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...

Fitting a Footjoint - Part II

We were upstairs on the production floor earlier this week when we ran into flute finisher Lindsey McChord fitting a footjoint.  We had a previous post on footjoint fitting (you can see the post by clicking here), but that post detailed how to fit a footjoint when the body tenon was too big.  So, what happens when the tenon is too small?  We had the chance to find out!

When we caught up with Lindsey, she had a Conservatory with a body tenon that was just slightly too small for the footjoint.  Additionally, Lindsey felt a bit of "rocking" when she placed the footjoint on the tenon, so she needed to expand the body tenon just slightly.  To do this, she placed the body on an arbor and began burnishing the tenon.  Burnishing is a process where the metal of the tenon is pressed against the metal arbor.  By doing this, the tenon metal expands from the pressure.  However, the pressure has to be very light, and you have to exert equal pressure all around.  Because the process is so delicate, Lindsey began by burnishing the tenon in about three spots.  She then tested the fit, and it was still a bit loose.  The initial three burnished spots on the tenon were visible as lines that had a bit of a "matte" finish.  Since she could see the initial marks, she then burnished the tenon in a few more spots between the areas that were burnished in the previous step.   Once again, she tested the fit.  It was good -- even a bit on the tight side.

Now that the fit was almost perfect, there was one more step needed to remove any marks from the burnishing process and get a perfect fit.  To do this, Lindsey used very fine-grade sandpaper on the tenon.  The rough side of the sandpaper is good for removing slight bits of material, so Lindsey sanded a bit with that side of the paper.  However, she also used the opposite, smooth side of the sandpaper to smooth out any marks.  Then, she took a tissue and wiped both the outside of the body tenon and the inside of the footjoint.  This helped remove any debris that might hinder a smooth fit.  After this, she tested the fit of the tenon once again, and it was perfect.  She then added the final step of a bit of polish to shine and smooth the tenon, and it was ready!

Recapping the process, it may seem simple enough, but it truly takes great skill and patience.  Every step in burnishing must be done in very small, light increments -- but the most important skill is the ability to feel the fit.  It's much more than a matter of  "too tight" or "too loose."  One must be able to assess the fit on many levels and feel the slightest imperfections.

Checking the fit of the footjoint.  It is a bit loose and "rocking."

Placing the body tenon on an arbor.

Burnishing the tenon with a burnishing tool.

Burnishing marks -- these serve as a guide, too, for additional burnishing.

Checking the fit again.  Just a tiny bot too tight now.

Sanding the tenon to remove marks and make it just a bit smaller after burnishing.

Using the opposite side of the sandpaper to smooth out the tenon.

Cleaning out any residue in the footjoint.  This was done on the tenon as well.

Checking the fit again -- perfect now.

After polishing, the tenon is shiny and smooth.  Done!

Visualizing the Process

We’ve seen quite a few grenadilla Custom Powell flutes come through the finishing department this year and were curious to know more about them.  They always look and sound beautiful, but we wondered about the crafting process and what the challenges may be.  After all, wood is very different from metal, so how would one even begin to make a grenadilla flute?

We visited with our Wood Instrument  Shop Manager, Tim Burnett, and asked  -- “what are the biggest challenges to making a wooden flute?”  He simply said, “the tone holes.”  Really?  Why would that be?  Sitting down with Tim, it became much clearer to us.  He told us that piccolos are made from a traditional construction process of reaming a piece of wood.  The conical shape of their bore is common to other woodwinds, and the process of making these instruments has been around for centuries.  To make a flute, however, one must create an “accurately formed cylindrical bore with raised tone holes” – and this is extremely challenging.

Tim shared with us that it is the size of the tone holes that makes the process very difficult.   The size of the tone holes in relation to the bore, specifically, is a tremendous challenge. As you can see in the photo to the right, the tone holes are quite large relative to the bore, and they are also very close together.  The tone holes must be very carefully placed relative to the growth of the wood.  One must look at the orientation of the growth rings of the wood to truly get an idea of where the holes should be placed.  Issues that arise when tone holes are not placed properly include cracking and the formation of tone holes that do not have a stable seal.  The D# and trill keys are particularly vulnerable to cracking because they are close to the metal.  Because of the expansion and contraction of the wood, spots where the metal and wood meet have traditionally been at risk for cracking – although, Tim tells us that modern adhesives used in the process allow for more movement of the wood.

So, the most essential part of the process occurs before any holes are drilled.  Tim begins by inspecting a piece of wood and deciding if it is suitable for a flute.  The inspection requires skill well beyond looking for “blemishes” -- you have to be able to look at the piece of wood and visualize it as a finished flute body, footjoint, or headjoint.  Tim looks at the wood from top to bottom, going back and forth to determine what it may become.  Often times, it is not the entire piece of wood that will be used.  For instance, Tim may look at a piece of wood and visualize a footjoint in one section of the piece (he points out the footjoint section in the photo to the right). This section would then be cut to length, and the process would begin.  The same could be said for headjoints.  For a flute body, the entire length of the piece of wood would be used.

As you can see, the process requires many skills – and visualization of the finished product is key.  Wood is a material with many variables that must be considered before it becomes a flute or headjoint.  In addition to grain growth, one must also consider the age of the wood and the location of the piece within the tree to determine whether it is suitable.  It has to be right from the beginning, because with a wooden flute, you can’t go back and fix it!

Tone holes are much larger than the small holes
for screws that hold the ribs on to the body.

The full length of this piece would be used for a body.

This piece (shorter than the one above) would be used for a headjoint.

Fitting a Foot Joint

We recently caught up with flute finisher Lindsey McChord as she was about to fit a footjoint.  It seemed to be a great topic in our opinion -- especially since we discussed headjoint fitting in a previous post on our repair blog at http://www.repairmyflute.com/2012/09/headjoint-fit.html. 

Footjoint fit is too tight and needs to be adjusted.

Lindsey told us that headjoint and footjoint fitting are basically the last steps in the finishing process.  Specifically, Lindsey prefers to fit the footjoint first.  When we caught up with her, the footjoint she was fitting was too tight because the footjoint tenon on the body was particularly heavy at the bottom (toward the edge).  In order to correct this, Lindsey placed the flute body on a piece of equipment known as an "arbor," which holds it in place and keeps it from moving.  She then sanded the tenon to achieve the correct fit.  Very fine sandpaper is used in this process (usually 800 or 1200 grit).  However, the process of sanding does not actually take material away -- it simply smooths the material out and makes for an even fit all around.  When sanding the tenon, it is important to make little changes bit by bit, always checking the fit in between.  Lindsey assembled the footjoint on the body to check for any rocking motion (both vertically and horizontally) after each slight sanding.  It's important to check both of these directions for rocking motion, because if the footjoint tenon is not completely round, you may feel rocking in one direction but not the other.  Any heavy areas are sanded first (in this case, the bottom of the tenon), and then the tenon is sanded all around.  Once again, she checks the fit after each slight bit of sanding.  The sanding/checking process is repeated until the perfect fit is achieved.  Luckily, it only took a few steps to adjust the tenon so that it was smooth and fitting perfectly with the footjoint!

Tenon is a bit "heavy" at the bottom as you can see from the line on the tenon.

"Arbor" used to hold the flute in place.

Body placed on the arbor to sand the tenon.

Sanding the tenon with a small piece of sandpaper, focusing on the heavy area.

Checking the footjoint fit.  This step is repeated after every adjustment.

Sanding the entire tenon with a larger piece of sandpaper to smooth everything out.

Tenon is smoothed, even, and perfectly fit with the footjoint!

                                                            

B Foot or C Foot?

We recently came across a Powell Aurumite Conservatory flute in the testing room, and something seemed a bit different...  The footjoint seemed a bit "shorter" and seemed to be missing a tone hole.  Was this a mistake?  Of course not!  It was simply a C Foot flute.  With Powell Flutes, every model is available as either B Foot or C foot.  This includes, Signature, Conservatory, and Custom models.  In fact, there is an option to buy an additional foot for the custom flutes.  So, for example, if you were to by a Custom with a C foot, you could purchase an additional B foot as well.  Powell Sonaré flutes are available as B foot or C foot models, which are actually identified by the first letter of the model.  You can see a listing of these models on the Powell Sonaré page of the Powell website.  You will notice codes for various model numbers.  If the code begins with a C, it's a C foot -- if it begins with a B, it's a B foot.  Examples would be CGF and BGF.  A CGF would have a C foot, inline G, and French cups.  The BGF would have a B foot, inline G, and French cups.

So, what exactly are the differences between a C foot flute and a B foot?  Well, the C foot, as you can see in the photos, has a range that extends down to C.  With this range, there are only two tone holes on the footjoint, no B key, and no gizmo key.  A B foot flute would have a range that extends down to B, so it would have three tone holes on the footjoint, a B key, and (on Powell flutes) a gizmo key.  The gizmo key helps facilitate the high C -- you can read more about its history in our previous post on the gizmo key.  However, B foot models of Powell flutes are also available without a gizmo key.  Because a C foot flute has less physical material in its construction, it will also be lighter to hold and will be priced lower than a B foot.  In the U.S., the majority of Powell sales are for flutes with a B foot.  In the UK, many players prefer the C foot.  Regardless of your choice, Powell has the option with each model (as mentioned above).  There are also cases available from Powell for either a B foot or C foot flute.  The photos below show Aurumite Conservatory C foot and B foot models.

C Foot -- two tone holes, no B key, no gizmo.

Close-up on C footjoint.

B Foot has three tone holes and additional keys.

Red arrow points to gizmo key, yellow points to B key.