How to Remove Tarnish - Part 2 Body and Keys

[@Whitejustice93]

just got my flute cleaned and YESSS THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for the tutorial, my flute just got sooo shiny like new

[@aristocats1973]

Wow! Thanks so much! I’ll definitely ask my band conductor about taking apart the keys- thank you again

[@Aixur]

ok man, thanks for this, im gonna do it at some point when im not scared shitless to take my beautiful flute apart. but it is true that it is in very poor state since it hasnt been played in a long while :/

[@typingfreak1]

Do you think you could do a video on how to remove your keys properly?

[@TecnoSaile7231]

Wow Micah! You are amazing, my flute was just beginning to tarnish and I was really worried because I thought that it would be very expensive to clean it, but thank God I saw your video and now I'm not worried anymore! But please post a video of how to take off the pads so I can clean the keys also And also, does this work on a nickel plated piccolo?

[@MicahLayne]

Hi Elias, Thank you for your kind comments. I appreciate it. I won't make a video because I don't want people who don't have the proper training messing up their instruments. There is a lot of subtlety in flute repair and I don't want to hear back from a whole bunch of people about how I'm somehow causing everyone in the world to wreck their instruments. It gets a little old hearing from people who don't know me or my professional background tell me what I know and don't know. Sigh... Having said that, if you are interested in flute repair, I fully encourage you to learn more about it and pursue it to its fullest. There is a lot more help out in the world than there ever was in the past. There are schools, festivals, classes, books and so much more that can help answer some of the questions you have. I believe that instrument repair should be learned in an apprenticeship. Having someone in front of you to help and correct you as you go along is an invaluable thing. The conversations that you have with that person and the ability to practice will serve you much better than one video online. I wish you and everyone the best in your journey.

[@musicgirl999]

Is it possible to do this with the body and foot joint keys still attached?

[@annamason644]

Omg I have a muramatsu too! Thanks for the video!

[@luv1dem1dogz]

I can't wait to try this. Thank you so much!

[@sugakookiewithjams5798]

can u make a video about how to take off your keys

[@Amanda-jv9cc]

Screwdriver, a little trial and error. I was in the 6th grade when I first tried that

[@MrWaalkman]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJrNf36maL-Xq9U

[@tseries6622]

Amanda Coulter Screw driver and a little error?! No!

[@huskypuppypaws4850]

6th grade?!?!?!

[@Laciell01]

hey! good idea! but.. would you mind making the video on how to take those part of?

[@benshapirohamburgerhelper1239]

If we dont want to take the instrument apart, will soaking a cloth in the solution and rubbing in on the instrument work?

[@riverwashere_]

So does aluminum have to be in the container that you are putting the flute piece in?(sorry if you said that in the video I don't have a lot of time rn and trying to get this done quick) I am going to put aluminum in my container just in case but I figured I'd comment this for future reference and for anyone else wondering

[@MicahLayne]

DryDarkness yes. Aluminum has to be in the tray.

[@riverwashere_]

ok, thank you

[@ngutsavbenjamin7201]

Hi Micah Layne, your videos (1 & 2) are wonderful. i have 2 questions. 1. how do i remove the headjoint of a flute that is, perhaps, rusted which is refusing to come out? 2. how do i disassemble and assemble the keys of a flute to clean the tarnish from it. Lastly, i am flute self beginner, i would like you to help me with materials or recommend sites to download from. thanks.

[@MicahLayne]

Hello, I've never seen a rusted flute before. If you can, take it to a trusted flute repair person. They will be able to look at it and help you quickly without damaging the instrument further. As for flute methods, there are many videos on youtube that can get you started. Here is one kzbin.info

[@billyhill7132]

Is it possible to get rid of all the tarnish completely if you leave it longer or add a battery to help speed up the process?

[@ericcheng3143]

Thanks. Is there anything that can be done ifthe flute parts do not join?

[@TogetherinParis]

Gently washing the flute with liquid detergent diminishes inconsistencies due to oils when immersing. Distilled water is unnecessary. Silver-saver paper keeps tarnish away. Black shoe edge dressing will nicely repair your case's exterior. It will then look new.

[@samaelmelo8133]

What material did you use to clean the flute?

[@tseries6622]

Will that baking soda and water solution affect a rose gold plated flute differently than silver?

[@steelingdogs]

I wanna do this for my flute (its the exact same one as yours too) but im so scared of taking it apart, im probably going to just buy i new one. Could i use a q-tip and get a little bit of this mixture and carefulky remove the tarnish?

[@lydiawinn]

Can you make a video on how you removed the key pads???

[@_ch.ri_s._7964]

“I’m going to take the body to the container”

[@michelleforche2893]

Does this method hurt if there is gold plating on the headjoint? Also would love to know have you remove the tarnish from the keys and rods.

[@MicahLayne]

Hi, thanks for the question. Gold plating should not tarnish so it wouldn’t need this kind of procedure. All of the flutes I repair are tons of work to thoroughly disassemble and clean. Think of making a fine watch. It’s order of operations plus the patience of a saint

[@michelleforche2893]

Since there is no way to remove the embouchure plate, will it damage the gold plating? The rest of the headjoint is solid silver.

[@MicahLayne]

@@michelleforche2893 You are welcome to call me anytime and I can gather more information about your specific flute/headjoint. All cases are different and specific in flute making/restoration. If you need help answering questions, feel free to call on my website and we can have a thorough long form chat. This video shows solid silver head and tarnish removal. a greater conversation and detail can happen in person with your flute repair technician who you should see every year like a dentist for extreme tarnish or delicate instrument cases. hope this helps

[@randallcalhoun6604]

will this work on non silver flutes?

[@leopoldoroldan345]

Hello Micah, your two video are really a great help for us ,new with this kind of hobby. Fortunately it so happen that I was able to buy a Yamaha Flute exactly what you used in your video. Yamaha 285S11 (model285S2). Unfortunately I was not able the find the exact pads for this Yamaha open hole flute. It is a great help for me if you can tell me where to buy or give me the exact measurement in MM for this flute. I tried Music Medic and they don't carry the exact flute pads for this Model. They told me to try the 2.7mm pads but no guarantee that it will work. Is it possible to sent you money and buy this pads for me. Your great help is greatly appreciated. Thanks and god bless. Mr. Leo Roldan

[@leopoldoroldan345]

my email is [e-mail]

[@MicahLayne]

Hi Leo, I recommend going to .ferreestoolsinc.com/collections/flute-pads. They have collections you can buy outright, or simply call them and they can assist

[@leopoldoroldan345]

@@MicahLayne Is there where you got your pads for Yamaha 285S11 open hole pads? Thank you very very, much!!

[@MicahLayne]

Leopoldo Roldan my Yamaha is 20 years old. Pads probably from every shop I went to as a kid. Despite being a professional repair technician for flute now, I have not looked at this flute in many years.(it has been a while since I created these videos. I still recommend ferees. Good people and customer service

[@Reletr]

How would we clean the tarnish that's on the rods? Obviously you can't do it like how you do it for the body and head cause it has pads.

[@emadkamel6916]

Followed your video steps, worked like charm. But still have black spots on the body that i am not able to get rid of. What would you recommend?

[@MicahLayne]

I am glad it worked for you. How about trying a flute polishing cloth for the spots?

[@emadkamel6916]

They are hard spots

[@emadkamel6916]

Micah Layne I feel i need to use very fine soft sand paper or something like that. How can attach a photo for ?

[@MicahLayne]

I've not heard of anything like that. I certainly would not recommend sand paper. Take your flute in to a repair technician. It may be beyond normal home methods.

[@emadkamel6916]

Thanks for your input and reply. I ended up selling the flute :)

[@alpenjon]

Which synthetic pads woule you recommend?

[@MicahLayne]

alpenjon Any and all. They each give a different sound. It’s all very subjective. The variable that is most important is having a great technician work on it.

[@تيمصوتالشارع]

hi micah realy you are soo cool :) can i cleaner my flut that whatever kind sush as weimar

[@AntoH]

Thanks for these vids, just a quick question. How necessary is it to remove the keys and pads? you say in the vid that the water damages the pads but when we practice for a few hours the pads are soaked with saliva also

[@MicahLayne]

Hi AntoH, you must remove keys and pads. There are also felt bumpers attached to keys, cork, and paper shims under the pads. All are warped when exposed to excessive amounts of moisture. Saliva or water will damage these parts over time. Soaking them is a disaster.

[@AntoH]

Micah Layne Got it, thanks for the explanation!

[@irenemens3369]

Hi Micah, Why does the water needs to be hot? Only to dissolve the baking soda? Can I reuse the the old solution again and also when it is cold?

[@jamessiggss8061]

Irene Mens I don't know but generally heat accelerates chemical reactions.

[@Somniatica]

I really want to try doing this for my Muramatsu GX because when I got it over time it quickly started to get tarnish and the foot joint really looks like some dark cloud has taken over about 70% of it but I'm unsure of how to take off the keys. Is it safe for me to take off the keys if I'm not a professional? I'm just a high school student and I don't have money for repairs nor do I have money for a repair man to look at it. Also, sorry to ask so many questions, but do you know why my flute tarnished so quickly? I think you said you had a Muramatsu too so I'm curious if it's similar.

[@matthewlin754]

You posted this over a year ago so you might not need this information any more, but other people might find it helpful. Flutes tarnish because the metal reacts with the sulfur in the air, and that will depend on a lot of factors. Keeping anti tarnish strips will definitely help while your instrument is in the case. The footjoint keys are actually the easiest to take off and reassemble. I'm a high school student too and I did it to my Altus a few times because the low C pad wasn't hitting with the C# at the same time, so I had to take the keys off and add some shims to the pads. You unscrew the screw that is in-between the posts on the footjoint. So this would be on the very very end of the flute. The D# key will fall off first, then the C#, the C and the B as you pull the screw out. The keys that fall out might still be hooked onto the springs, just gently remove them. Be gentle with the springs (the pointy metal things) as they are angled is a specific way to hold the key open/closed when it is supposed to. Once all the keys are removed, you can soak your footjoint in the water/baking soda solution with aluminum. Rinse with water and let it dry out completely. Then screw it back in reverse direction. So the B key comes first, the C, C#, Eb etc. The C# is a little hard to get in if you have a gizmo key because it kinda blocks the B key, but you just have to do some creative angling to get it back in there. Once all the keys are back in place, rehook the springs so all the footjoint keys prop open without you touching them (except the D#). You can also apply key oil on the posts and on the screw while doing this.

[@jbvick]

How much do the anti-tarnish strips usually go for?

[@Levinzx]

AMAZING!

[@colettebourdain6067]

what about the other keys? did you soaked it as well on the baking soda solution?

[@MicahLayne]

Yes.

[@tsampikaoikouta5199]

My flute has turned green and I don't know how to clean it. Can you help me?

[@prettynerd99]

Why do you have to have aluminum, like any aluminum object so to say? I don't understand that. Also will u make a video explaining how to polish your flute? Mine is very dirty. I wipe it with my cloth but it still looks dirty. I want it to look likeit got clean by a professional. Do u know how to make it look new again?

[@matthewlin754]

Chemical reactions. Your flute is silver, and it tarnishes when it reacts with the sulfur in the air/your body. So it reacts and forms silver sulfide, which is black - hence the tarnish. If you have taken chemistry, then you can understand that this is a single replacement equation. 3 Ag2S + 2 Al -> Ag + Al2S3 Silver sulfide + aluminum -> Silver + aluminum sulfide The aluminum basically kicks out the sulfur from the silver so it is shiny again. Then the sulfur combines with the aluminum in the reaction which dissolves into the water. And as a general rule of chemistry, reactions take place faster if there is greater temperature so hot water is important.

[@kaylalloyd9184]

Hi ! This is kayla Lloyd again. May you please make a video of how to take the keys off and and pads off my flute! Also I'm getting a new flute off of eBay a mendini flute and the Armstrong I have now, I have to work with now. Especially in my band class. I wish you were my tutor.thank you very much... And I appreciate your time.🎤🎤🎧🎧🎼🎼🎵🎵🎶🎶🎻🎻🎺🎺🎹🎹🎷🎷🎸🎸

[@elisajohnson2093]

most of the pads and corks on keys of my flute are water damaged from hurricane Katrina so can i submerge it all in baking sofa solution

[@professorpythongaming9189]

I am a saxophone I know what am doing mechanically.but would it work on very old vintage conn new wonder with out doing any damage

[@MicahLayne]

Professor Python Gaming if it is silver, yes. Don’t mess with it if it’s plated. There are so many other ways to clean and polish also. This is a cool experiment, but I don’t do any of my overhauls or coas like this.

[@What-ef8wj]

how do you clean a nickel flute?

[@marcosmanolo7204]

What product are you putting to remove these spots , what is this powder that you put in hot water . ?

[@matthewlin754]

Baking soda.

[@awinbisa]

and this one time at band camp...

[@gingerberryman]

If I need to repad my flute, could I just stick the whole body in, pads and all?

[@matthewlin754]

Are you going to replace all the corks and bumper corks too? Because if you get those wet, they become brittle and fall apart. For example, the cork under the D# key. Don't be lazy and just take it apart now because you'll do it later any way.

[@carriedbyJesus]

Where do you dump the finished solution? Isn't illegal to dump silver sulfide down the sink?

[@MicahLayne]

Check out this video for clarification about the chemical process happening here. You are not dumping silver sulfide down the drain. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iau8iIGcpdOUnNk

[@石智-s2h]

Only hot water? You can achieve this effect?

[@violachong8998]

石智 and baking powder, Honey. He has explained in the video. You put baking powder on top of the aluminium foil, make sure the flute is in contact with the foil then pour hot water till the flute is covered

[@shenlun]

does this work for nickel plated,i have one with a wee bit of rust on it.

[@Kaedehara_Kazuzu]

No, this only works for silver and removes tarnish, i don’t think it removes rust. i saw a comment on how someone else tried this on the non-silver part of their flute and it didn’t go so well

[@Zeahappy]

How long before the tarnish returns?

[@MicahLayne]

I think that depends on a lot of variables. Amount of sulfur in air, humidity, exposure of flute to outdoors. I know that after I did this to my flutes, and put some anti tarnish strips in the case, almost no tarnish has reappeared.

[@Zeahappy]

+Micah Layne okay. Thank u for your videos🙂

[@RishiPurkayastha-it4jz]

I am assuming this is far better than toothpaste which is abrasive and can make the body brittle.

[@annawooldridge1288]

I can see that this works beautifully, but I just can't put boiling water onto my instrument like that. It doesn't seem right. How does the boiling water not injure the metal of the flute?

[@MicahLayne]

The question is how would water injure hardened silver? We blow through this tube for a lifetime, spit on it, and slowly wear away the metal with the acid on our fingers and chin. And let's not forget to mention the enzymes in our saliva. The flute is just a machine, nothing more and nothing less. It has to be maintained and looked after. Having said that, to each their own. It is an expensive piece of equipment. Some people are builders/ fixers and others prefer to let others do the work. Both are fine.

[@samanthah9619]

OK so I was wondering like on the body of your flute, instead of taking off the pads and keys, could you just take a washcloth and put it in hot water and baking soda and just rub it on the flute?

[@leopoldoroldan3402]

can you do this for gold pated metal instrument?

[@MicahLayne]

Hi Leopoldo, You probably won't have to do this to gold as it rarely tarnishes in the same way silver does. Try using simple rubbing alcohol to take off dirt and blemishes and if it persists, take it to a trusted repair technician for their opinion.

[@denysdzhuryn]

Would it be ok to remove tarnish like that on a 13000$ flute?

[@MicahLayne]

Denys Dzhuryn good question! Since I am a professional flute repair technician, I can say yes. I don’t and have never advocated this method as “the best way” or the only way. It’s just safe and non toxic. This method actually does the least damage to the flute. Using abrasive cloths strip small amounts of silver off of the surface of your flute exposing non tarnished silver underneath. chemical dips are highly toxic and many have cancer causing ingredients. If I had to choose one that does the job and is not a major health risk, this is a competent way to do it. Having said that... if you don’t know what YOU are doing, don’t do it.

[@MichaelHorton-e1l]

Yea don't do what you see.he make it seem like yea take your flute apart and screw it back. Do not do this at home .take your flute too a professional person.he should tell you that but he didn't. Becareful of what you watch.

[@MicahLayne]

Absolutely agree with that sentiment. Given that I am a professional flute specialist who has worked in the industry for many years, I fully support your statement. A little knowledge in the wrong hands can be disaster. Bring it to me

[@RishiPurkayastha-it4jz]

Is this what instrument repairers do? I thought they electroplate with electrodes?

[@MicahLayne]

Good question. I am a repair technician. We all have various methods and are constantly searching for better ways. This is a cheap science experiment that is safe and informative but there are other methods as you describe

[@msprofessr]

Can you take the tarnish off without taking the flute apart or submerging the flute?

[@MicahLayne]

Hi Yolanda, you can always use a polishing cloth, however it it not as quick or comprehensive. For example, you will not be able to get the tarnish under the rods and keys without taking those off.

[@MicahLayne]

No, you shouldn't. If you are familiar with basic flute repair, you can take the keys off leaving only metal. No pads, bumpers, ect are left on the body. If you submerge the whole flute in any liquid, you will ruin the pads pretty quickly.

[@57dogsbody]

ALU MIN IUM NOT Aloominum!!

[@MicahLayne]

Actually, it is acceptable to say it both ways. Do your research and be careful who you try to correct. The development of language over time is something I studied in college. What is not kind is imposing your ignorance on others. It may be socially acceptable where you come from, but not with me. Educate yourself before spouting off non truth. Oh yeah... the anonymity of the Internet.

[@57dogsbody]

Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary: Pronunciation of aluminium. Al-oo-minium. NOT Al-oominum. Just because some Americans get their ENGLISH pronunciation wrong dont start posting nonsense.

[@MicahLayne]

+57dogsbody You really are hard headed, aren't you? I call troll

[@cuzitsyomum7348]

57dogsbody I say alooominum so lol