No Extras Needed

So you're done with a rehearsal or practice session, fold your polishing cloth neatly, place it over your flute, and close the case.  No problem, right?  Well, actually, we had a student flute in the repair shop this week, and when our Repair Technician, Rachel Baker, opened the case, she noticed a cloth over the flute, which prompted this little reminder...

Don't put anything in your flute case except the flute.  If you have a cloth covering the flute, it will press against the keys when you close the case.  Rachel mentioned that polishing cloths can be kind of bulky, and not only do they exert unnecessary pressure on the mechanism, they can also get caught on key pads, causing the pads to tear.  As for other items -- maybe a swabstick, pencil, etc. -- if they are placed in the case, they can move around, bumping into the flute and causing damage.

Placing additional items in the case outside of the flute is definitely not a good thing -- and placing them inside the flute is also a no-no.  You don't want to leave your swab in the flute after your are done swabbing out.  Rachel says, "You get all the moisture out, and then you put it back in" if you leave the swab in the flute.

There is one exception to the rule -- an anti-tarnish square. These can be placed on the flat area of the case on the far left, as you'll see in the photo below.  Other than this small anti-tarnish square (usually a strip or a very small sponge-like material), make sure there are no "extra" items in the case or on the flute.  Remembering the simple rule of "nothing goes in the case except the flute" should keep your flute happy and healthy!

Anti-tarnish square is on flat spot on the far left of the case (next to body tenon).

Braiding the Zipper Pull

One question we received recently was about the zipper pull on our leather Powell case covers.  We know it gets much wear and tear and has come unraveled for some Powell owners. Our repair technician was even stumped, but she did offer the recommendation of contacting craft stores or other people who may have experience making braided jewelry.  After a bit more research, we discovered that a trip to the craft store may not be needed -- you can watch video tutorials!

The braid is a 4-strand "diamond braid" or "round braid."  We hope the videos below will help. You'll have two middle strands and two outer strands.  Each outer strand will go back around the two middle strands and then through them. You'll do this in succession, alternating the outer strands. It's much easier to watch, though!  One thing we could not find was how to tie the end of the braid.  From what we've seen, it looks like a regular knot should work, but feel free to explore the web for some more intricate knots.

Have Flute, Will Travel...

The NFA is just around the corner, and we know that flutists from around the globe will be flying in to Chicago.  That being said, we thought it would be a great opportunity to get our repair technician's thoughts on the best way to travel with a flute.  We all agreed that the preferred method is to hand carry your flute in a gig bag so that is on the plane with you.  Our Customer Service Manager gave us a tip from one of her customers, who always puts his flute (in its gig bag) in the overhead compartment across the aisle from his seat so that he can keep his eyes on it at all times.

However, we realize that it is not always possible to carry your flute on the plane.  We asked our technician about flutes in checked baggage, and she said it would be perfectly fine as long as the flute is well-fitted in the case.  To quote her exactly, "the case is designed to protect the flute, and as long as the flute is fitting properly, there should not be a problem."  How can you tell if it is fitting properly?  Well, you can put the flute in its case and give the closed case a shake.  If you feel or hear anything, the flute is not fitting properly.

Our technician tells us that she has seen flutes come in with cases that have "extra padding" inside the top lid to help protect the flute -- but this is definitely not what you want to do.  She has seen bubble wrap, towels, and all sorts of "padding," but this is a huge problem because the padding is pressing down on the key mechanism.  Her recommendation is to pad the case in the areas where the material would only come in contact with the flute body and never the mechanism.  So, where would that be?  It's on the "blocking" of the case, which you will see in the photos below.  If you visualize the case coming down to close, you will notice that the points of contact are not on any part of the mechanism -- only the body.

Yellow lines outline the right side of blocking.  Yellow arrows show points of contact.

Yellow line outlines left side of blocking.  Yellow arrive shows point of contact.

So, regardless of how the flute is transported (hand carried, checked), making sure that it fits properly in its case is critical.  If it does, the case will be able to "do its job" and protect the flute!