scratches?

[flutesforever]

I got a brand new flute 2 weeks ago, and already it has hundreds of tiny scratches on it. I haven't knocked it against anything and I remove all jewelery before playing. why is it happening? How can i fix it?

[woof]

Where are the scratches, on the lip plate, on the body? What is the flute made of? I have had a sterling silver flute for nearly a year and no major scratches outside of microscratches to the lip plate. Wipe your flute down only with a clean soft cotton cloth, don't use paper towels- the wood fiber in paper towels can scratch silver??

[flutepicc06]

I got a brand new flute 2 weeks ago, and already it has hundreds of tiny scratches on it. I haven't knocked it against anything and I remove all jewelery before playing. why is it happening? How can i fix it?

Good advice from Woof. Do you have pictures? That will make it easier to see what's going on. Also try not to polish your flute too often. Wiping it down with a soft, non-treated cloth after you play is a good idea if you're worried about tarnish, but using a polishing cloth excessively can do damage to the finish, as polishing chemicals strip off a thin layer of metal along with the tarnish. It's especially dangerous to use a polishing cloth near the embouchure hole, as changes here from metal being stripped can have a big impact on how the flute plays.

[flutesforever]

the flute is sterling silver.
I don't have any pictures, but I can take some later. I guess polishing too often could be a problem, I do like to keep it nice and shiny...
There aren't really any on the lip plate, but there are a lot of small ones on the body, and some really serious ones where the headjoint goes into the barrel joint.
But can they be fixed?

[flutepicc06]

the flute is sterling silver.
I don't have any pictures, but I can take some later. I guess polishing too often could be a problem, I do like to keep it nice and shiny...
There aren't really any on the lip plate, but there are a lot of small ones on the body, and some really serious ones where the headjoint goes into the barrel joint.
But can they be fixed?

Every flute that has been assembled more than a couple times has visible scratches at the tenons, as we don't lubricate the joints, so there is metal contacting metal here. Those are only a cosmetic problem, and not worth worrying about. Whether or not they could be fixed, there's no point wasting the money, as they likely have no impact on how the flute plays. Having physical damage (beyond the normal wear and tear) to a flute repaired can actually change it's playing properties, though, so I would encourage you not to pay any attention to the scratches. It's nice to have a perfect mirror finish on your instrument, but realistically, it's probably not going to stay that way forever, and as long as it doesn't affect the flute's performance, it's not worth getting fixed.

[flutesforever]

I still might upload a picture of the end of the headjoint, because those scratches are the worst ones, and I am kind of worried about the headjoint exchange policy. I'm wondering if there's something tiny inside the barrel joint that is sharp, and is scratching the head joint?

[flutepicc06]

I still might upload a picture of the end of the headjoint, because those scratches are the worst ones, and I am kind of worried about the headjoint exchange policy. I'm wondering if there's something tiny inside the barrel joint that is sharp, and is scratching the head joint?

That's always a possibility, but a slim one. Feel free to upload pics if you'd like.

[Claiken]

mine has a few scratches too. not major, but it does. though the little dents bother me more. theres like 4 tiny dents in my flute from people bumping into it with their flutes in band settings (ugh) only one is my fault, i hit the stand by accident.