A Clean Tenon is a Happy Tenon

Ever feel like your headjoint has mysteriously become harder and harder to fit smoothly into the barrel? It may seem perplexing, but there is a very simple and likely culprit that can really make the headjoint excessively tight.  What might it be?  Grime! 

Headjoint tenons and the flute's barrel can accumulate all kinds of dirt and grime from everyday wear and tear.  As things get dirtier and it becomes harder to assemble the flute, some people are prone to grease up the headjoint tenon with something like cork grease or other lubricating oils and creams.  Don't do it!  The creams, greases, and oils will build up on the tenon and inside the barrel, attracting more dirt, dust and grime.  If it becomes difficult to assemble the flute, forcing the parts together could lead to damage.  So, make sure to keep your headjoint tenon and the inside of your barrel clean.  What do you need for this?  Well, just a simple, untreated microfiber cloth.  To clean the headjoint tenon, simply wipe the outside with the cloth.  For the inside of the barrel, cover your finger with the cloth and gently wipe the inside of the barrel.

Tenon fit issues are not restricted to headjoints, though.  Think about your body tenon and footjoint.  Has it become increasingly difficult to put the footjoint on?  Grime strikes this area as well – both on the body tenon and inside the top of the footjoint. Also, make sure to resist the temptation to put any type of grease, cream, or oil on the body tenon.  Just as is the case with the headjoint tenon, these lubricating substances will attract more dust and dirt and then build up on the body tenon and inside the top of the footjoint.

So, make sure to keep things from getting grimey.  Keeping your tenons and the areas where they connect clean (inside the barrel and footjoint) is a simple strategy for helping your flute stay happy and healthy!

Torn Pads from Polishing?

Polishing cloths are pretty harmless in general, and a nice, plain microfiber one is really best for your flute.  However, the good intentions of keeping your flute clean with a few swipes of the polishing cloth can lead to torn pads if you are not careful.  How is this possible?  Well, we visited the repair shop this week to find out more...

Repair Technician, Rachel Baker, tells us that cloths can be rather "big and bulky."  If you have the cloth bunched up, and/or you are wiping too close to the tone holes, you can wind up tearing the pads.  This is also quite common if you try to clean the areas between the tone holes.  Rachel says that those areas really shouldn't get that dirty since you are not touching them, so it is best to leave those areas untouched when you are wiping your flute.  Really, all you need to do is wipe the keys since you are touching them, and wipe the back of the body (where there are no tone holes). 

We know technique is important when we play, but it's also important when you clean the flute.  You'll want to use a very small area of the cloth and clean small areas at a time.  Make sure to stay far away from the tone holes (and pads).  We've included a few photos below to give you an idea of what you want to do -- and what you want to avoid doing -- with the cloth.  And if you do get a bit of tarnish in a spot that you can't clean, it's okay.  As Rachel says, "A little bit of tarnish is better than replacing all your pads!"

*Note -- the flute in the photos was in the repair shop, so you'll see blue tape.  We realize you will be cleaning the actual metal, but we used these mainly to focus on the cloth.

Too much cloth, too close to tone hole and pad.

Even with it folded, this is still too close to the tone hole and pad.

This is what you want to do -- just a small bit of cloth.

Try to stay far away from the tone holes -- like in this photo.