Standing Waters

Repair technician Rachel Baker swabbing out a kingwood Custom piccolo.

We all want the best for our flutes and know that the question of humidifying wooden ones in particular comes up quite often. Should you use a humidifier?  Is it overkill?  Can it cause more problems?

Well, we've gotten feedback from our staff, customers, and artists, and we realize that there really is no "one size fits all" answer to this question.  Some people do not use humidifiers and travel from place to place, climate to climate, and have no problems.  Of course, if you are playing your wooden instruments regularly and taking proper care of them, you may not need to use a humidifier.  In a previous post on wooden flute maintenance, we shared the following:

Our wood technician assures us that the best way maintain a wooden flute is to play it regularly.  If you play it for a while, leave it for several months (untouched), and then pick it up to play it, you will notice differences which may make playing the instrument difficult.  However, if it is played consistently, the wood will be acclimated to patterns of being played, swabbed out, placed in the case, and then played again.  

However, one thing that did surprise us recently in a conversation we overheard was the idea that wooden instruments do not need to be humidified because there is enough moisture in the bore after playing.  Hmm.  Well, yes, there is certainly moisture in there after playing, but you do not want to leave it that way!  With wooden instruments, you have to make sure that you thoroughly swab out the bore of the body and headjoint.  Never leave moisture in your wooden instrument -- it could lead to all kinds of problems, including cracking.  

However, we don't want to forget about metal instruments when thinking about "standing waters."  They are certainly not good for the inside of metal flutes, so proper swabbing is crucial there as well.  And, make sure to never put anything in the flute bore and leave it there to absorb the moisture -- like those "fuzzy" looking accessories.  If you use something like that inside the flute to absorb moisture and leave it in there, well, you'll only be left with something moist and fuzzy inside your flute with no place for the moisture to go!

So, remember, swab out your flutes and piccolos thoroughly, take good care to keep them clean, check to make sure everything looks alright inside and out, and if you have any questions or concerns, don't let it wait -- contact your repair technician.

Care Tips for Wooden Instruments

Powell Grenadilla Custom with 14k rose gold mechanism

Break-in Period 

A brand new wooden instrument must be properly broken in to assure the instrument reaches its fullest potential. For the first two months you should play your instrument for no more than twenty minutes at a time. Let it rest for four hours, making sure you swab your instrument immediately after each playing session. During the first month, do not play the instrument more than twice a day; during the second month, you may increase the frequency to three times a day. After the first two months, gradually increase both the time and frequency of playing sessions until, after six months, the instrument may be regarded as fully broken in.

Preventing Cracks

A well made and well cared for wooden instrument will improve with age and give you years of delight. To minimize the chance of cracks occurring, two cautions are absolutely essential: 

(1) Avoid rapid changes in temperature (keep the instrument well insulated and do not leave it in your automobile), and (2) Never allow standing moisture to accumulate in your flute or piccolo, especially in the headjoint. 

Oiling

The benefits of oiling are an improved appearance and a slight increase in the moisture resistance of the wood. Only Powell Flutes or an authorized Powell repair technician should undertake the task of applying oil to the bore of a body or footjoint. Your wooden headjoint may benefit from an occasional application of almond oil to the bore and embouchure hole after it is at least one year old. Use only pure pressed almond oil. Use extreme caution in wiping around the embouchure hole, as the delicate edges of the hole might become damaged. After it is applied the oil must be wiped off thoroughly but gently.

Chip Off the Old Footjoint

We've seen previous posts about repairing dents and dings in metal flute bodies and headjoints, but what happens when there is a nick in a wooden flute?  Well, we happened to be in the wood shop this past week to see how this could be remedied.

In the case of this particular footjoint, there was a small nick in the wood.  Wood surely isn't pliable, so it cannot be reshaped and burnished like metal.  What is one to do?  Well, the solution is to fill the nick -- then secure the filler, file/sand, blend, and buff.  It's really quite straightforward as you will see from the photos below:

Nick has been circled in yellow.

Getting grenadilla dust ready to fill the nick.

Applying the dust to fill in the nick.

Just a bit more dust on top of the filled area.

Filled and ready for glue.

Adding the adhesive glue over the dust filling. 

Glue doesn't take long to dry.

Filing the glue down with a mill file to blend it in.

Using sandpaper for final blending.

Applying oil.

Buffing

And it's done!  A little more oil was applied after blending.  Nick is gone!

If you are interesting in reviewing the previous posts on dents in metal flutes, take a look at the following:

Post on dented headjoint:

http://www.repairmyflute.com/2012/10/dented-headjoint.html

Two-part post on dented tenon:

http://www.repairmyflute.com/2012/06/dented-tenon-part-i.html

http://www.repairmyflute.com/2012/06/dented-tenon-part-ii.html

If You Can't Take the Heat...

We're in the thick of the summer months now, and we had a question on our Facebook page asking about piccolos and heat.  When the temperature is high, they may seem to "misbehave" or be rather "uncooperative."  Why is this?  Well, the major component to keep in mind is that wooden piccolos have bodies made of a natural material that expands and contracts with temperature changes.  Granted, you will feel the most drastic changes when the temperatures are in the extremes.  For instance, imagine that you are at home, and the temperature outside is well into the upper 90s (Fahrenheit) or above.  You sit down to practice in an area that is not air conditioned, and your piccolo and headjoint will not go together.  What should you do?

If you find that it is so hot that you cannot get the headjoint on your piccolo, don't force it.  It's simply a case of the wood swelling (or expanding) slightly because of the high temperature.  Give it some time and try to let the piccolo "cool down" a bit before you play it.  Once the air around the piccolo is cool enough, the wood of the piccolo will contract, and you will be able to play it.  Also, keep in mind that you do not want to expose the instrument to an extreme temperature change.  If you are outside performing in the heat, you would not want to come into an air conditioned room and start practicing immediately.

Maintaining even temperature (and humidity) is important for wooden instruments.  In fact, it is key!  The swelling and contracting of wooden piccolos can happen with wooden flutes as well.  So, if you have a wooden instrument, treat it with care, and don't take it to extremes in terms of temperature changes.  It will thrive in comfortable and consistent temperatures and humidity.

Wooden Flute Maintenance

If you have a wooden flute, you might be wondering how often you should send it in for repair.  A wooden body certainly is different from a metal one and requires different care.  So, how exactly should you care for the wooden flute -- and what measures should you leave to a repair tech?  Well, the wooden body requires special care in regard to both temperature and humidity.  Water can dry out the wood, and we all know that the water you find in your flute after playing comes from all that air running through the flute ultimately condensing.  Regular swabbing should do the trick to keep the flute in top shape, but take a look at the bore every now and then.  Does the bore look dry or "fuzzy?"  If you think it might look dry, it's time to send it to the repair tech to have the wood oiled.  It's best to leave this measure to a repair technician to avoid getting any type of oil on the pads or around the tenon cork.  Our Powell technician suggests you send in the flute to have the bore oiled every other year, although this can vary depending on several factors including the geographic region where you live, how much playing you do, and how many temperature/humidity changes the flute endures.  For instance, if you are an active performer traveling all across the country, your flute will be exposed to many (sometimes drastic) changes in temperature and humidity.  For example, a tour from Washington to Texas to Chicago and beyond can present many climate changes, so people who do a lot of traveling may need to send in their flute more frequently.

The headjoint on your wooden flute can definitely accumulate lots of water from the condensed air, so it is okay to oil the bore on your headjoint.  Our repair technician recommends sweet almond oil for this.  Take your swabstick and add a very little bit of the oil to the swab.  Run it around the inside of the headjoint.  Then, take a clean cloth to the swabstick and run that around the inside of the headjoint to remove any excess oil.  In the case of oiling the bore, always remember, "less is more," and make sure to contact your repair technician if you have any questions.