Antique flute vintage flute wooden flute old system flute in D in good working order, stamped ‘Martin Freres Paris’. Presumably dates from late 19th to early 20th century. Presumably it’s blackwood.

It has the expected keys of an 8-key old system flute: E flat, short F, long F, G sharp, B flat, C & openstanding low C & C sharp.

The low C & C sharp keys are on a metal-flute-style long axle – a much better system than the older double seesaw keys.

It has nice details – metal inserts under the touchpoints of the springs. Key axles are threaded rods, not just nails.

I’ve repadded it with pads made of disks of thin leather built up to the correct height and lightly glued with a dab of UHU paste. I’ve found these quite satisfactory and much easier than trying to make old-style purse pads.

There’s a hairline crack in the barrel which doesn’t matter because it’s lined with brass. There’s a hairline crack in the head which I’ve filled with beeswax. See pix

The holes are a bit smaller than you would often find on old system flutes. This gives it a sweet, not very loud tone and an easy-blowing second octave.

It plays well at A=440 with the slide withdrawn about 5mm. F sharp is rather flat compared to equal temperament, as is normal for vintage old system flutes – the idea is that you open the F hole at the same time to bring it up to pitch.

Oval blowhole about 10mm/12.2mm. The headjoint is not fully brass lined, so be sure to swab it out thoroughly.

Bore width at the slide about 18.4mm, at the end about 10.2mm.

Can post, or local pickup in Canberra, Australia.

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