Katie offers the personal repair services that you need to keep your instrument in the best possible working condition. She will work with you as a musician to ensure that your instrument plays to its potential technically and exactly as you want it. To accomplish this, she works with great precision, keeps detailed records, and anticipates your future needs. This helps to eliminate emergency repairs and minimizes your expenses. Excellence, honesty, and service are what make Katie unique in the world of flute repair.

Repair Services

Katie offers many services including pad and adjustment checks, Clean, Oil and Adjust, Overhauls and much more personalized repairs. Please call or email for details and pricing.

CLEAN, OIL, ADJUST

The keys are removed from the flute body. The flute body is cleaned and tarnish is removed. The keys are disassembled, old oil is cleaned out and replaced. The keys are reassembled and all pads are checked, reseated and adjusted as the flute is reassembled. Recommended every 1 - 2 years. Between $225 and $300.

COMPLETE OVERHAUL

The flute is completely disassembled and all pads, felts and corks are removed. The keys are refit to remove any side play that has developed over years of play. The keys and body are cleaned of tarnish and reassembled and oiled. A new set of pads is installed as well as all new felts and corks. Choice of felt or Straubinger pads included. Recommended every 10 - 15 years. $1,000

OTHER REPAIRS

If you do not have your flute Cleaned every year, you should at least have the pads checked over and major leaks taken care of. Generally between $75 - $100

Of course every flute and every player is different. These are just guidelines. Katie will work with you to determine what needs to be done and what will fit with your budget.

Materials

Katie uses only the best materials for your flute and your playing. She is constantly looking for better ways to improve the playing of your flute.

The Straubinger Pad is being used more and more in flute making and repair. Katie is a Certified Straubinger Pad Technician and offers the choice of Straubinger or felt pads in all overhauls. She can easily work on any flute that has Straubinger pads already installed and keeps a large inventory of replacement pads on hand.

Synthetic oils are being used on most flutes, but not all synthetic oils are equal. Some flutists have oils in their hands that react adversely to some oils. As a result Katie keeps a variety of oils on hand.

Buying or selling a flute?

Buying a flute can be a very confusing or overwhelming process. If you have any questions along the line from trying to sort out the options to actually gathering flutes to try, Katie will spend the time to discuss everything. Katie has many years of experience in helping flutists buy or sell a flute or piccolo. She would be happy to answer any questions. Remember, there are no silly questions.

Please call Katie at (651) 483-2783 or e-mail at khlowry4flutes@gmail.com.