Building the White Gold Flute - Part 3

This week, we spent time with Custom flute body maker, Alex Shtyrkov, once again.  He was preparing to silver braze the tone holes,  Now, we realize that this type of tone hole is referred to as a "soldered tone hole," but Powell actually silver brazes its tone holes.  What is the difference?  Well, brazing requires a much higher temperature than soldering, and the flute is put through an oven for the brazing process.  We have a previous post on brazing and soldering at http://www.flutebuilder.com/2012/06/why-solder-matters.html.  In the video below, you will see Alex prepare the tone holes with a brazing paste and then put the flute through the brazing oven.

After the flute comes out of the oven, Alex removes the small fixtures that held the tone hole rings on to the body for the brazing process.  At this point, the actual holes need to be made in the body, which is referred to as "milling tone holes."  It is basically a process of cutting through the metal with a rotary device to make the hole.  After the holes are milled, Alex "faces" the tops of the tone hole rings so that they will be the proper height and shape.  You will see the milling and facing in the video below:

Check back next week as we the body making process continues...

Building the White Gold Flute - Part 1

Entering the order

As we prepare for the 2014 NFA Convention, we'd like to highlight the process of building a flute -- but not just any flute.  In fact, we are building a 14k white gold Powell Custom with 14k rose gold keys specifically for this year's Convention.  In our series of posts, we will follow the white gold flute from start to finish!  Recently, we discovered letters of correspondence between Verne Q. Powell and Fritz Baker.  Baker was the former principal flutist with the Denver Symphony and owner of Powell #900, the only completely white gold flute made by Mr. Powell.  Click here to read a previous post on the color of white gold and here for a detailed post on Mr. Baker's white gold flute.

The process of building a Powell flute begins with a sales order being entered into our computer system.  The order specifies the details and specs of the flute, and then a work order is generated.  The work order follows the flute along every step as the flute is being made

In the videos below, we see the next two steps that take place after the work order is generated.  First, materials must be inspected.  Then, the body kit and stringing kit are put together.  We visited the materials area of the production floor to film the following videos of the materials inspection with Materials Manager, Dawn Rothwell-Mann, and assembly of kits with Materials Coordinator, Helen Power.

Cutting Headjoints

To select "the" perfect headjoint, flute players must evaluate the headjoint on many levels.  After catching up with flute finisher, Lindsey McChord, in the headjoint cutting room, we discovered that the careful assessment of a headjoint's qualities starts long before it reaches the player's hands.  In fact, it begins in the headjoint cutting process...

Lindsey was cutting a Soloist headjoint when we stopped in to see her.  She gave us an overview of the process, which involved several steps of visual inspection inside and out, careful measurement of size and angles, marking, scraping, sanding, and polishing.  Since Lindsey must assess areas inside the headjoint, she uses a small mirror to help her see those areas as well.  She uses a few electric tools for sanding and scraping, but the majority of her work is simply cutting the headjoint by hand with a hand scraper.  Even in the steps of the process where she uses bench motor attachments, a tremendous amount of skill is needed to maneuver the headjoint with these tools properly.  As you can imagine, she is working with very small areas when she is cutting, sanding, and polishing.  The process takes extreme control and the ability to feel what you are doing.

After Lindsey is finished cutting a headjoint, it is then evaluated.  The actual cutting and subsequent evaluation are the two most time consuming parts of the process.  The headjoint must be play tested and compared to the model for its style (there are currently four Powell headjoint styles).  If the headjoint is not exactly the way she wants it, she must take it back and re-evaluate.  Her task at this point is to examine and assess what exactly is making the headjoint different -- and the differences can be very small.  She told us, "you have to look at the headjoint and be hypersensitive to microscopic things.  You have to be very intense and not be distracted by other things."  In this part of the process, she shared that the mirror is very helpful, because certain things can only be seen this way.

Theoretically, all headjoints of the same style are cut to be exactly the same -- yet they may not be.  There may be tiny differences that will make them play differently, and Lindsey uses the skill she has developed in cutting headjoints along with her skills as a flutist to detect these differences and make any further adjustments.

Measuring angles.

Measuring width.

Sanding.

Cutting with the hand scraper.

Riser after being cut and polished. 

A few tools used in the process.  The mirror is critical for seeing inside.

The Extra Measure

We stopped by the finishing department this week and noticed a small, flat, spatula-looking tool on one of our finisher's benches.  We hadn't seen this item before, because we visit our finishers at different stages of the finishing process.  So, we just had to find out -- what exactly is this tool?  Well, it is a device that the finishers use to measure the distance between the edge of the key cup and the top of the pad.  Instead of just putting pads in key cups and letting them "fall where they may," this device allows them to measure the distance, which is known as pad "protrusion," so that all the pads are seated with a standard amount of protrusion.

Now, the measure is a standard, and it is a beginning point in the pad seating process.  As we know very well, the finishers spend a great amount of time shimming the pads so that they are not leaking or unevenly seated ("light" or "heavy" in certain areas).  Finishers also work with this measurement tool to make sure that the pad will touch the top of the tone hole evenly.  This is quite challenging since the key itself comes down on the cup at an angle.  If the measurement is correct all around, the pad will touch evenly.  If it is not correct, the front or back of the pad may touch the tone hole too soon.  Once everything is in place and measured, the finishers will take a feeler gauge to the pad and double-check the seating.  The finisher may need to add additional full or partial shims, though.  So, not every pad will remain exactly the same, but the tool certainly helps guide the finishers and creates a standard measure to work with in the process.

Small tool for measuring pad protrusion (directly to the right of the flute).

Red arrow points to even protrusion.  Yellow arrow helps point out that the keys close at an angle.

Uneven protrusion.  Red arrow points to front of pad -- which is too high.  Yellow arrow points to pad protrusion in the back.

Checking pad seating with a feeler gauge.

Side-by-side example: Pad is too high on the top cup, good on the one below it.

Finished footjoint.  Shims may need to be added even after a pad is measured, so pads may not always have the exact same amount of protrusion.

The "Play-In"

Preparing shims before the play-in

The assumption that musical instruments are play-tested before they leave the shop is accurate, but at Powell Flutes, the process is a bit different.  We recently caught up with flute finisher Karl Kornfeld, who was getting an Aurumite Conservatory ready for its "play-in."  According to Karl, the "play-in" is actually part of the finishing process and not a "play test."  It is, however, the first time that the instrument is played.  So, what exactly does all this mean?  Let's take a look...

Karl had just finished the flute from a mechanical perspective.  He had all the mechanism work completed, finished padding, and was now going through to make small adjustments for the "play in."  Theoretically, once all the "parts" are built onto the flute, and if all the steps are followed properly, it should work perfectly, right?  Well, in theory, that is correct, but there may be some slight adjustments necessary for it to be comfortable and ready for the "play-in."  So, before it goes over to a professional for the initial play-in, Karl checks the flute.  He makes sure the mechanisms are all the correct "weight," tests spring tension, checks for leaks, and makes any additional adjustments.  Now the flute is ready for the "play-in."  The finisher knows that this is an important part of the process, because after the initial playing, the flute will "settle."

Fine-tuning another shim

We asked our testing manager what steps she takes to "play-in" the flute.  She prefers to perform music that will cover the full range of the flute, such as French pieces or modern repertoire.  After she plays the flute, it begins to settle from the action of being played, and it is then closer to being ready for the customer.  Of course, after she plays the flute, she must evaluate it to see if (in its more "settled" state) it needs any additional "tweaks."  Karl knows that there will undoubtedly be additional adjustments after the play-in.  Then, once those are completed, it is ready for a final play test.  When it passes another evaluation from the play-test, it is ready for the customer.

Checking spring tension and mechanism "weight"

Checking for leaks

Piccolo Headjoints

By Tim Burnett - Powell Flutes Wooden Instrument Manager

It is common enough to say the piccolo is different from the flute and that playing techniques must also differ. But why, essentially, should this be true? There are, of course, obvious physical differences between the instruments: The piccolo is commonly made of wood or a substitute, and most often has a conical bore, rather like many pre-Boehm flutes. These, in themselves, are enough to give the instrument a different response and feel from those of a cylindrical-bore, metal flute. But there still is the basis of tone production, the headjoint. What differences are there, and what choices does a player have?

Close-up on Classic style headjoint.

Traditional piccolo headjoints are essentially cylindrical, or, more properly, several shapes revolved around an axis. The bore is cylindrical (unlike a flute headjoint bore), but, of course, the outside varies in diameter, so that it looks like, well, a piccolo headjoint. Powell Classic piccolo headjoints have a slight swell near the embouchure, giving the head an elegant appearance, and helping a bit to focus the air stream. This feature is sometimes seen on late 18^th century Classical-era flutes and occasionally on instruments from other eras. Despite such refinements, however, the essential headjoint shape remains cylindrical, and the relationship of the embouchure hole to the player's lips is constrained by this fact.

Piccolo specialists often prefer the plain, unadorned embouchure hole of such a head. Many players say they feel they have the best focus and control with a minimalist setup. But, there are also very many flute players, and even serious piccolo players, who prefer something closer to their flute headjoint.

Wave style on the left, Profiled on the right.

For such players, Powell offers two styles of piccolo headjoint in addition to the Classic shape. These are the Profiled, and the Wave. The Profiled features a miniature flute-style lip plate carved from the solid wood of the headjoint. The Wave is a more simple and elegant version of the so-called Reformmundstück often seen on German piccolos.

Classic, Wave, and Profiled styles.

The Profiled piccolo headjoint immediately gives the player more of the feel of a flute. This type of head minimizes the adjustment needed between instruments. Many doublers, especially, say they can put down their flute and pick up their piccolo and instantly feel secure. This head can produce a clear, well-projecting sound with great comfort.

The Wave accomplishes similar things, but with more of the feel of a traditional piccolo. This head also easily produces a clear, well-projecting and articulated sound, with perhaps a little more sweetness to it.

The thing both these heads have in common, however, relates to the geometry of the embouchure hole. The walls of the embouchure must be approximately the same depth or thickness in a traditional piccolo head. There are some refinements possible, but essentially the depth of the embouchure hole is symmetrical, because it is cut approximately into the center of a cylinder.

It is easy to vary the relative heights or thicknesses of the walls of a flute headjoint, however, because the parts are made of metal, and they can be designed and assembled to differing specifications. Thus, it is possible to make flute headjoints with the “front” wall (the side opposite the player’s lips) higher or lower than the “back” wall (the side toward the player).  Many players are accustomed to flute headjoints, such as the Powell Philharmonic-style head, that have a slightly higher front wall. The feel and focus necessary for such flute headjoints is rather different from that of a traditional piccolo head. Because both the Profiled and Wave piccolo headjoints have front walls that are higher than the back walls, these heads retain more of the feel of a flute. For many players, such headjoints offer the best of both the flute and piccolo worlds, without the trouble of the often difficult journey between them.