I’ve been on the fence about starting flute for a long time, but when that Sweetheart that Jessie was selling re-appeared I couldn’t resist anymore, since it seemed like such a good flute at a price I could almost afford. I’ve found lots of threads on getting started and bought Grey Larsen’s book as well, so I think that should get me started ok. What do these flutes need in terms of general TLC and care before/after playing? Climatologically, I live in Coastal New England (humid and usually cold out!).
Congrats! Your flute will be happy there. You can read the recent marathon thread on oiling, if you dare. Really, though, your flute will require very little in the way of care. Swab it lightly after playing. Keep it out of temperature extremes, don’t let it get overly dried out. Oil it in some fashion, if you’re so inclined. In that it doesn’t have a tuning slide, you’re highly unlikely to experience cracking. Have fun!
Your flute was born in connecticutt, so it’s well used to your weather. Wipe it down after playing well enough to remove condensation, and it’ll be fine. A wood-only flute like a Sweetheart or really anyone’s starter model is much more difficult to crack than one which has to marry wood to metal with thier very different expansion properties.
The Sweet flutes are soaked repeatedly in Tung oil
as a sealant, they tend to be impervious to
moisture, so they need minimal care. Oiling them
is wasted effort, IMO. The only
thing that might be worth watching is a lot
of dryness in the winter due to central heating.
So you might want to humidify in the winter,
e,g. the plastic box/bag with a damp cloth or
sponge.
A humidity gauge is helpful. When it gets below
50, then you humidify. Another option is a humidfier
for the room the flute is in; this will humidify
you too, which is all to the good.
But Crooketune is right. These flutes are made
for minimal care. I’ve had a number of em,
basically abused em, never had a problem.
You can get a plastic pistol case at your local sporting goods store, then put a damp it in the box with the flute. It is always fun to go into the gun shop, the flute making vegetarian…
buying flute-care supplies at a firearms store would be very Maine-y of me. And I can use my neon orange bandana as a swab, when I’m not wearing it to be visible!
