads.

[fluteguy18]

If these screws are located in posts that are attached to the tubing it sounds like you desperately need to get it to a trained repair technician. The only reason I can think of offhand is that rust/lack of oil is your likely culprit. The friction inside the tubing seems to be making the screw back out. The keywork would need to be pulled in this case, taken apart, cleaned and oiled. But, considering that I'm not a fully trained technician and since no one can see the flute, no one will be able to accurately diagnose your problem much less prescribe a non-damaging method of repair.

[pied_piper]

I agree with fg18. Most likely, rust, dirt, or a bent steel rod is causing binding and that causes the steel rod to unscrew/back out. Don't use Loctite or nail polish. That is treating a symptom and not fixing the real problem. Take your flute to a repair tech who has the knowledge and skills to fix the real problem.