Don’t you hate it when the pieces don’t quite fit perfectly together? In this case, I’m talking about the pieces of your flute or piccolo. The areas where the instrument fit together are called the tenons, and it is quite common to find that the headjoint or foot either becomes too loose for comfort, or requires quite a bit of work to go on. This especially tends to happen as the weather changes, when the metal shrinks or expands slightly. Thankfully, this is an easy fix.
The first step, and the only step that should be attempted by the player, is to determine if the issue can be fixed at home. If the tenon is slightly tight: clean off the tenon with a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Take care not to let the liquid get too close to any of the pads, as it will damage them. Alcohol prep pads are the best solution. At times, tenons get “gunked up” with tarnish or other impurities, making them harder to get on, and this will help. If the tenon is slightly loose, apply a very small piece of scotch tape to the tenon (about the size of a pencil eraser).
If these fixes do not help, it’s time to get the tenon adjusted by our repair techs. They will make a very small adjustment to the diameter of the appropriate part to allow the tenon to fit perfectly again. For this or any other repairs, give Erin a call to schedule a time to come in.
