I received today a Dixon (low) D
flute from the Whistle Shop.
Gee, I like it. It’s less good
than a blackwood flute, but
it’s quite good anyhow. And it
isn’t like a potted plant,
that you have to water and
talk to everyday to keep happy.
Two questions: what, if anything,
does one do to take care of
a polymer flute?
And, what does one use as a
case for the Dixon? Thanks
Hi Jim,
as far as I know the polymer flute needs no looking after. Tony Dixon makes a hard case for his flutes. Pistol cases have also been suggested for flutes. If you want a soft case you could have something sewn up like a tool roll.
Cheers, Mac
On 2002-12-12 22:59, jim stone wrote:
Two questions: what, if anything,
does one do to take care of
a polymer flute?And, what does one use as a
case for the Dixon? Thanks
Hi Jim,
I haven’t found polymer flutes to need much care. Here’s what I do:
Once a month or so I’ll run cold water down the bore just to keep things a little clean, and then grease the tenons with cork grease. About once every six months I run lukewarm lightly soapy water down the bore, and then rinse it out well.
Note that I don’t do this with my 6-key M&E. I just dry it out after playing and keep the tenons greased with cork grease, much as I would with a wooden flute. This is primarily to protect the pads.
That said, it’s handy to have a soft cloth and cleaning rod to swab it out with, because if you are playing, especially in a cold room, and your tone suddenly goes stuffy and you “lose the blow,” drying out the bore will do wonders.
Of course you can do the same thing by closing all holes, covering the embouchure hole with your mouth, angling the flute down, and blowing sharply and with force. The fiddle player to your right won’t thank you for soaking his shoes with gunge, though! Polymer flutes produce water from the bore like a faucet in cool rooms.
Best wishes,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
Thanks to all. Does Dixon have
a website? Anybody know the address?
http://www.tonydixonmusic.co.uk
Richard