I picked this flute when I visited Dave in March. It’s a great instrument made by a true craftsman and a gentleman. The only problem is a developing alergy to blackwood. At first it was just my lips tingling after playing, but it’s getting progressively worse, including itchy hands (except for the tips of my fingers which appear to be immune) The effect is more noticeable if my hands sweat.
The flute will continue to grow with whoever buys it. I’ve learned a lot in the short time I’ve been playing. If you’re interested email me off the board. I’m looking for $750 and I’ll pay shipping & insurance.
kgharper wrote:
The flute will continue to grow with whoever buys it. I’ve learned a lot in the short time I’ve been playing. If you’re interested email me off the board. I’m looking for $750 and I’ll pay shipping & insurance.
If the flute continues to grow, the new owner will need fingers that do the same…
See if you can trade dave for a Delrin head joint. I have a white delrin head joing that I love and Dave was extremely pleased with. I have played it so much that I am forgetting all about whistles.
This problem is interesting, except for poor kgharper who has my sympathy.
When we discussed allergies to wood on the whistle forum a while back, I commented that I’d never heard of a single guitarist who had a problem with fretboards which are coming into contact with fingertips all the time with eager players. I can’t remember exactly what Loren’s answer was at the time—he certainly had one that sounded plausible—but I think it hinged on the fact that the skin on the lips and around the face and mouth is more sensitive.
Well, now we have an example of hand sensitivity. So, again, why no itchy guitarists? My guess is that allergies are triggered by a certain degree of exposure. You might experience nothing for several months and then develop blisters on your lips in a few days which just keep on getting worse. My guess is that kgharper crossed the threshold through lip contact but once the allergy was activated any contact became insufferable.
Now nobody has suggested a silver (?) mouthpiece that keeps the lips away from the wood—less drastic than a delrin head and something I’ve seen mentioned here several times recently. I suppose that that still doesn’t solve the problem for the fingers. But how do we know we have allergies until they are triggered and who would bother developing special mouthguards if, as I just sugggested, once triggered, any amount of exposure is too much? Any ideas? If we had an answer we might be able to offer some less drastic advice than just ‘Sell your Copley.’
Doctors and dentists do well with fine rubber gloves and their work is very sensitilve. That could solve the finger problem. A teacher I had once used a Delrin mouthpiece on his flute and it was fine.
I’m sure some maker could provide silver rings around the finger holes. I’ve seen flutes which have these rings, espessially from the 19th century I think. That does not solve the thumbs issue ofcourse. Perhaps Dave could make thumb plates in silver as well. But they would have to be fitted exactly where KG holds his thumbs when playing. I do think this can be solved in one way or another.
Silver finger inlays … sounds quite complicated. It will probably be easier and safer to buy a boxwood flute.
Besides, some people are very allergic to latex as well, and that may not only concern their fingers (huh, Stuart?)
:roll: