Handmade Custom Choices

If you are thinking about purchasing a Powell Handmade Custom flute, there are several options and material choices that truly customize the instrument to your preferences.  Today's choices go well beyond silver and gold to include grenadilla wood and eight different metals.  In addition to the body choices, you also have different options for the mechanism material on flutes with 10k, 14k , 19.5k, platinum, and grenadilla bodies.  Whereas soldered tone holes are available on all metal flutes, drawn tone holes are also an option for silver flutes and most gold flutes (with the exception of 14k white gold).

Each Handmade Custom flute is also made with your preference for key cups (French or American), G keys (offset or inline), pitch (A-440, 442, or 444), and footjoint, (B foot with or without gizmo, or C foot).  Metal flutes may be ordered with either a pinned or pinless mechchanism.  Further customizations include the option of a C# trill, D# roller, split-E,  and G-disc. engraving, 10k or 14k tone holes, and a 14k "package' of 14k tone holes, posts, and rings.

The chart below (click it to enlarge) lists materials, options, and customizations for Powell's Handmade Custom flutes.  To view more information, download the full Powell brochure at https://powellflutes.com/sites/powell.mervideo.com/files/2015_vqp_brochure_1.pdf.

Aurumite Headjoints

Aurumite 14k Custom

If you've attended a convention like the NFA, you'll know that the Powell booth is filled with many flutes, piccolos, and headjoints to try.  The selection is vast, and we certainly want visitors to try different things.  But have you ever found yourself selecting a flute and headjoint combination to try, only to discover that the headjoint would not fit into the flute?  If so, you may have had a combination of an Aurumite 14k Custom flute and a silver headjoint.

Why would the silver headjoint not fit into the Aurumite 14k Custom flute?  Well, in a previous post (available through this link), we discovered that the .018" silver Custom does not have a .018" headjoint -- it has a .016" headjoint (and .016" barrel).  With an Aurumite 14k Custom, the flute has a thickness of .016," but its headjoint has a thickness of .014" -- and a barrel thickness of .014" to fit the headjoint.  The headjoint and barrel are made from the exact same Aurumite material as the flute (silver on the outside and 14k rose gold on the inside) -- they just have a different thickness.  Since the Aurumite 14k Custom has a .014"  barrel to fit the .014" headjoint, a silver headjoint of .016" thickness would be too big. 

As for the other Aurumite flutes, the headjoint and body thicknesses are the same, so the barrel is as well.  The Ruby Aurumite Custom has a .016" headjoint, barrel, and body.  The Aurumite 9k Conservatory also has a  .016" headjoint, barrel, and body.  In these cases, a silver headjoint of .016" thickness would fit. 

What is the reasoning behind the Aurumite 14k Custom flute having a .016" body and .014" headjoint?  It is actually the same as the case with the .018" silver Custom.  It's all about sound and response.  When the Aurumite 14k Custom was developed, different headjoint thicknesses were tested, and the best sound, resonance, and response came from choosing a .014" headjoint for the .016" body!

Aurumite 9k Conservatory

Ruby Aurumite Custom

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...

The Finish "Shine"

We recently caught up with flute finisher Karl Kornfeld as he was in the final stretch of finishing a Powell Conservatory.  All adjustments had been made, it had been played in, play tested, and it was ready to go.  But there was one more step -- the final "shine."  Before a flute goes out to its new owner, it gets one final round of polishing.  The polish that is used also contains an anti-tarnish "shield," so the flute is being protected from tarnishing while it is being shined!

The keys are polished and protected from tarnishing even before the flute comes to the finishers.  However, the flute goes through several testing steps, so the final polish really helps to give the flute that extra layer of protection and shine before it is sent to its new owner.  The polish is applied to the flute keys, body, and headjoint.  It is not applied to the tone holes, because there is a possibility that it would get on the pads -- which you certainly do not want.  Karl applies the polish to the keys with a dry Q-tip and uses a toothpick to remove any excess polish from the rings in the keys.  The keys are then polished by wiping them with a cotton pad.  Karl also uses a cotton pad to apply polish to the flute body and headjoint and to polish the body and headjoint as well.  The polish can dry to powdery finish, so Karl gives the flute a quick "dusting" of pressurized air from an air hose before and after it is placed in the case.  Finally, it is all shined up and ready to go!

A bit of polish in a small cup and a Q-tip -- ready to polish the keys.

Applying the polish to the keys.

Removing excess polish from ring.

Polishing keys with cotton pad.

Applying polish to body with a cotton pad.

Wiping off polish from body.

Body is polished and shiny!

Wiping off any excess polish from body with a Q-tip.

Polish is applied to headjoint.

Wiping off polish with a cotton pad.

"Dusting" with a burst of pressurized air.

Flute is ready to go!