I’ve tried contacting Terry McGee through his email address (from his website) and through PM here on Chiff & Fipple and neither have been responded to… the PM was read. All I want to do is order a cleaning stick and bore oil so that I can properly care for my McGee flute purchased second-hand from Doc Jones.
I haven’t been playing the flute much since I got it because I don’t have the means to properly mop it out afterward and I don’t want to ruin it. I’m completely new to the flute so I’m hesitant to do anything to it. I wanted to get the improved cleaning stick from Terry because I also liked the idea of the stopper position gauge feature.
Does anyone know where I can get something like this in a timely manner?
I’m eager to play my flute.
I’d suggest that you just pick up a wooden dowel from your local hardware store, drill a hole in the top end and pull a piece of cloth or some silk through it. You shouldn’t have to wait to play your flute just because you can’t get a hold of a specific cleaning rod. If you want to mark the cork position, just push the dowel against the cork and score the dowel where it comes out of the barrel. You can also try a local music store and see if they have a plastic cleaning rod.
Come on now, this is C&F! Surely we can debate the merits of various swabbing sticks.
Doesn’t it stand to reason that sticks made from the salvaged hulls of ancient seagoing vessels would bring something magical to the sound of the flute? Wouldn’t a Pakistani kebab skewer trash the sound?
From Terry Mcgee’s site, It looks like he is just telling a person how to make them for themselves. He also gives a link to the Flute flag site.
As for the cork
Put a mark 3/4" (19) mm from the end to show where the stopper should be.
And on the cleaning page
You can check the position of the stopper by inserting the cleaning rod up the headjoint backwards. With it touching the face of the stopper, the mark engraved near its end should appear centrally in the embouchure hole. (This assumes that your cleaning rod is calibrated for a conical flute and not a modern cylindrical flute. The mark should be 19 mm from the end of the rod.)
I’m not freaking out or anything, just trying to be cautious. I was hoping to talk to Terry because the man just knows Irish flutes. I wasn’t about to ask some guitar player in a music store how to best care for my wooden flute.
I.D.10-T, thanks for that link, I’ve been all over his site but never came across the link about how to make it. Not knowing what it looked like before, and therefore having a difficult time picturing it in my head, I was hesitant to try making my own but now I feel more confident to do so… I also had no idea where the stopper ideally went… now I know it’s 3/4 inches and I’m not worried about removing it and replacing it.
This has an interesting method for cleaning a metal flute.
I like the fact that the fabric protects the inside from damage due to the rod hitting it so that there is no need for something like a Muzzel guard.
\
[quote="crookedtune"]
Come on now, this is C&F! Surely we can debate the merits of various swabbing sticks.
[/quote]
It all seems fairly commen knowlege. In the past I have seen metal, plastic, and wooden cleaning rods. Some people like plastic due to it’s durability and because it will not be damaged by changes in moisture easily. I personally prefer wood. Plastic feels lifeless and lets face it, your rod should not be used like a ram rod, so wood is more than durable enough and should last a life time. A good cleaning rod, one that you enjoy using, will be used, so it pays to find one that you like. In addition, wood ages gracefully and a certain amount of where gives your cleaning rod character that shows that you care for your flute. Hard woods like boxwood would be appropriate for such an indispensable piece of equipment.
Metal cleaning rods have the advantage of being able to be made thin and are useful for smaller instruments like piccolos and fifes. Although it may be tempting to have some kind of setting, such as a ruby, placed into the handle of such a device to mark where the cork adjustment should be, the raised hard surface could damage the bore, and so simple engraving is both more functional and elegant in it’s simplicity.
Bamboo is entirely inappropriate and I am happy to say that I know of no one producing such a thing.
The cloth patch also an important part of your cleaning routine. A knit fabric, Such as a tee shirt, can lose bits of fuzz around the edges. A lint free cloth should be used, so I use a woven cloth. While some state that silk is the best due to the fact that it is slightly less absorbent, I have found that the oil that ends up on any cloth makes over absorbance a non issue, so cotton or a fine linen is also appropriate. The only acceptable color for a cleaning cloth is white due to it’s ability to indicate dirt. The cloth patch should be laundered when appropriate.
