How can i get rid of rust on a flute?

Question

the rust is in between the buttons

Answer 1

Take the flute to a good reputable music store and let a professional do it, or you may ruin your flute.

(I also expect that you are going to get multiple "American Pie" movie flute references due to your question...enjoy.)

Answer 2

We can assume one of two things from your question:
1) you have a flute made of steel and the best solution would be to get a new one that has silver plating over the brass, or is made entirely of silver.
2) you have a tarnished silver flute (more likely than option 1) to solve this problem you have a few options.
A) take it to your local music store that does high-quality repairs(preferably that advertises it specializes in flute repairs)
B) if you feel confident about your mechanical abilities (I mean absolutely 100% sure you can do this) disassemble the mechanics of the flute (the same thing the repair shop would do) then, set aside all the pads (you don't want to ruin them) and wash the flute in a mild solution of dish soap and water and rinse thoroughly. Next you will do some really neat chemistry that will make the polishing far simpler than any commercially available polish. For this stage of the cleaning you will need some common kitchen supplies: Aluminum foil, water, and table salt.
1. start a large pot of water boiling (enough so that you will be able to cover the body joint)
2. tear about 3 square feet of aluminum foil into 2-3 square inch pieces and lightly crumple.
3. when the water comes to a boil, or when you're done crumpling the foil, add about 1 cup of salt to the water (I know this is alot, but you want a saturated solution or close to it)
4. next put the flute body (head joint, body joint and foot joint) into a container that is tall enough for you to cover the entire thing with the water and pack the foil around it.
5. pour the hot, salty water over the entire mess until the flute is completely submerged.
6. wait 5-10 minutes
7. remove flute and wipe dry with a lint-free cloth
at this point the tarnish should be gone, if not, re-submerge any pieces with tarnish for an additional 5 mins. otherwise rinse with clean water and reassemble the flute.

This works because silver tarnish is silver sulfate, not silver oxide, and that salt water allows the sulfur atoms to go into suspension and deposit on the aluminum. this leaves all the silver behind while only removing the chemical that causes the problem.

Note: if you have any doubt about your ability to reassemble the flute once you have disassembled it, DO NOT USE THIS TECHNIQUE.

Answer 3

It depends on what the flute is made from and how valuable it is. If it is valuable, take it to a music shop, and they can probably get it fixed for you.

If it is a 'standard' type of metal, like steel, try Autoglym - they stock tubes of it in places that sell car parts and accessories. I used to use this for cleaning all sorts of metal items, and it shifted rust well too. Test it on an inconspicuous area first, just to make sure it doesn't damage the finish.

Answer 4

the best thing to do would be to take it to a music shop and they'll probably do it for you for free or at a low cost
i've used silver jewelry cleaner on my flute to make it shine again and get rid of rust: it works really well you just have to be careful and remove it after the maximum allotted time mentioned on the container ... i got some cheap silver jewelry cleaner at Wal-Mart and it worked really well with a cotton swab and warm water

Answer 5

Here's a site on cheap rust removal. Hope it helps!

http://members.optusnet.com.au/thebecketts/rover/rust.htm

Answer 6

2

Answer 7

1

Answer 8

To rust unburnished!
And not to shine in use!
Play it!

Answer 9

there's polishes for it, and certain little rags you can use, but in my almost 15 years of playing, ive yet to find any real way of getting rid of it :-/

Answer 10

I have heard that coke ( cola ) works.