Just seen a past posting about oiling polimer flutes, I have owned one of dessi serry’s flutes about seven years now and i always took it for granted that it needs oiled once in a while, to keep it smooth and stop any build up inside the body. we have always used Almond oil. I dont think it oes any harm to keep some moisture locked in.
Polimer’s as far as i know (or so my brother says) can, just like wooden flutes, be damaged by heat or cold conditions, so i’ve been told anyway, i’ve never actually put it to the test… i think i’ll take his word for it!!
As far as I understand, unless subjected to direct extremes of heat (direct stove or furnace/heater) polymer flutes react very little-not at all to temperature or humidity changes.
Ergo, no need to oil
However, a coat of oil won’t hurt if you like…or a coating of water.
Nor will tossing the flute (a keyless one, of course…no pads) into the dish washer to clear out the gunk.
Yep, when I visited with Desi about a month ago I picked up one of his flutes and he said that it wouldn’t sound as good as if he had oiled it (the inside). I was puzzled as I had never heard of oiling a polymer instrument before… And he never really gave me a straight answer as to why but that they just sounded better with oil… Hmmm… He also said the same about his whistles.
I actually got a chance to play the first whistle he ever made - it sounded lovely - not as loud as his new ones - I think he’s come to prefer the strong low d on the whistles and as we all know, the stronger the lower register - the stronger the high! And isn’t that the reason why we come to play flutes?!
I also ran into a fellow named Eammon DeBara at a pub in Ennis during the Trad Fest. I think he was from Dublin. He was playing a Mopane Seery Keyless. Awesome player - made his Seery sound unbelievable! He swore up and down about Desi as a maker and said that he wouldn’t play anything else!
