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jose_luis
(1367 points)
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Something horrible has just happened and my eyes are full of tears. My 674 headjoint slipped from my stupid hands and crashed on the floor, tenon side down, as it should be.
It is now horribly dented as can been seen in the avatar picture.
What are the perspectives? can it be repaired? Will it return to "normal? Can you recommend a technician in spain (or somewhere in Europe) to repair it quickly?
Oh, I feel so bad
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jose_luis
(1367 points)
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OK I'm too much nervous and I go now to see the technician Yamaha Spain has recommended me. Will post results.
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CatMan
(127 points)
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Good luck with the headjoint repair! I feel confident that a tech should easily be able make it as good as new.
Try not to be too hard on yourself for the damage, accidents happen to all of us. The other day I dropped my assembled Muramatsu on the floor, and I was sure there had to be some damage, I was afraid to even look. But I got lucky, it landed on the carpet and I can't find a single mark, dent or scratch and it plays as good as ever. I took the incident to be a reminder of how easily things can sometimes go wrong, and I'm even more careful now about how I handle my flute.
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suzie
(342 points)
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Good luck, Jose! Here it would cost about $20 or so to get fixed if someone were to put a shrinking die around the headjoint and an expander in the middle to even it out. Have you considered investing in a shrinker and expander just in case this were to happen again? CatMan was right-- things that happen, much like this however, tend to remind us to pay a little more extra attention to our flutes though! =) Good luck!
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jose_luis
(1367 points)
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I'm back and happy.
It's true, these things do happen and in a few milliseconds the harm is done.
Repairing it took two hours travel and back and a full labour hour and practically all the tools the technician had available: the expanding rod, shrinking die, a sort of ball (last resource, he told me), lot of careful hammering with a small plastic hammer and polishing.
In no way it was not an easy job. The tenon was badly bent; more than 4mm at the tenon border and the bend was also very long, almost half the tenon length. The bend borders protruded and the flat surface part did not want to become round again.
The results were good, although the fit is considerably tighter than before. I was told that to improve the fit, it could take another hour or two. At 30 Euro per hour I decided that it was OK for me. In case it gets too tight I will have to come back.
A positive thing is that the cork was repositioned and also the adjusting nut was set correctly (it was completely loose). I had a short try at the flute before leaving and it looks like the Eb2 problem has improved. Too late here now to test it in detail. Tomorrow I will now better.
I have learnt something: I can suffer lots and deeply when such a thing happens to the instrument. It means that in way, I love it more than I thought.
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BlackTulip
(15 points)
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Jose Luis,
Glad to hear that your flute is all fixed.
Your story reminded me of what happened to my flute teacher when I was in high school. My teacher had just bought a new Yamaha Julius Baker flute. Anyways, about a month later she had her flute at a flute choir rehearsal and she sat on her flute! Needless to say the part that she sat on was all smashed in and her flute needed some major repairs. Luckily, she found a good technician who fixed her flute, but it probably took a good 4-6 months before she got her flute back. Ever since then I've been really paranoid about my safety of my flutes. My flutes are like my children only shinier.
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Alieannie
(657 points)
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Oh Jose Luis, I'm so sorry to hear you went through that but glad to hear it's now fixed 
Maybe it's something in the air... A clarinet doubler dropped her flute square on the floor last week and today a bassist was getting her bass out of her locker and it fell forward and landed right on the floor. Her scroll cracked and she just stood there looking at it for about ten seconds, then fell to the floor crying. No, sobbing.
Everybody, put double sided sticky tape on your fingers!
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Micron
(1329 points)
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Good that it is done.
Suzie wrote, "...if someone were to put a shrinking die around the headjoint and an expander in the middle to even it out..."
Such a dent needs more than what you describe, because the metal is very springy, and must be bent PAST the final desired geometry, and then allowed to spring back. Hence the dent rod and ball (and experience).
I am confident it would have taken me no longer than 20 minutes, and that would have included a perfect fit. Quite likely 5-10 minutes.
With the right expanders and shrinkers and technique, it does not take long to adjust the fit of a tenon in a socket. 1 - 5 minutes should do it. (Your technician sounds inexperienced.)
"In case it gets too tight I will have to come back."
There is a home fix with parafin wax to take your chances with before resorting to that. The only risk is that it could become slighlty too loose, althouigh that has not happened to me yet.
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jose_luis
(1367 points)
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Micron, I am sure you are on of the most experienced technicians here, but you are so far....
The technician I visited is young and I asked him about his formation; he has been working with winds for a couple of years only (i did this after he had finished, otherwise I probably had not the courage to stay and see him torture the poor thing. His workshop looked well equipped for me (no much experience from my part) and he was the person recommended in Madrid by Yamaha Spain. And he was willing to repair it immediately!
And also important, I was so desperate I could not even wait to get replies from the Forum experienced people. In my discharge I will say that, while still crying, I posted here as my first reaction. But then jumped in a bus to get it repaired. Otherwise I could not have slept last night (and possibly, many nights).
Flute is highly addictive, we all know!...
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Micron
(1329 points)
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Don't worry. Result seems OK.
BTW, in 2006 I wrote the following in 8notes.
I haven't heard form Philip for a while.
BTW if you are in Spain, I believe you can trust Philip Herman, brasswind technician and seller of instruments. I have not met him, but know him well from a repair technicians` forum, and find him to be honest, conscientious, fair, very well equipped, very knowledgeable and very capable. (I rarely use such glowing terms.) His business is listed at http://www.musictrader.com/technicians.html#SPAIN
<Added>
This was the 8notes thread:
http://www.8notes.com/f/25_152845.asp
<Added>
Philip is a member of NAPBIRT
<Added>
Here is his website:
http://www.felcomusical.com/
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jose_luis
(1367 points)
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Yes, at that time I contacted Philip but he was too much busy and could not take my instrument. Then I decided to buy a new one and left the defective Gemeinhardt M3 for later repair (which I finally did and I keep it as a spare).
Philip has a company, Felco, that is one of the three companies providing Yamaha service here (of the other two, one is in Valencia (400 Km) and the other is the technician who did the job. But Felco is in Cadiz (650 Km), quite far from Madrid and, as I said, I could not wait a single second.
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