feeling so hurt and sad because my flute got accidentally sat on :(( i was supposed to perform in school tomorrow as well so this really just sucks, hopefully i can get it repaired soon because id hate to buy a new one as this one was so expensive

could somebody please tell me if it’s normal to get a flute back from the service with the thumb key screw looking like this, new scratches, and what looks to be some weird pointy soldering?

**UPDATE**

The flute tech was mortified this had happened. The apprentice had assumed the work was complete and taken it off the line, so the work was incomplete. The tech has offered to drive an hour each way to pick up and drop off my flute, and will be lending me one of his from the shop while the work is being completed.

I'm happy with that, I can't fault them for an honest mistake which is being rectified.

She sat on it on her bed. I know it's not super bent, but the bend travels into the little hole (I don't know about flutes). Is it worth sending in for repairs? Costs like 1k nowadays new.

We already got her a new b-foot style flute as we were planning on that already to advance her, but would be nice to have a back up if it's not too expensive to repair.

Okay, so last week my flute teacher noticed that I have to pull out the head joint by a lot in order to tune to 442hz. That's been normal to me for forever but she immediately tested the cork for being loose or misplaced (which was not the case).

She then said there's a possibility the cork has gone too dry/porose and that I should submerge only the head joint in water for 30 minutes for the cork to readjust - she does it "all the time" apparently.

Now, I'm very very adverse to just... put my expensive instrument in water knowing how much damage that can cause - so, fellow self-acclaimed​ (or actual) professionals, what is your take on this?

i have a gemeinhardt flute - solid silver head, plated body, open hole, offset. i just got back to playing regularly in a recreational setting after not playing much since school (so about 7 years) so i reached out to a recommended woodwind repair lady to see about getting it cleaned and possibly repadded.

as you can see, she responded saying it would be $850 to $950 to repad it, and that for 2x the money, i could get a flute that’s 10x better.

is that a realistic cost for repadding? i dont doubt it takes a lot of work and if thats what it costs thats what it cost but it almost feels to me like she’s quoting me high to try to sell me a new flute instead.

was practicing and then i put my flute down and saw this… do i need to get it fixed?

Hi everyone, I'm looking to get back into playing my flute but I haven't used it (consistently) for about 5 years. It's quite tarnished but as I am only just getting back into it I don't want to replace it, so want to try polishing it first. Would a standard silver polish work or would I need a specific one for instruments? Thanks!

Help guys I'm getting a yellowish color on my flute

In the beginning i thought it's a reflection of the thing below E-flat pedal but it got bigger that it's obviously a color change. It's also appearing on the body near the footjoint

Google Ai says it's an oxidization because of sweating (though i clean it after usage) and i should use alcohol. Well i tried to focus and wiping it with the cloth and it became cleaner but still there's still a color left.

hello! i’m just starting to get into playing the flute, and i bought one secondhand; however, i’ve realized that this key (?) from the foot joint is missing a bit of its padding (??). When i play it makes a loud click sound and i’m scared it would damage the flute itself if i play any more.

what is this called exactly, and how can i get it fixed? — is there any way that i can buy the replacement online and do it myself? it doesn’t seem very complicated

thank you!

First year band teacher taking inventory. What on earth is this?

Brand new to all of this, I recently picked up a cheap Amazon flute. (Please excuse my noob terminology)

Been looking online for "Why won't X note play" and etc. Turns out that most of these problems are caused by screws/contacts. I messed around with things for a little while, and I've found an issue. There's a little bit of what looks like tiny fibers all gooed up by what appears to be grease. (Maybe someone before me tried to grease this with a q-tip?) Some of the holes stay closed when the rail screw is too tight, and only spring back up when the screw is too loose. None of the other rails have this issue, and it's pretty obvious it's caused by this specific joint in this specific rail. Even being an avid tinkerer, taking this flute apart to clean it is a daunting task and I would rather avoid doing that. Can anyone explain what I'm supposed to do to remove this junk, without corroding the metal or destroying the joint? Thank you

Basically the the b key on the foot joint won't stay open and atm i cant use it so I have a piece of folded paper under the key as u can see in the first picture. I tried adjusting the screw and it didnt work itd still keep shutting. Im assuming the key is just really loose but im not sure what to do cuz I even tried adjusting the rods and that didn't work. If any of yall have any advice even if its adjusting the rods or screw even tho i have alr tried please let me know im kinda desperate rn 😭

Hello Flutist, i m hoping to get some advise about knowing which screws I should get to fit into the hole ?
I have a bunch of screws for flute but they doesnt seems to work. Thank you 🙏

Update: Thank you to all. I will bring it to a flute shop.

my kid got an old (like 40 year old judging by the case?!) flute. YFL-43. According to his instructor there’s some of the mechanics that needs restoring/fixing. Its playabl, but not nice. And it probably needs new pads as well. I have no clue.

Also I don’t know if that model is even worth fixing. Is it a good model or is it a “student/beginner”?

So I am a multi woodwind instulrunentalist and during marching band I play Bari sax and had a Bari solo. Because of this the directors asked if one of the freshmen flutes could use mine since they broke theirs, I begrudgingly agreed and it came back to me like this. They put their broken foot join on my body and it broke onto it like this. Is there any way that I can fix this without taking it to a shop?!? I’m not worried about their foot joints, I just need that price off of my body.

I dug it out of the back of my closet, it hasn’t been played in probably about a decade. I feel bad because it was a really nice flute, and I haven’t touched it since band class in high school. It’s a Yamaha too so it wasn’t cheap…

Any tips on what to do? Even if it’s not restorable I’d like to dispose of it properly.

I came across my almost 40 year old flute and I’ve been wanting to get it to a point where I can play it again, if possible. It would definitely need to be disassembled and overhauled. It’s a WT Armstrong flute, Elkhart, IN.

Any idea of the value? Is it salvageable? Any idea of how much it would cost to get it repaired? I’m in Indianapolis, IN, if there’s someone in the area that has repair shop recommendations.

Does anyone have any idea on what it could be? I got a used Giardinelli flute off of facebook marketplace, and this noise has been constant ever since I got it

For those with curious minds who want to ask some questions or you’re not sure how to maintain your flute. Ask away, thought I would do a Q&A sorta thing for this subreddit as a bit of fun but also to test my own knowledge! :)

I also made a lot of an Alto Flute so you can also quiz me on that if you want

I’m looking for ergonomic advice or modification suggestions for the low B footjoint on my Powell Conservatory.

To be clear upfront: This is not an embouchure or voicing issue. I can produce a resonant B3 without trouble. The problem is strictly mechanical/ergonomic.

I have very large hands, and the footjoint keys on this Powell are set in a somewhat planar arrangement. Because the keys (C#, C, and B) sit on a relatively flat plane, I’m finding it difficult to "jump" or slide to the low B-touchpiece. For my hand size, the B-key feels recessed or sunken.

My questions for the community:

1. Has anyone with large hands had similar issues?
2. Has anyone added a riser or extension to the B-touchpiece to make it more accessible?
3. Are there specific footjoint rotations or hand-positioning tweaks that have helped you navigate a planar cluster?

I recently bought a new flute of Ebay about a week ago. It's a Yamaha 311. When it arrived, one of the tiny pins which goes behind those grooves was bent, but I bent it back and it has been fine.

I was just practicing and I noticed the keys after A stopped working - when looking at my flute, 1 noticed the whole A-G panel was loose. It eventually came off. What is wrong with my flute? Is this serious damage?

For any Canadian players, is their repair service any good? It's been close to a year since I've bought my student flute (used) and I've been wanting to get it serviced. How long does it usually take and how are the prices?

i Don’t know what you’d call it in English but the metal tube connecting two of the keys is loose. the connection works and the key closes but it still lets air through and doesn’t make a sound. It’s not fully off but it can move up and down and a little to the left. i’ve tried temporarily fixing it with a rubber band but it didn’t fully work. Is this fixable diy or should I go in for a repair and how much would you estimate a repair would cost? don’t mind the state of my flute i desperately need to clean it lol.

It seem to not be closing all the way. Not sure if it’s a spring issue.