This flute is one of the last batches of Yamaha student flutes made in Japan prior of the production shift to Surabaya INDO. I've also noted that the screws used in this flute is noticeably different in that its thread and screw is much longer than the usual stubbies - almost twice as long but slimmer. I am curious about this, as I've seen two other flutes from the same S/N cluster, but their screws did not appear different. Such a new flute surely could not have undergone refurbish, esp when abandoned by the child after only 3 mths of play.
And this I can vouch is NOT a fake.
Q1) How does one unfreeze a rod screw from its post? (in this case for the BBb spatula keys)
Q2) Now that the screw head is roughed up, how does one smoothen it back? Should I use a metal file?
Q3) Is there a metallurgy reference somewhere which would explain the various stages of "tarnish" or chemical reactions on a silver PLATED flute?
I know a solid silver flute under skilled hands can emerge blemish free - what about silver plated flutes?
What does the emergence of orange (rustlike) spots mean usually concentrated over a localised area of the flute - appearing like measles - how to polish these away?
What about the dark gray gunmetal bumps that show up sometimes as a lone spot and sometimes a scratchpatch on the headjoint, body. How should they be treacted. Can these be removed? These are raised like a delicate grain of fine sand stuck on the flute. Is that the onset of a slow death for the plating?
Bought an expensive book on metallurgy on my own volition but does not broach the treatment of flute tarnishing with any relevant depth.
