Building the White Gold Flute - Part 8

In the final part of our series, we watch as the white gold flute goes through the play testing process (we have a detailed, previous post on play testing which you can read by following this link).  Our play tester does a thorough visual inspection and play tests the instrument, making note of anything that may need to be adjusted.  As you will see in the video, she will also double-check any findings with gauges and make notes on assessment/evaluation paperwork.  After she is done, the flute goes back to the finisher for the adjustments to be made.  When the finisher is done, the flute goes back to the tester for another play test. 

Once the flute has gone through the final testing and adjustment process, the blue protective tape is removed.  The flute is cleaned once more, placed in its case, and sent to the customer. In the photos below, you will see the white gold flute completed and ready to be sent to its new owner.

Music Credits:
Powell Artist Paul Edmund-Davies
Georg Friedrich Handel  - Sonata in E min, HWV 379: IV.Allegro

Building the White Gold Flute - Part 6

Last week, we spent time in the stringing department with John Colvin as he fitted the keys and began building the mechanism. This particular flute has engraved keys which went to our engraver, Weiling Zhou, after John soldered the key cups to the key arms.  After the keys were engraved, they were sent back to John to be fitted to the mechanism.  In the video below, you will see a compilation of photos of the engraved keys and John finishing the mechanism.

Once the keys and mechanism are built and fitted to the body, the mechanism components (keys, mechanism tubing) are sent to the polishing room.  The body and foot joint are polished at this time as well.  The keys go through a pre-polishing step followed by two additional polishing steps.  Between each step, the keys are cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner.  In the photo compilation below, you will see the the polishing process with Alex polishing the body and footjoint, and Galina Lavrishina polishing the keys. Galina is also the finisher for this flute, so we will take a closer look at the finishing process with her next week...



Music Credits:
Video Clip 1: Powell Artist Paul Edmund-Davies
J.S. Bach  - Sonata In A maj, BWV 1032: III.Allegro

Video Clip 2: Powell Artist Aldo Baërten with Laurine Phélut
J.S. Bach - Sonata, BWV 1031 (Arr. Michael Langer): III. Allegro

Building the White Gold Flute - Part 4

In part 4 of our series on the gold flute, we meet with Alex Shtyrkov, Dennis Williams, and Weiling Zhou as several steps are completed.  In the video below, Alex finishes his work in the body making process by soldering the posts to the ribs, the ribs to the body, and the rings to the body.

In the next video, we visit with Dennis Williams and Weiling Zhou. The video begins with Dennis, who is fitting the mechanism steels.  Dennis must make sure that the steels are the proper length, shape, and that they run smoothly through the posts.  In the second part of the video, our engraver, Weiling Zhou, engraves the logo on the foot joint and body.  The engraving we see in this video includes the triangular VQP logo and "Verne Q. Powell Flutes." When the body engraving is complete, it will have the following, each on a separate line: triangular logo, "Verne Q. Powell Flutes," "Boston," serial number, and karat.  The foot joint will have the same with the exception of the serial number.

Building the White Gold Flute - Part 2

We're in week 2 of our white gold NFA Custom flute's journey to being completed.  When we last saw the flute, it was in raw material form -- body tubes and components in the body and stringing kits.  As the body and stringing kits were being assembled in the materials department, the body tubes (center and footjoint), were sent over to Powell production team member Jason Sherman.  Jason's role is to drill very small holes in the tubes.  Each hole is the center of what will actually be the full tone hole.  As with the entire process, accuracy is key.  In order to drill these holes precisely, Jason programs a CNC (Computer Numeric Control) to drill the holes into their exact locations on the tubes, as you will see in the video below.  He repositions the tubes a few times during the process to drill offset holes as well as holes on the side and back of the tubes.

Footjoint after initial holes were drilled.

After the holes are drilled, the body tubes go back to the materials department and are placed in the body kit.  The body kit is then picked up by the body maker, Alex Shtyrkov.  We spent a few days with Alex as he prepared each and every tone hole to be brazed to the body.  Before the tone holes are brazed on to the body, they must be prepared to fit the tubes exactly.  Alex goes through each tone hole, fitting them and shaping them by hand.  Once they are ready, he attaches them to the body to prepare for brazing.  The tone holes must be secured so that they do not move during the brazing process.  Securing the tone holes requires the use of small fixtures that go through the initial center holes that were drilled by Jason.  Alex secures each tone hole, and then prepares them for brazing, which we will see next week...

Ductility

Signature flutes (all have drawn tone holes).

Recently, a customer inquired as to why he could not buy a Custom Aurumite 14k, 14k white gold, or platinum flute with drawn tone holes.  We had the chance to speak with Powell’s President, Steven Wasser, to find the answer…

Closer view of the Signature flutes.

Mr. Wasser explained that the reason why drawn tone holes were not an option for flutes made from these metals is because of the metals’ ductility.  Ductility is essentially the metal’s capacity to be drawn out into a different shape (without breaking).  If a metal has a high level of ductility, it would have the capacity to withstand the tone hole drawing process.  In this process, Wasser explains “the tubing is pulled out of a small hole in the flute body into a tall ‘chimney’ to form the tone hole.   It is then rolled over and flattened to create the surface for the pad to close against” (from the post Tone Holes - Drawn or Soldered?, May 16, 2012). 

Super close-up on drawn tone holes.

All metals have a ductility level, and both white gold and platinum have reduced ductility – therefore, they do not flow the same way a much more ductile metal like silver would.  Aurumite is comprised of two different metals – one outer layer of silver, and one inner layer of 14k gold.  Silver and gold have differing levels of ductility, and the layers will want to move at different rates (with silver wanting to move faster than gold).   Although a numeric value is not always given for a metal’s ductility, a certain level is needed for the metal to be successfully drawn into tone holes.  Wasser states that a “100% success level is needed,” so if even one tone hole does not form properly in the drawing process, drawn tone holes would not be an option for that particular metal.  In this case, it would be the Aurumite 14k, 14k white gold, and platinum.