As there are quite a few players/ makers on this forum with polymer flutes I would like to ask if someone maybe has tips to make my polymer dixon 3 piece less slippery.
The two places that bother me most is where my lips are, and the right hand section around the tone holes…
On the lip section I have tried masking tape but this messes up the flute a lot and after a week or three leaves a very hard to remove gummy residue, making the flute sticky.
Is there some kind of antislip stuff that I could use around the embouchure?
On the fingerholes problem (not always but sometimes makes the fingers slip) I have of course considered playing with those kind of latex gloves on but not that this is what I am after…looks weird too…hehe.
If you don’t mind changing the appearance a little, you can give it a very light sanding with a fine polishing paper or cloth. I’m not sure what I used on my M&E; I think it was probably 2400 grit paper. This will dull the appearance so that it doesn’t have that just-off-the-lathe Delrin look, but it also won’t have that greasy just-off-the-lathe Delrin feel. It doesn’t look scratched up or anything, the sheen is just a little dull.
This worked fine for the hand feel. If you were a guy I’d recommend growing the whiskers just below your lip for the mouth feel; I do this in the summer here (Wash. DC area), where it’s very hot in the summer and my mouth begins slipping around due to sweat.
Not quite on target, but I just put pieces of adhesive tape,
the white surgical stuff, where my thumbs connect with the flute.
Rough and improves the grip. Something like this,
or clear packing tape, can go in a strip under the
embouchure hole. The latter stuff is invisible and it
stops my getting maple syrup on the flute (don’t,
repeat, don’t play flute after attending a church breakfast).
Working on ways to make the flute easier to hold
and contol. Best, Jim
Hi Berti,
you can use steel wool 0000. sand lenghtwise around the flute. It also gives it a grain look like wood. I heard that some makers usedto use shark skin for that non slip feel!
Jon
Having had the slipperies myself, I found a few options.
I was first advised to use a thick elastic band (like what you see
sometimes holding lettuces or broccoli in a vegetable shop) wrapped
between hole 3 and 4, so that I could put my bottom thumb on it.
Also tried my friend’s invention which was the rubber tubing of a bicycle
inner tire/tyre. That can be cut to shape and slipped on the flute from the
bottom (with some pushing and pulling of the rubber.) It is very thin so
wears out after a while and you need to put on a new piece, but it
worked really well.
Sandy Drelinger the flute maker used to have little oval black foam stick-
on pieces of something. They worked even better. You might look him up
and see if it is offered on his website (Drelinger headjoints) or email him
from the contact there.
And finally, there’s a tacky substance called Gorilla Snot, an awful name,
but smells like pine and comes in a little jar. http://www.gorillasnot.com/
You rub a tiny bit of it on the flute and it doesn’t damage anything but
keeps it tacky where you need to grip. Then you can take off all the anti-
slip devices and just carry a tiny pot of that in your flute case. Occasionally
I still use it in the winter when my hands are really dry and slippery even
with hand cream.
I have noticed, washing my hands before playing also helps a little bit. Going to try the roughing up thing once I get my paws on fine enough sanding paper or steelwool…
You can also use a non-self stick postage stamp, which can be easily removed with a bit of water. Players of metal flutes do this quite often on the embrochure plate to keep the flute from slipping out from under lips if they’re particularly sweaty. For the beater flute I play outside in some real heat, I placed strips of self-adhesive moleskin on the balance points. Feels odd but I’ve yet to drop the thing during a warp-speed reel.
No kidding!!! This brand of Carnauba wax is used for surf board “Dudes/Duddettes” but the kind I suggest is sold at most office supply stores for clerk/paper-pushers. I comes in a lip-gloss-pot and is applied to the finghertips for riffling through papers.
Carnauba wax comes from the Carnauba Plam Tree and is easily removed with Isopropyl Alcohol or a weak solution of nail polish remover(acetone). The Polish remover will make you polymer flute shine like a mirror after cleaning the wax off. "Wax On!, Wax-Off! ( Karate flute.he he).
but not that this is what I am after…looks weird too…hehe.