Well, it’s about that time of year…time for the recurrent humidification topic.
I’m entering my first midwestern winter with a wooden flute, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to keep my flute humidified. It’s kept in a plastic/foam gun case, and I’m wondering if I should use a cigar humidifier, such as
http://www.cheaphumidors.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?screen=PROD&Store_code=ch&Product_code=HT101&category_code=humidifiers
or a violin-style Dampit in the case? Is there any reason not to keep a humidifier in the case with the flute, assuming I won’t create rainforest conditions?
Thanks for any advice.
(formerly known as) Micah
A couple of these humistats came with my new oboe 
. They are pretty neat, and should work quite well with a flute.
http://www.humistat.com/prod01frame.htm
Bill
If you are a do-it-yourself type of person, it is easy to make a humidifier. Any small plastic container will work well. I like to use the small plastic containers that come with a roll of 35mm film. Drill or puch holes in both ends, and put some cotton inside to hold the moisture.
Thanks for the tip, bildio…5 bucks and free shipping can’t be beat!
(The film cannister idea is a good idea, too, of course.)
How big is the humistat? what are the dimensions?
I keep my flutes in a big Tupperware or similarly tight-sealing clear plastic box, and I keep a digital humidity meter in there (from Radio Shack…the cheap analog humidity meters are pretty much useless, digital is much more reliable) so I can monitor the humidity level. I try not to let it get much below 50 percent or above 65 percent. Using a clear plastic box lets me read the humidity level inside without having to open the box.
I’ve used a similar technique to the one Doug recommends with the film cannister to keep the humidity level up, although most of the time I find that there’s enough moisture in my flute-swabbing rag and the flute itself to keep the humidity level up there. Plus I keep my apartment fairly cool in winter…usually the temperature here is in the high 60s or at most the low 70s so the ambient humidity isn’t too low, although by mid-January or February, when it starts dropping down to 20 or 30 below outside, things start drying out in here and I have to add a wrung-out sponge (inside a small container with holes punched in it) to the box.
The cigar humidifier is good in a box, but it isn’t something you want to squeeze (all the water will come out). I use 2 of those in a small humidor with most of my wooden flute bits.
The pistol case probably doesn’t have any free air inside, so your options are either to stick dampits inside the flute bits or, keep the whole case in a sealed “ziploc” plastic bag with something moist (piece of cloth or piece of sponge.
Unless you live in the desert, and especially if your flute is blackwood, i wouldn’t agonize too much about it. Just play it regularly and it should be happy. Buy a humidifier for the room where you store the flute, instead.
g
I purchased a small digital hygrometer, thermometer, clock on ebay for a ridiculous low price. It seems to work very well, and I keep it in the room with my wooden instruments.
Besides using an electric humidifier to humidify the air in the dry winter months, I also have over ten large plants in my living room. They take at least a half gallon of water every couple of days, and the plants release this moisture back into the room atmosphere along with oxygen.
I keep the Copley Cannon inside its pistol case,
which is in turn placed inside a Rubbermaid
16X11X6 inch clear plastic case that has a slightly
loose top. The little hygrometrer that Dave supplies
stays inside the flute case and I have a common hardware
store hygrometer inside the plastic container. I keep
a moist sponge on top of the closed flute case year
round. Both meters read about 75% throughout the
year, which is right in the middle of the 65–85% RH
that Mr. Copley recomends. I have never experienced
any “growing stuff” whatsoever in 2 1/2 years.
The flute is played most days. YMMV.
Here is an ebay auction link to a budget hygrometer. I purchased one just like this, and I recommend it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=48624&item=5738085985&rd=1
I keep my Wilkes when it’s not being played, in it’s case inside a transparent plastic bag together with a hygrometer and a small piece of damp sponge. It gets pretty dry here in Sweden during the winter months. This together with playing it each evening seems to be working so far. I think as long as the flute doesn’t dry out and/or be exposed to sudden temperature changes there shouldn’t be a problem
2 3/8" long by 3/4" diameter.
Bill
In my humidor the Drymistat wouldn’t give more than 50% relative humidity, which is awful for cigars but pretty good for flutes. I use Climmax beads in the humidor and orange peels in the flute case.