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| JERRY SCHURR FLUTE RESTORATION
100 Greenwood Ave Suite B Wyncote PA 19095 USA On the web at: http://fluterepair.oldmusicproject.com/ Phone: (215) 576-1287 Fax: (215) 576-8446 Email: jerschurr@aol.com F. RILEY, 297 BROADWAY, NYC. (circa 1848) 4 KEY, SIMPLE SYSTEM BOXWOOD, IVORY AND GERMAN SILVER FLUTE HISTORY From the New Langwill Index, a dictionary of Musical Wind-Instrument makers and inventors, first edition, 1993: “Riley, (2) Frederick WWI fl New York 1845-1851. 1845 advertised as ‘Frederick Riley & Co., manufacturers of MIs … N.B. Riley & Co. are not merely vendors of instruments and Music, but are practical manufacturers.’ ADDRESS: 1842: 29 Chatham; 1844-50: 297 ˝ Broadway; 1851: 52 Ann. CONDITION UPON ARRIVAL This flute arrived very dirty, with all tenons turnable but locked in place by loose binding thread, keys badly tarnished and all pads either missing or rotted. The ivory crown was circularly cracked due to both age and internal cork pressure. Cork plug badly rotted. Boxwood in near perfect condition other than extremely dry (natural oil loss) Ivory tenon rings in perfect condition but very dirty and discolored. Box joints perfect. Brass axle rods perfect but tarnished. Internal bore perfect but dry and dirty. ASSESSMENT Excellent instrument of both historic significance and playability…It is Low Pitched at A=435Hz….. Original pads were of leather of approximately .0625” thickness. Oval embouchure in excellent condition and original. Overall length from top of crown to flute end 23.75”, Sounding length: 21.25”. RESTORATION PROCESS 1. Complete disassembly a. Ivory Crown b. All keys c. Free all tenons and remove old windings d. Remove all Ivory tenon rings & end ring e. Remove old leather pads 2. Ivory restoration a. Clean all ivory parts with warm water and mild toothpaste b. Immerse ivory tenon rings in “Unscented Baby oil” c. Repair cracked crown i. Clean old crack with acetone ii. Reseat and glue back in place with clear epoxy iii. Immerse in “Unscented Baby oil” 3. Boxwood restoration a. Dry brush all parts both external and internal b. Wash all parts in mild dishwashing detergent and warm water using nylon soft bristle brush to remove all old oil and grime. c. Completely dry d. Gently apply an organic all natural blend of Chinese tung and castor bore oil until the wood will not absorb anymore. Wipe dry between each application. e. Fit all Ivory tenon rings back in place with marker points aligned properly. 4. Tenon restoration a. Rewind all male tenons with black, waxed linen thread. b. Iron all threaded tenons c. Shellac all threaded tenon areas d. Apply a thin coat of Beeswax to all threaded areas e. Fit all tenon joints for sealing and conformability. 5. Key restoration a. Ultrasonically clean all keys and axles to remove old pads, shellac, cork and grease. b. Polish all keys with “White diamond buffing compound” c. Pad each key with .0625” natural cork, hand cut pads. d. Cork bumper each key ladle e. Lightly grease all key axles f. Re-fit each key to its’ proper box joint and hole g..Sand each pad to seat and seal effectively 6. Cork plug a. Fit a new all natural cork plug (hand sanded to be the proper diameter) to the Head Joint b. Test for leakage c. Refit the Ivory crown for a perfect fit. 7. Test a. Assemble the completely restored fute b. Play c. Re-position the HJ cork for proper intonation. 8. Final Results a. Wonderful tone and playability b. Beautiful looking flute |
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