I’ve seen quite a few threads on oiling flutes, how often, what type of oil to use, etc., but I haven’t seen much on what’s being used as a swab. I’m oiling my CB mopane flute as recommended by CB, and I’ve just been using a piece cut from an old cotton T-shirt.
What do you use and/or recommend as swabs for oiling and cleaning?
Thanks,
Bob
A piece from an old cotton t-shirt works just fine; that’s what I’ve always used. I keep a few old t-shirts and sheets around for that purpose.
One thing to keep in mind: if you use a stick in conjunction with the cloth, be sure the stick is made from a soft wood. Don’t use metal or really hard wood, as you could scratch the bore inadvertently while you’re swabbing the flute.
I like the ultra-narrow plastic flute cleaning stick and a piece of paper towel. You can tear the paper towel small enough so it doesn’t jam in the bore.
I’ve got a couple of silk scarves that I often use, one to put the oil on with, one to remove the excess. I’ve used bits of old t-shirts in the past, and they worked fine. The silk scarves are just more classy, and maybe have less lint and crud to lose inside the flute. And since I have them and don’t wear them, I use them for flute swabs.
I have a stick with a hole in the end that I thread the tip of the swab through in order to make it go through the flute. I carved it out of the local ironwood, so it’s kind of hard, it’s not going to break easily, but it won’t scratch the bore either. Also one of my swabs has a satin cord or thin rope tied through a hole on the end, which I can drop through the flute and pull the swab after it. No particular reason for it being satin, I just happened to have it lying around and since it was smooth and non-linty, I figured it would work. It’s not an original concept, I’ve seen lots of similar ones.
I use a few silk scraps left over from one of my wife’s sewing projects. Some makers say that a lint-free, non-shredding cloth such as silk is best. Others stress absorbence over the lint issue, thus recommend something like cotton.
i prefere Roger Holman’s swabs http://home.nethere.net/roger45/fluteflaga.htm
Best stuff that I’ve found are the untreated eyeglass cleaning cloths. They are free from any eyeglass place.
They are strong, leave no lint, do not tear and hold onto the oil (and move it around) wonderfully.
I have one for the bores and another for the exteriors.
They are singularly the most marvelous materials for this job.
I use a little plastic cleaning stick to hold the cloth. Found it cheaply at a music shop. Used for clarinets.
But there is a new material about to be on the market especially for the wood flutes! I’ve been working with the makers of PadSavers and we’ve been devising a non-cotton cleaning material (don’t use cotton…it soaks up too much…and stinks in no time at all) that will clean the bore, oil the bore and…as some of you have asked…clean the crud and water at the cork!
I get nothing but a couple samples out of this project. Should be ready, I guess, in about a month.
We’re devising solid-body (pratten-like) and two-piece body (Rudall-like) models.
So far I really like them for swabbing. I keep it in my case.
Still working out the oiling part.
dm
That’s my method, too. Disposable and…umm…disposable.
I got it from John S., so alas, I can’t take any real credit – but it works fine, and I like the disposability factor too. And since I dry the flutes with a silk square after playing, I figure that keeps any lint or fuzz down.
But David, your idea sounds cool. I’m looking forward to trying those out! (Will try the eyeglass squares, too)
What about pre-oiled swabs on a string or floss with a cheap plastic bead, all stowed in a little “zip-sealed” packet? That type of thing (sans string and bead, of course) is HUGE for tack cleaning, fly wipes, etc. in horse land.
I don’t like the swabs on a string because they limit your ability to put the oil where you’d like or to make it an even application. In that way, you’re wasting a lot of time dropping and drawing that silling string with the metal weight on the end over and over again.
As a swab I’m not thrilled with it either. I think the best method is something you can turn and move in and out. YOu can put as much or as little as you need.
Also…
after oiling the flute, stand the parts up rather than let them lay flat. If you haven’t noticed already, oil will “puddle” at the lowest point when lying on a table. Standing up will allow the oil to move along uniformly to the bore.
You can lay the flute down, but just remember to run the swab through it again to even out the puddled oil.
dm
Yeah, actually I hate the strings, too. I’m a believer in not moving the tuning cork any more than necessary (like, never) so the string-swabs do no good in my head-joint oilings (although I sometimes just pour a little in there and shake it round and then let it drip out before swabbing dry – it’s another John thing).
But it seemed an expedient way to package your invention. Although I suppose pre-soaked giant Q-tip-like things (like those Betadine swabs they use in hospitals?) might be an option – say, five individually-wrapped soaked ones and five dry ones per package?
I have another question about using a cloth swab with one of the slotted plastic cleaning rods. How do you attach the swab to the cleaning rod?
Bob
I just pull a corner through and then drape the rest of the swab over the top of the stick to make sure that it doesn’t scratch my flute. A bit of padding at the end also makes it easer and safer to dry out the cork end of the head joint.
It won’t come loose and get stuck in your flute that way. Depending on where you put the slit and how fat the strip is, you can make this a more or less plump, cushy swab.
I cover the stick in a piece of plastic wrap. When you dip the plastic wrap
in the oil, nothing is absorbed to waste. I wipe out with a cotton cloth.
The material in the flute flags is this stuff called Ultrasuede. I got some
samples from the Ultrasuede company and use them for regular swabs.
(I tried to make a flag out of a cat fishing rod toy but it didn’t work.)
Lesl
Chamois from the car care section of an auto parts store. One strip cut from it lasts for months.
polish the bore…it should last longer!
I’ve been using the same one on the metal flute for a couple of years…
Maybe I should use it more often… 
Lambshop, about what size of strip do you normally use? I’ll use that as a starting point and go from there.
Thanks,
Bob
About 1" x 4", Bob. That makes it a nice size to get up into the flute (my flute, anyway) without getting stuck. Just make sure the little split is just big enough to allow you to thread the end of the strip through, or it won’t be nice and tight after you pull it through.
That’s what I use to oil it. To just dry it while playing, I have great success using a microfiber lens-cleaning cloth. It’s thin, but not as thin as silk, and it’s about 6 x 6. Thread one corner through the slot in the plastic clarinet rod, fold the cloth over the end so it kind of holds in place, then pull the square cloth so that it’s not bulky. It goes in nicely, soaks up moisture very well, and dries without getting icky. Washes up nicely in dish detergent or shampoo.
I tried paper towels, too, but it required a lot more effort and I kept getting chunks stuck in the flute.
The fabric I’m using now for the oiling strips is from an old pair of cotton knit running pants which got so worn out that holes appeared, so it’s thin and not lint-y.
It makes me feel better to know the pants have a new purpose to their life. I kept wearing them until some kind soul mentioned that I really needed to stop, but I felt terrible about it. We’d had such good times together. 
-Has anyone tried the traditional shrew-and-snake method?-An oiled shrew sent up the bore - followed by a garter snake to remove the shrew. The minuscule bulk and pointy nose of the shrew ensures good reach into dead-end head joints and those hard-to-reach cork/bore corners. Do not remove the shrew yourself as they are bitey when oiled. The snake may be tough to remove depending where the bulge locates, and an ACME snake tool may help. For those unable to purchase, borrow or rent the tool- stuck snakes will free themselves within two to three weeks.
-Owners of low Bb/A flutes should consider use of larger rodents & larger-bore snakes. Recommended larger rodents include voles, wood rats and
capybaras. Snake sizing will vary. Pick a non-venomous variety.
