I picked up a real old what looks like a flute in the key of Eb, two pieces thread lapped tennon and what looks like nickel silver bands one at the top, middle and bottom, it was in an old box in a charity shop, appears to have been stored as it was wrapped up in that grease proof paper stuff, anyway after close inspection, it is as dry as a bone, what would be the best way to feed it, I am reluctant to just apply some almond oil as this baby will suck it up as long as I keep applying it, my question is what is the best way to treat the wood should I allow the wood as much oil as it will take, it looks like ebony, I did try a bit of oil on the inside and it dissapeared as if I never applied it within minutes.
so should I put a small amount on first and then build up over the weeks.
cheers Sponge,
I am away tommorow, i’m staying at Heathrow airport flying to Berlin in the Morning so its got to go with me, as I picked it up today in london and cant leave it anywhere, I take it will be ok in a the cargo hold of a plane
Once, when I was returning a Blackwood flute to Doc Jones, he told me to put it in a plastic bag, inside the box. He said the air on a plane is really dry and the plastic will help to prevent it from drying out too much. Good luck!
Some recorder makers (and probably also flute makers though I don’t know that first hand) soak the instruments in oil at certain stages of the production process. I don’t know if this is common practice. I THINK that oil will not swell the wood like water would, so I would just oil it as long as it wants to drink.
Best, though, to wait for a flute maker to speak up here.
I would imagine it would be a good idea to first slowly introduce some moisture into the flute via the atmosphere it is kept in, but gradually, and then oil it. But I’m not a flute restorer-it just seems like common sense.
If you keep it in a closed environment (such as the plastic bag) you could just put a piece of damp sponge in a small plastic bag and poke some holes in it to allow the moisture to reach the flute, but just not in excess.
You will probably be at your destination by the time you read this though, sorry. But you can still do it when you have the chance, and if the flute is that dry, it would probably be best to do it before trying to play it much and really spiking the humidity level that it is not used to, which might cause the wood to expand too quickly and cause it to crack. And then, you will need to treat it like a new flute after the humidity level has been stabilized, and break it in gradually, but you probably know that anyway.
Maybe someone who has restored some flutes can comment, especially about when and how much to oil it.
You’re welcome. And your flute being so dry is all the more reason to oil it and put it in the plastic. When I fly, I bring my flutes and whistles on the plane with me in my carry-on. I would never put mine in cargo. You may want to check your airline and see if you can bring yours on the plane with you.
Bon Voyage!
I was given an old flute which, like yours was very dry. I actually played it for a while as it was because I thought it was polymer at first, however I realised after a while, it was actually blackwood finished to a high gloss.
I then decided to oil it. I used the same method as I do with my recorders. I dribbled a little oil on the end of the joint and used a lint free pull through to spread the oil through the interior. I was actually surprised that it didn’t absorb as much as I expected (possibly due to the density of the wood) and I had to stand it on end for some time to let the surplus drain out. Once it had drained, the wood felt immeasurably better and the flute played better too.
I have since played it for extended periods at sessions and over weekends and it seems to cope well, though it is beginning to feel as if it needs another oiling.
Overall, I would say from my experience, definitely oil your flute.
