Already posted, but probably buried, at the end of “care of flute in winter” - thanks Bill for the advice to repost under a new topic
Hi folks,
After lurking for a while I thought I’d come out of hiding. I’ve recently acquired an Olwell bamboo D flute. I’m new to the flute after tooling around on the whistle for many years. It’s going to be a lot of work. But at least I got a sound out of it!
My question for this thread concerns care and maintenance, especially in winter. I’ve read all of the posts so far, but haven’t seen anything addressing bamboo as a material. If anyone else out there has a bamboo flute, I’d like to know what steps to take. Should I swab it dry, oil it occasionally, if so how often and with what kind of oil. I assume that bamboo is relatively hardy, but I don’t want to develop any cracks in this beautiful instrument.
I’ve had a lot of experience with bamboo flutes,
several of them in and from India, as well as an
Olwell. I hesitate to say much about their care,
though, for it’s just my experience.
However, the only thing that ever seemed to damage
them was excessive dryness, and that didn’t seem
to do it particularly either. I never swabbed them or
oiled them. I would humidfy them in dry conditions.
i have owned some olwell bamboo ‘cane’ flutes. i may have oiled them when i first got them but i pretty much do not do anything for them in terms of maintenance. they have been exposed to low rh levels with no problem whatsoever. so i see them as pretty much maitenance free, at least so far (10+ yrs.). i can’t say if this is a wise thing to recommend, it is only my experience fwiw.
i also own a shakuhachi (1.5) made from bamboo, a really thick piece of bamboo with a rootend. i was told by the seller to store it in a sealed plastic bag with a damp sponge/tissue inside at all times when it is not being played and to let the rh get as high as possible. i guess the idea is that the bamboo loves water and that is how the bamboo shaku has always been treated since it was harvested.
Shakuhachi flutes are a little different in that most of them have a lacquered bore. I don’t know what treatment if any the Olwell bamboo flutes have to their bore or outer surface, so probably someone who has an Olwell bamboo from new, and can provide the instructions on care that came with it, or a retailer who handles them, or best yet, email Patrick Olwell and get it from the horse’s mouth!
One option you have would be to get a vapor barrier bag, such as this to store it in after play. They are really nice bags, with a polypropolene vapor barrier, and a wool outer cover with nice designs (a Low D flute like the Olwell would be a 1.8 size equivalent in a Shak).
http://shakuhachi.com/ Click on the main menu, and on the large page on the right, click on accessories.
Or, get some kind of case that isn’t air tight and put a humidifier in it to keep it humidified, especially in the heating season in cold climates. You can store Shakuhachis in a plastic bag, but they have the lacquered bore that deters mold from forming. They also have binding on the outside of the flute, which helps keep them from expanding too much with the moisture and forming cracks.
But, the best bet is get your care info from the source of the instrument, or maker.
Good luck, and have fun making bamboo music!
Edited to remove swabbing out, since Brad posted about the membrane below: careful! Didn’t know Olwells did not use a cork or other stopper! Thanks Brad!
I have an Olwell bamboo flute in C that I bought in 1995 or 96. I’ve never oiled it and only swabbed it out once when I had played it for several hours and it was quite wet inside. Other than that I’ve done nothing in terms of maintenance and the flute looks and plays just like it did when it was made nearly 10 years ago.
One very important note: if you do swab it out or oil the bore, be very careful to not let the tip of your swab get close to the membrane that acts as the “end cork” at the embouchure end of the flute. If you accidentally pierce that membrane or get oil on it and soften it, you’ve just lost a good flute.
Excessively dry bamboo coupled with sudden changes in weather.
Oil them inside before each season and before travel involving changing climes.
Best plant oil is almond because of high monounsaturated content. Monounsat. is the most heat stable, least likely to go rancid oil.
Olive oil is strongly monounsat. also but has odour unfortunately.
Historic japanese buildings have bamboo in them for centuries maintained by oiling. Oiled bamboo lasts for centuries. I don’t know how relevant this para. is to the whole post.
