For a long time I have kept an Oak C whistle in my car to play during my lunch breaks at work, however I would like to be able to play flute during my breaks. I don’t want to leave my Delrin Baubet in my car and subject to our drastically shifting temperatures here, however, as it cost me a good bit more than my $10 Oak car whistle.
I would like to just leave my flute in my desk drawer and then take it out with me when I leave for lunch. I don’t really want to walk into work carrying a fully assembled flute, as that would look weird and I don’t want to be pestered with questions about it, so I am looking for a cheap solution as a case for my flute. As it is delrin, my only requirement is that it is a small case that holds my flute steadily and securely to prevent it from jostling around. I work at a high school/junior high school in the US, so using a firearms case for it would be out of the question.
I could of course buy a wooden box and line the inside with foam, but I am lazy (though it may come to that).
Are there any plain, small, readily made, and inexpensive cases that could store my disassembled flute for easy transport in and out of work? It is keyless and based on an R&R, so it has those general proportions, and I would like to disassemble it into four parts and carry it in as small of a case as possible. I am hoping to find something that doesn’t cost much, as this is the only time I would keep that particular flute in a case, and it is just for the purpose of inconspicuous transport.
Any recommendations for a small box/case I could order?
It would probably be okay, but we do have both extreme heat and extreme cold where I live, and the temperature often shifts rapidly. I used to keep a conical plastic Dixon low D in my car years ago, and it developed a weird cracked look on the surface. This flute has wide rings on it, and I don’t know if that would add further stress during intense temperature shifts.
Although this is my backup/travel/camping flute, I like this flute a lot and wouldn’t want to risk it, as it’s quite nice.
I know. But isn’t that why people get delrin flutes? Close to indestructible.
While gun/camera etc cases are readily available and practical, I don’t fancy them much. Too much plastic, for one. The sock idea occurred to me, a late friend used to keep a uilleann pipes chanter in one. Perhaps a roll would suit, cloth, leather, towel (if you want cheap).
There’s some stuff on Etsy but not exactly cheap. You may nearly buy a cheap Pakistani flute, bin the glute and use the case. You won’t be the first to go that route.
Art/drawing tubes, if you find the right length, are a good,chesp carrying/storage solution as well.
I keep a C flute in a hardwood case, but that’s a different story.
I like the idea of a long tube, spray paint a wrapping paper tube, and fill it with a roll of foam rubber.
My favorite flute roll is the classic Cavallaro roll with the (fake) sheepskin on the inside. There are some imitators, but the original is the best. Check eBay or Irish Flute Store.
Finally, sBay has some really cheap flute cases pre-formed for silver flutes. A keyless would fit just fine in there, and as a bonus you get some insulation.
On the UIE page KKrell is selling a Cochran flute. Note the case in the image forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=113994. Looks like an art supply (paint brush?) case. Glue in a couple of pieces of spongy material to keep the flute in place and there you go…
[Or buy KKrell’s flute, keep the case and send me the flute…]
The reason not to leave a Delrin flute in the car is not temperature, but risk of theft.
Delrin keyless flutes don’t need much physical protection. Pencil case, gun case, flute roll, sock, all are suitable.
I like the Cavallaro cases (discontinued by that manufacturer) if you can find one used of the right size. Substitutes are Canzonet. A 3-or 4-slot of appropriate length will do. May be referred to as a recorder roll.
Pencil Case from Art Supply store, such as Michael’s or Jo-Anns’ (ArtBin or Artist’s Loft brands). Artist’s Loft offers a size long enough for a one-piece Pratten center section.
I’m on team PB+J…canvas tool roll for a keyless flute. Same principal as the much nicer cavallero rolls but oh so very much cheaper. That said, I carried a pistol case into a Federal building for 22 years without incident (I had x-ray machines to go through and Homeland Security with M16s onsite…I did have to open the case a few times but that’s because a flute looks like a pipe bomb to those security screening machines). Band/bar stickers do wonders to making a pistol case look like an instrument case.
I would never again keep a delrin flute in a car in the USA in the summer. With temps in a car around/above 134 Fahrenheit in summer, glue for corked joints tends to fail rather easily and if there is a cork in the headjoint it can shrink down enough to slide down and cover your embouchure…leaving you wondering why no sound is coming out of your flute until you look down and see the cork staring back up at you (this happened to me once after leaving my Seery delrin in the car in summer (despite windows being open) too often while out cleaning stables over a several week period.
I’m guessing it’s 100% safe to leave your delrin flute in a car in Ireland, though…the USA is just a helluva lot hotter.
That’d work for sure, but will it work for a flute with tuning barrel and long foot? Just curious…looks like the one I had with my delrin Tony Dixon 3 piece flute many moons back, which was a great roll but it was a 3 piece flute with short foot and no tuning barrel.
And the Von Huene Workshop in Massachusetts has recorder rolls similar to the Cavallero rolls mentioned earlier. May not fit the “inexpensive” criterion, but are there for your consideration (or for others who are fans of this kind of protection). As I said, a heavy wool sock works for my delrin keyless.
It has a substantial wall thickness and the quality is quite good. It is also sealed, so humidity can be maintained perfectly. I use the whistle slots in the top for tools (cloth, cork grease, hygrometer, and rolled up Boveda packs).
This hard case perfectly fits the bill for what I’m after, as I wanted something hard due to the fact that I am often carrying multiple things when I’m coming in and out. I would use the whistle compartments, as well. It would be perfect for my lunch-break music kit. Thanks very much!
And thanks to everyone else who responded, as well!
I have a couple of what look to be those McNeela cases I bought on AliExpress. The two I have don’t seal well at all. If I run them under a faucet whatever’s inside gets very wet. I’ve tried a couple ways to seal them but no luck. The McNeela cases look to be exactly the same, but maybe not.
I bought a used Pelican laptop briefcase on Ebay that I converted to a flute case. I made a wooden frame with dividers that fit inside and then padded it. It serves as a humidor for the dry winter days and can also be a case, although it’s oversized for most uses. High pretentiousness level. But I’m paranoid about cracking
That doesn’t look like the interior of the McNeela cases at all, from what I’ve seen. If they are similar, then the similarities must be mainly external.
Also, this is for a delrin flute, humidity and moisture isn’t an issue. I mainly want a case just for low-profile transport and protecting from drops and whatnot.
Edit: Oops. I see the picture was of the second case you mentioned, not the first.
