To continue to toot your flute and play your pic, don't fail to follow the instructions below.
Description
Procedure
Frequency
Clean bore
Use a "cat-tail" swab and clean and dry the bore of each piece of the flute.
After every use
Remove fingerprints
Use a dry, untreated cloth (handkerchief or such) to wipe fingerprints from the keys and body. This helps prevent staining and tarnishing..
After every use
Dusting
Use a small, soft paint brush to remove dust and dirt from under keys. As you brush, blow the loosened material away.See Warnings
Monthly
Oil mechanisms
Use a straight pin, dipped in key oil, applied to the joint between each key and post and between keys. See Warnings
Monthly
Clean head joint
Swish your head joint in cool, soapy water, rinse and let dry. If you have an extra "cat-tail" swab, your can use it to scrub the bore of the head joint, but the swab will take a while to dry, so use it only for this procedure and get another for the daily wipe and dry procedure above.
Monthly
PAY ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS. Call if you need help.
Be aware that too vigorous brushing under keys may loosen or knock loose key corks. Key corks are thin cushions used to help prevent noise as keys are opened or closed. Some key corks are important for making the horn play properly, but most aren't critical.
Too vigorous brushing under keys may also unhook needle springs. Needle springs are those little wires that connect the posts and the keys. They are used to either lift the key after you release it or to hold a key shut. Springs ARE critical to the horn playing properly. If you see a spring that is not hooked, just push it back until it hooks back onto the little hook on the key.
Just because it is a screw doesn't mean it has to be tightened!!! Leave the screw turning to someone who knows what they are doing, which is usually NOT you. :)
Tiny drops of oil are what you want when oiling your mechanisms. Too much oil combines with the dust and dirt on your horn to make mud. Oiling is critical to prevent rust and corrosion on the fasteners that hold the keys on.
Please do not use super glue on your horn in any way, shape, form, or fashion. To do so will cause extra time and expense with repairs and will not be corrected under our maintenance agreement.
Flutes and piccolos are either nickel-plated or silver-plated. The nickel-plating does not tarnish as easily as the silver, but is harder (actually, almost impossible) to polish than silver. If you don't mind a little work and can pay attention to the warnings above, a silver-plated flute can be kept looking good.
DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT
use any polishing cloth that puts red stuff on your hands to polish your silver flute. You may use a cloth that has a white or yellow inner cloth that turns black when you use it. The reason? The red stuff rubs off the silver.
'nuff said?
When polishing your instrument, DO NOT TOUCH THE PADS WITH THE CLOTH.
