Here is my report on my progress towards making glass flutes, how I am managing the flute business, and one other matter regarding my almost 40 year career of making flutes. If you are not interested but would rather parse posts about Horse Clam Dewormer or Cat Videos, I am okay with that. The fact that I have ANY readership is amazing and flattering. Thank you!
In general: This fall and winter I have been slowly gathering tools, ideas and technology for how to proceed. Like any new adventure there will be many exciting discoveries and dead ends.
Various events in November forced me to reassess who I am doing this for and why. With the recent auction sale of a deteriorating original around $30,000 it seems that one could make a lot of money making these. However I have never felt comfortable with the concept of becoming suddenly too rich. I wonder how many flutes in general that will come out of my workshop. I don’t how much more my body (and occasionally my mind when dealing with strong personalities in the flute world) can take, and want to save some for playing other instruments.
Part of me wishes this was still a fantasy in the back of my head, frankly. I’ve spent probably close to a half of my year’s normal income on tools and supplies that should have gone to savings and paying off the credit card instead. I’ve also spent much time and energy. As far as living expenses I just started receiving Social Security. Our bills are paid by that and if I simply made 4-5 of my Folk Flutes every month this would be more than adequate. I can make these in 3-4 days. Instead my work life is the most complicated it has ever been. Not necessarily a good thing at age 66.
I finally caught up to my queue. Anticipating some cash flow needs in the winter months I did tale a few more orders. The last of these are going out in the next few weeks. I do have two other flutes to finish from my queue but one of these is for my business advisor and marketing consultant, Paul McClellan who is featured in the video below. He’ll have to wait a bit. The other is for the maker of the world’s most accurate bearings. He is getting the first of my W-bore shaped low flutes that I am prototyping. His work is found in mechanical satellite gyroscopes such as on the Hubble.
The new James Web Space telescope has a different type that has no moving parts, fortunately. Less vibration. They are doing the final insertion burn tomorrow. They have done everything so well and saved on fuel. Instead of 6 years before they run out, they have 20 more. If tomorrow’s burn which is actually an acceleration nudge instead of firing retros, they might be able to get a longer life span. But then other items will be the reason, such as its coolant (helium) supply. Unlike the Hubble, it won;t be the gyroscopes, even with the perfect bearings.
I had stopped taking orders for Folk Flutes in 2020. I stopped taking all orders in the Spring and life is much calmer. No longer will I receive emails suggesting I work faster. The Pandemic brought out a lot anxiousness in everyone who tended to think that I myself wasn’t personally challenged by this.
Thus no more orders - except on a case by case basis. I will take names down for a waiting list. Occasionally I will take an order is there is some bill to be paid or some machinery to purchase. I have gone entirely to making inventory, advertising it for sale, and sending flutes off as ordered. Yesterday I had the first of such experiences. It was wonderful and perfect and immediately handled. A woman contacted me from Ireland via email right about 4AM. I immediately responded and by 5 she had paid me and her flute was all packaged up for shipping. I dropped it off to the post office by 10, in time to get back and get ready for the Society of Ornamental Turners Zoom Meeting. attending was my friends and colleagues Rod Cameron and Robert Bigio
So why am I making these glass flutes? The bottom line reveals itself as one approaches a decadal career anniversary, my case 4 decades of this activity. I am looking for a drawing of a cello soundpost setter that dates to the day when I officially started calling this activity a business. Sometime in April 1982.
It was easy to get bored with relentless Folk Flute making, which I occasionally describe as “Black Hole by the Foot” for my job description. So something new and challenging is what keeps my interest up. Remaining deeply curious about several things is the Elixir of Life. Reread my Winter Ennui post for how I have gotten out of it. This has been a very intense and creative week. Also the most intense Cyclothymia peak in a while. Out of it I got some endorphins rushing.
Making Glass Flutes is a bucket list challenge. William Haynes, the founder of the Haynes Flute Company said this would never be done again, after he failed miserably trying. I not only want to be the first to revive this instrument technology, I want to create or reinvent 3-4 different methods for generating the glass, and freely share with others how this is done so that it will be easier for all.
I may only make a few flutes - but I will most certainly tell the world how to go about doing this. Some young female in her 30s named Karly can finally drop down from Canada and take it over. If she makes it in time. This pandemic might be around for a few years more. I can always go back to Folk Flutes for my survival. Success will be deeply satisfying and historically important!
Thus I am mostly doing this for my own self. However, there are boosters, colleagues, Montserrat Gascon who has written a book now in print about these flutes based on her thesis and more, supporters and friends who are cheering me on. I am doing it for them, especially for Montse who has made a huge contribution with her incredible work.
I am not really keen on any of my flutes ending up unplayed in someone’s collection immediately after finishing them, simply because that person was able to pay more than the next guy. One of the most surprising aspects about these glass flutes is how well these are played and it would be kind of sad to see the effort go from playability to fossiliation. Teachers who have a specimen to use as a teaching tool are the exception. I have a few professors of the flute already on my waiting list for resin copies.
Where I stand actually accomplishing this: I have identified four paths to producing these, two of which were the ones that Laurent’s glass makers used. These include Lost Wax Casting, Blowing freehand or into a mold, Core forming, or entirely Cold Work using techniques from Optics manufacturing.
Lost Wax: As soon as I can set up my casting kiln I will be ready to proceed. All that is needed at thos point is to finish wiring the 50 amp line into the workshop with its own panel and grounding outside. I’ll need 40 amps to run the kiln that I got from The Glass Hive in Newport Oregon. I am all ready with glass to melt, molding supplies, etc. Doing this will happen in the spring when the workshop is warmer.
The Wax itself has been an issue. I tried casting the soft low-melting casting wax that is melted out of the mold and steam-cleaned. Its just too soft for me to work. I could 3D print masters and silicone mold these and I may do this with Cast Glass Forms after they complete their move to Idaho and reopen.
Someone suggested I try out the waxes available at Machinablewax.com Their Orange Wax and the F99 Blue Waxes have a 240F melting point, well above steam. The waxes are like Jewelry waxes that can be carved and machined. I have no question about the machinability of these. Soon I will turn some, and make parts that will be invested and finally cast. The primary question is how much of this wax will remain in the mold. I may attempt to then remove it with mineral spirits or acetone if I cannot melt these out completely. These solvents will flash off without carbon residue at the 700F hold temp theoretically. Carbon is a contaminant that can cause devitrification. Even fingerprints on the raw glass are best avoided!
Later on I will have designs exported as STL files which are used for 4 axis machining of the outsides of these waxes. I have a 4 axis CNC desktop mill that I’ll do this with once I learn how. I need to develop a sharp boring strategy as well as reaming. Thus some tools to acquire or make.
Casting was used by Laurent on only the few flutes in Cobalt Blue glass. One can tell from the circular bubbles which are ubiquitous.
Glass Blowing to Core Forming: Comparing the pointy ended stretched bubbles in Laurent’s crystal with similar bubbles in antique bottle glass confirms that such. methods were used. These may have simply been blown, techniques that are well demonstrated in many of these compelling videos from the Corning Glass Museum. See https://www.youtube.com/user/corningmuseumofglass/videos
I suspect that for repeatability that these glasses were blown into a mold. This is an easy to learn bottle making technique using a 2 part mold and a blowpipe. This is an ancient technique around since the time of the Romans.
Core Forming is another possibility. This technique is much older, dating from 1500 BC. I suspect that a combination of this technique and then using a mold to shape the outside could result in something approximating the final result which would then be rendered after the cold working was applied.
My setup for this: I may actually go take some classes or consult with a local blower to try these techniques. Bullseye Glass has a hot shop where I could try out these techniques. I think that I can also rent time there or at a similar hot shop in Tacoma instead of trying to do this myself.
This requires a crucible to melt glass, a port on the kiln to gather the glass with the. blowpipe, a fireproof working environment with surfaces to roll the hot glass around (this is called a “Marver”). The back room of my shop may or may not be the place to do this. Finally a kiln warmed up to 900F is used to receive the finished parts and then it slowly cools sometines over days, to fully anneal the glass. The Mt. Palomar 200” telescope mirror made of Pyrex took 2.5 years to anneal. My flute parts will require a few days.
My kiln is set up well for use as a crucible kiln. There is a 6” port on the top with a removable “hat” that will allow access with a blowpipe. I will need the crucible and some kiln furniture to make the crucible within reach. I just brought home a small annealing kiln which I may use as is or reconfigure so that items can be arranged vertically. I may just get another Glass Hive kin for this, configured to load from the top.
Optical Glass Methods: I am almost ready for this. For the insides, I simply need to set up the tile saw, and then set my boring lathe to the correct speed for boring. The bore will be step bored using Diamond Destruction Drills. The final shape will need a cast iron “reamer” that grinds the bore to shape with an abrasive slurry.
The outside shape will then be ground using a Pantograph Milling Machine and diamond tooling. Beyond this I cannot describe more as this is a proprietary process. The mill is still in pieces. Some day toon I will put it all back together.
3D Printed Flutes and Casting: I have already demonstrated the capabilities of 3D printing to produce instruments. I can also use this as mastering for molding. The nice thing about this approach is that one can rough in the finger holes, fluting and other features that otherwise have to be ground in. Thus I may simply pursue casting as the only method. This also makes the most sense if I am to make several of these, assisted by Cast Glass Forms once they are back in business. One set of silicon molds could produce a lot of glass! This makes the most sense business-wise.
There are techniques that result in clear, bubble free glass that Hugh McKay at Cast Glass Forms uses and he shared these with me. But then this requires silicone mold making. The crucible based methods are more direct. But then one has so much more cold working to do to eek out the bore and fingerholes and other items.
Cold Working: I have yet to address any of these procedures. Art glass, once formed, commonly requires much elbow grease to remove casting investment, cosmetic flaws, and to simply polish it up. I may opt for sending the glass off to be acid polished using HF. This is best done at a facility set up for this. There is a certain pleasure in the idea of using a Glass Engraving Lathe to facet the surface, or to carve the grooves seen on Laurent’s flutes. Theoretically. At this point in time, just getting to the roughed glass tube will be 95% of the path to victory.
Metal Fittings - keys and ferrules: these can be made in-house as I have for years. However, this is the type of thing that is easy to execute using the services of a precious metal casting bureau. Fortunately I have one who already casts my flute keys. I simply need to provide them with wasters to mild up and cast. It will be fun to copy Laurent’s key work.
My first Glass flutes will be based on my Folk Flutes. The Laurent Flutes play lovely and are well worth copying. I will do so as closely as possible with the faceted Madison Flute at the Library of Congress, pictures at the top of this page. Even though this flute is laveled as a gift to Madison, there is no oral or written history that indicates that this actually happened. Someone could have engraved the label long after Madison left the scene just to increase the retail value. It could be such fakery that is on display. The Library of Congress posted an interesting article about the lack of Presidential Paper Trail here: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/dayton-c-miller-collection/images/klein-miller-flute-project-madison-report-summer-2015.pdf
Funding this madness: thus so far my income and calm boot strapping approach is adequate though I do not like seeing an expending credit card balance and must address that soon. I did receive some $500 in gifts in the fall towards this adventure. I may go ahead and hit up my previous clients who wouldn’t mind sending me a modest gift or tip. Do so if you are so motivated - but be sure to mark it as a gift otherwise I have to report it and pay taxes. Please don’t expect anything in return - including extra access or or the right to pressure me into doing something for you. I am savoring the slow progress and enjoying it. The last time these were made was 182 years previously. A few more months if I am bootstrapping this project is fine. It can wait a little longer.
3D Printed versions: once the metal work is in progress, I will be laying out the art work for a 3D printed version that uses clear optical resin. Soon. These may actually be available for purchase.
Soundpost Setters: In late December we lost our dear friend David Stone who ran the violin shop up University Avenue in Seattle above the bicycle shop. Dave and I were fishing buddies. Aviva Leonard, who we lost farther back in time and Nancy were young moms togetherand extremely close. Their talented cellist of a daughter Sarah Stone passed all of her baby clothes onto Lila. Lila and I are seeing Sarah at the violin shop this week to recover some things given or loaned to Dave. This will include this set of Soundpost setters. I am considering making these again. That is how I started my career some 40 years ago. See davidtstoneviolins.com and sarahabigaelstone.com
Wood Block Distractions: Read elsewhere about the cherry tree we cut down a week ago. I’ve cut way back in terms of what I want to do with this wood and may offer much of it to the Olympic Peninsula Wood Turners. I need to find someone who can mill a 20” diameter log into planks and bowl blanks. We can handle the smaller stuff. Meanwhile I found a better and much longer lasting cherry wood solution for the wood blocks for Moku Hanga. McClain’s Printmaking in Tigard, Oregn is the only place to go for the correct supplies for this type of amazing art form.
Summing it up. Life is very busy and interesting. I may take a sunny day off this week and head down to the wildlife refuges near Tacoma and Vancouver. If that happens. We were out near Dungeness Spit and it was pretty sopped in.
Casey
Casey! I'm glad I read all the way to the end to wrap around to the earlier comment about cello soundpost setter ("I am looking for a drawing of a cello soundpost setter that dates to the day when I officially started calling this activity a business."). From postsetter to flutemaker to glass re-invention? You have had quite a week, indeed. My cello's soundpost is right where it's been for years. I play just for myself and my quartet. We sound good at home. Those VancWA refuges are just downstream from us here in North Salmon Creek. Wave at us from I-5, or make a date to wave from the curb!?
Hi, are you still pursuing this project or has this been put on the back burner?