I was going to title this “Swollen Joints”, but I thought that might be too confusing.
Following a FB discussion on the topic of managing humidity in our wooden flutes, I would like to ask the consensus among the more experienced players here.
I have a lung condition that results in a lot of moisture in my airways. When I play my wooden flutes, the head joint to barrel connection becomes very tight after about a half hour of playing. I swab regularly, but by the end of a practice session, the pieces are soaked and often tightly stuck together.
The tenons are thread wrapped, and I am reasonably adept at rewinding as needed. I keep minimal thread on the on the troublesome tenon. The problem is that when the wood becomes saturated, the end of the joint flares to the point that the wood-on-wood connection is worryingly tight.
I started off my morning by adding a little extra oil to the open grain where the upper body joint enters the barrel. (Not on the threads) I am hoping that this will prevent absorption at the business end of the tenon. (Of course, it is just as likely to trap moisture IN the wood, and I’ve just made the problem worse!) Please tell me if you think this is a bad idea.
Shoot me an email if you want me to take a look at mine.
First thing to look at would be giving both the socket and the bore a good oil. Get it good and oily, let it sit for an hour and wipe off excess, and do it again, leave it over night, wipe excess and give it a try. It could be that the bore is just a bit too dry. Oil will help prevent (not eliminate) moisture uptake and therefore swelling.
Make sure the threads are good and greased. Not overly so, but with a nice layer of cork grease on them to prevent the fibres from absorbing moisture that escapes around the tenon.
In general, while removing material should always be a last resort, if you’re experiencing too much swelling despite all of the above, I’d recommend just taking a bit of sand paper (220) and slowly removing a small amount of material from the wood portion of the end of the tenon. Not too much, but take a small amount off, grease the threads (sawdust will gum them up a bit so cover them with some plumbers silicone tape while you sand) and give it a go.
If the problem is more severe and a small amount doesn’t do it, there are some more severe steps that can be taken with caution. They all amount to reducing the contact of wood to wood when swollen, mostly aimed at making the connection more conical by either removing more material from the tip of the tenon, or from the outermost 1/3rd of the socket. Fairly easily doable, but also fairly easy to over-do!
Thanks Travis! The problem occurs on both of my wood flutes, but even more so on my rescued small bore boxwood. I agree that removing material would be a last resort. I’m going to let both instruments be for the rest of the day and reapply oil in the morning if it appears that the wood has shrunk to a manageable size.
Boxwood can be THIRSTY for oil when it’s not saturated. It’s easy to really oil a boxwood, to a point where you think it’s overdone, and come back an hour later to see a matte surface. I’d oil that bore (and a little on the exposed tenons, careful not to get too much on the thread) until you check on it an hour later and still see a good bit of oil on the surface, then I’d wipe it down and oil it once more. Let it sit for a day before assembling after this.