Maintenance Guide

Some of the repairs that Sally has carried out could have been avoided by following this simple guide. Also by following this guide you can also prolong the life of your instrument.

When you remove your instrument from it's case never lift it out by the keywork. The mechanism can be damaged and it could affect its playing.

When you assemble your instrument or take it apart never hold it by the keywork. This again can cause damage. Hold the head joint (avoid holding the lip plate) and the body around the barrel where the head joints fits in. You will have to hold the mechanism on the footjoint, but be careful. Place your thumb gently on the C and C# key cups to move the footjoint with a quarter turn clockwise into position. If your joints become stiff give them a good clean with a cloth, never use grease as this will attract more dirt and dust and make it worse. If cleaning them does not improve the fit contact a repairer as the joint could become stuck on.

After you have finished playing your instrument always replace it safely back in it's case to avoid any accidental damage and it will help keep it clean.

When you have completely finished playing for the day you should remove all the moisture from inside the instrument. Any moisture can cause the pads to swell and even rust the rods and springs. This could cause the keys to jam. Use a clean gauze cloth on your cleaning rod to remove the moisture. Do not leave the damp cloth in the case with the flute as this could still cause damage. You should also remove any finger prints as they are much harder to remove once they have dried on they can also damage the plating. You can use a silver cleaning cloth but do not use any cleaning liquids, like polish. Try not to clean in between the keys as you can damage the pads or move the springs out of place. The tricky bits between the keys can be cleaned on it's annual service.

If you require further advice or have any questions please contact Sally.