Headjoint Dents and Dings

Dented headjoint

Same headjoint after repair

Picture this scenario: you've accidentally bumped your headjoint against something (like a stand), and panic sets in. You question what to do -- call your repair technician?  Figure it's not so bad and leave it?  It may be difficult to decide -- after all, how can you tell if it's going to be a problem or if it can/should be fixed?  We spoke with Powell's repair technician, Rachel Baker, to find out!

Rachel said small dents and dings are not usually a problem. However, if the dent is so big that it is constricting the flow of air, you definitely need to have it repaired.  If your headjoint is made from solid precious metals like sterling silver or gold, it should not be a problem to repair.  However, if you're headjoint is plated, Rachel says the dent could be removed and "look better but never fully 'disappear'."

So, can all dents be repaired?  If the dent is on the headjoint tubing, most of the time, yes.  If the dent is on your lip plate, well, unfortunately, that would not be able to be repaired (see previous post on dented lip plates by following this link).  If you've dented the tenon, you'll definitely need to call your repair technician and get that fixed right away.  Rachel says a dented tenon needs to be repaired so that it will fit into the flute properly and not leak air.  Most tenon dents can be repaired.  According to Rachel, "If it's a dent, yes.  If it's a complete crunch, no..."  To read more on how tenon dents are repaired, click the following post titles to read more:

Dented Headjoint
Dented Tenon - Part I
Dented Tenon - Part II

Repair Technician Rachel Baker removing dent in tenon.

Dented Headjoint

Have you ever accidentally hit your headjoint against, say, the corner of a music stand?  Seems like no big deal, but then you check to see what the damage is, and yes -- it's dented.  No need to worry, though, because it really is quite simple to repair.  We recently stopped into Powell's repair shop to our find repair technician, Rachel Baker, about to repair the dented headjoint in the photo below.

The headjoint was dented in, so it needed to be corrected by bringing the dented metal up and smoothing it out.  Cleaning everything first is very important, so Rachel began the process by running the headjoint through the ultrasonic cleaner.  She then used alcohol to clean the inside of the headjoint and the outside of the repair mandrel.  The cleaning process is very important, because any dirt particles could cause separate bumps when you are burnishing the metal against the mandrel.  Once everything was clean, Rachel placed the headjoint on the mandrel.  She then pressed the headjoint against the mandrel and pulled it toward the mandrel's edge, using the mandrel's edge to push the dented metal back up.  This step was repeated a few times to really "iron out" the dent.  She then took a burnishing tool and burnished the metal back down against the mandrel to smooth out any high spots.  Finally, she polished it, and that was it!  Done and good as new.  The whole process was complete in a matter of minutes.  So, remember, a small dent is not the end of the world -- it can be corrected!

The dented headjoint

Cleaning the inside of the headjoint.

Visual inspection -- making sure it's clean.

Placing headjoint on mandrel.

Pressing headjoint against mandrel and pulling toward edge.

Mandrel's edge helps bring up the dented metal.

Burnishing to smooth it out.

Last step -- polishing.

Good as new!