Common faults & repairs
Visit the Skwiix Outlet to find repairers, tools and accessories that can help with your instrument repair requirements
Poor tone
There are several reasons why your Recorder loses its original sound quality or becomes hoarse. The most common cause is due to dirt or damaged windway.
The way to repair this is to remove and clean the block. The chamfer, labium window and the windway should all be cleaned with steel wool or a file covered with sand-paper. If the windway is too narrow, you file down the block to the right height, and the chamfer also gets adjusted.
The way to repair this is to remove and clean the block. The chamfer, labium window and the windway should all be cleaned with steel wool or a file covered with sand-paper. If the windway is too narrow, you file down the block to the right height, and the chamfer also gets adjusted.
Higher Register keys not responding when played
When the higher register keys of the Recorder don’t respond when played, this is due to dirt or a damaged windway. The way to resolve this is to have the labium and windway thoroughly cleaned and adjusted. If the inner bore is damaged, it must be filed and adjusted to its original shape. You should also clean the finger holes and adjust them as required.
Re-corking
Wooden Recorders have corked joints, whilst handmade Recorders often have threaded joints. The demands the instrument gets subjected to causes the thread or cork to become damaged or the wood of the recorder to shrink, resulting in the joint no longer fitting neatly.
Remove the cork or thread and all residual glue to repair this. Clean oil and grease off the tenon, then glue on the new natural cork.
If the wood swells and the joint becomes too tight on the wooden recorder, the cork or thread binding does rub against the wood and damages it. You cautiously remove a small amount of wood or sand down the cork to restore the damage and get the joint to fit. If the cork is too loose, use a thicker cork to ensure the correct tightness.
Remove the cork or thread and all residual glue to repair this. Clean oil and grease off the tenon, then glue on the new natural cork.
If the wood swells and the joint becomes too tight on the wooden recorder, the cork or thread binding does rub against the wood and damages it. You cautiously remove a small amount of wood or sand down the cork to restore the damage and get the joint to fit. If the cork is too loose, use a thicker cork to ensure the correct tightness.
Repairing / Gluing cracks
Recorder wood gets worn through the playing of the instrument and also by external environmental conditions. The nature and strength of the stress impacting the instrument can result in cracks in the wood. Hard and less flexible fine woods such as grenadilla, palisander and rosewood are particularly liable to cracking; however, softer woods like boxwood, plum wood, maple, and pearwood can also form cracks. In all cases, damages can be glued with special glue and sealed off with resin. In some cases, adding a supportive sleeve or ornamental ring made from artificial ivory may be necessary to prevent further cracking.
Thumb Bushing
The thumbhole can become worn due to damage caused by the thumbnail over time, leaving a deep groove. The tuning and voicing of the instrument are impacted.
Insert an artificial ivory bush into the thumbhole to toughen the instrument up against wear and tear and restore the function of the thumbhole to repair this.
Insert an artificial ivory bush into the thumbhole to toughen the instrument up against wear and tear and restore the function of the thumbhole to repair this.
Keywork repairs and restoration
Some Recorders are built using keys, and sometimes the notes do not play easily because the key(s) do not close properly or do not open and shut anymore. This may be because one or more keys do not fully seal the note hole, only moving noisily or with difficulty.
There can be several reasons why this happens: It could be either because there is not enough oil on the spindle or the felt that controls the position of the key has been lost or has worn over time. Sometimes this impacts the padding, which no longer appropriately seals the keyhole or requires too much pressure. It may also have become rigid or damaged and needs replacing.
Most of these problems are repaired by replacing or restoring the defective components, renewing the padding and adjusting the keys accordingly, and making sure the keywork is cleaned, oiled or replaced if necessary so that they operate efficiently.
Occasionally parts of the key mechanism become bent, and, in such situations, straighten the affected keys to work efficiently again.
If parts of a key has broken off, these can often be soldered back on.
There can be several reasons why this happens: It could be either because there is not enough oil on the spindle or the felt that controls the position of the key has been lost or has worn over time. Sometimes this impacts the padding, which no longer appropriately seals the keyhole or requires too much pressure. It may also have become rigid or damaged and needs replacing.
Most of these problems are repaired by replacing or restoring the defective components, renewing the padding and adjusting the keys accordingly, and making sure the keywork is cleaned, oiled or replaced if necessary so that they operate efficiently.
Occasionally parts of the key mechanism become bent, and, in such situations, straighten the affected keys to work efficiently again.
If parts of a key has broken off, these can often be soldered back on.
Oiling, Cleaning and Hygiene Check
Clean and oil your Recorder regularly to ensure its longevity and smooth performance. This ensures the bore block and windway are checked for dirt particles, which are cleaned and oiled.