http://home.nethere.net/roger45/fluteflaga.htm
Anyone seen or tried one of these? I note that he makes one especially for conical-bore flutes; I wonder what the difference would be from a regular model?
Is my old rod-and-piece-of-T-Shirt swab outdated? Do I need yet another pricey piece of plastic to perform proper plumbing in the pursuit of prolonging the period of playability of my Perfected Rudall?
They look nicely made, though. . .
(If only I had a Pratten Perfected: all those P’s . . .)
I have one that I use ONLY for removing the moisture from the headjoint. I just run a cloth through the rest for.
So, I’d say save your money and get the non-conical version. The conical version has a joint in the middle I’m afraid would scratch the bore, so I’m scared to use it.
Stuart
The version for conical flutes was my idea (really, it was!) and i helped test two of the prototypes.
I use that exclusively now both for my conical and cylindrical flutes. I find it easier to use than the other kinds of schticks. It requires cleaning every 2 months or so, whenever it starts losing its way with the flute juice. I don’t think it will scratch the bore.
As far as prolonging the playability, the old trick of blowing into the 'hole with all fingers down works just fine, or the old shake in the general direction of the bodhran players (they appreciate the moisture, to keep their goatskins tight).
Terry McGee also has his own kind of swabbing schtick. In the end, they all work about the same.
g
So is the “conical” version just the same swab on a longer stick, then? I don’t find the details on the website. . .
As far as prolonging the playability, the old trick of blowing into the 'hole with all fingers down works just fine, or the old shake in the general direction of the bodhran players (they appreciate the moisture, to keep their goatskins tight).
During play, sure. I meant, you know, for swabbing before putting away.
I prefer the blowing method, as opposed to shaking, having once accidentally flung the footjoint of a flute across the living room when shaking too vigorously. Thank goodnes it was a polymer flute and not my McGee, that it avoided all the breakable stuff in the room, and that it wasn’t at a crowded session! It was pretty scary, seeing that fotjoint soar away towards the stereo . . .
My problem with it is that there’s this thick metal joint in the middle, where the end of the flag mates with the long stick. I do think it has the potential to scratch the bore, since it rubs against the side when swabbing (since the stick’s somewhat pliable).
So, I just use it on the headjoint.
I urge caution. And I suggested the standard flag for that purpose because it’s much cheaper. You can get nice silk cloths for the rest of the body cheap.
Stuart
My flute teacher has one of these for her piccolo and likes it. I’m pretty happy with a silk cloth and a stick.
The only difference between the “conical” version and the standard is the stick that’s used to hold the fabric. The standard version uses a delrin stick that’s much cheaper than the carbon-composite stick that’s used in the conical version (thence the price difference).
The main difference, functionally, is that the “conical” version, having a thinner stick, is able to navigate the thinner foot joint of the conical flute.
Thanks, all.
I’ll probably stick with my silk-on-a-string for the body sections and my t-shirt-on-a-stick for the headjoint for now. Maybe pick up something like this next time I win at poker or something. . .
Carbon-composite flute swab sticks. Who knew?