Anyone know of a few good sources for Silk Flute swabs?
Loren
Loren - I bought two at my local music store. One was made for the flute and had a small weight at the end of the string to draw it through. The other was made for a sax with same string and weight and was much bigger. Both work on the flute. When I finish running the silk through the two sections of the flute (I leave them together for this) I put an end of the silk through a wooden dowel and use that to swab the head joint. You can also buy old silk scarfs and use them as well. Be cautious, here, not to use silk that will catch on any minute wood part in a not-to-smooth bore.
I’m working on a McGee improved cleaning rod by following his directions at
ttp://www.mcgee-flutes.com/rod.html
Hope this helps.
BilllG
Loren,
Flute World http://www.fluteworld.com has all sorts of flute cleaning accessories.
best,
Micah
Edit: Web page didn’t show up.
[ This Message was edited by: Micah on 2003-01-11 11:29 ]
Thanks folks 
Bill, I’ll be interested to hear how your McGee style cleaning rod turns out, please let us know!
Loren
Hmph, no silk swabs at Flute World.
Loren
Hey Loren:
http://www.flute4u.com
Both of these sell silk flute swabs online. I have dealt with flute4u and they are very good about responding… I’ve not dealt with flutesmith, but they offer quite a few items of interest for flutists!
Mary
Thanks Mary I’ll check it out!
Loren
Well, that’s weird about Flute World. The J.L. Smith Co. (flutesmith) is a pleasure to deal with, and come to think of it, I got the silk swab I have there.
Micah
Yeah, Loren, on the first page of Flute World where they have a search box, just put ‘silk’ in there and the swabs come up.
Stuart
On 2003-01-11 16:44, sturob wrote:
Yeah, Loren, on the first page of Flute World where they have a search box, just put ‘silk’ in there and the swabs come up.Stuart
Silly me: I searched the entire accessories section, who’d have know the cleaning cloths would be there but not the swabs. So, what are swabs considered these days? Music? Instruments? Sheesh.
Sadly FluteWorld doesn’t say what size the silk swab they’re selling is, and for $8 plus shipping, I’d sorta like to know. Demanding, ain’t I? 
Thanks again folks
Loren
For silk, just go and buy cheap silk ties in the market (in Asia) or (in the US at least..) those second hand stores for charity. Not sure what Europe does.
Good advice G., 'cept for one thing: There ain’t many silk ties to be found in the thrift stores here in the boonies of North Carolina…
Loren
You may want to check out Dharma Trading Company on the web. They have a lot of silk scarves and handkerchieves at good prices, and they should be large enough to cut up into a number of swabs. For example, a 6" x 24" silk scarf is $1.25.
http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1741-AA.shtml
Dharma are very friendly to do business with.
Dave Copley
Loveland, Ohio
Sorry to ask a dumb question but, why do you need silk swabs? Am I doing irreparable damage to the bore of my new flute by using a piece of cotton cloth as a swab?
Also, I’m using the plastic cleaning rod that ammy sent with my flute. Could the rod do damage it comes into contact with the bore, as it inevitably does sometimes?
Good question, prunci.
I started using silk when Pat Olwell recommended it to me, but I also use old cotton bandanna slices (no, that’s not banana slices).
I don’t like most of the plastic rods I’ve used. The one Olwell ships with his flutes scratched the bore of my first Olwell. And I like a nice smooth bore. Now I just use the cocuswood rod that Wilkes made for most of my flutes. No scratches.
Some people don’t mind much about bore scratching though.
The thought of scratching the bore of my flute makes me nervous… I bought a piece of very thin wooden dowel at Home Depot . I have a long thin piece of cheesecloth (gauze?) that I got with a flute I bought a few years ago. That, plus old pieces of t-shirt cut to size…
Mary
A friend gave me a cotton sab connected
to a cloth covered weighted stick by a long
cord. Works very well. You double
the swab over the stick to clean
the head of the flute.
Flute Swab
P.O Box 31026
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 5T9 Canada
902 757-3463
Not silk, but works very well.
Just noticed they are selling
the same product at Fluteworld,
for 8.25.
The best swabs I’ve found for the flutes and which I use on my best personal flutes:
Cotton swab (rag) rod to push through the instrument and soak up the water when done playing, I keep it in the case with the flute (not inside the flute itself);
followed by oiling using silk eyeglass cleaning rag available at any good eyeglass shop (get the one without solution or chemical in it)…usually they’ll just give it to you.
They’re great because they are lint and dust free. Great for the oiling inside and out. I use an old Rudall/Rose rod made of cocus to hold the silk rag.
Well, Loren, here is my current tale of woe re: dowell drilling. As per instructions, 3/8 inch dowel - what I thought to be decent hardwood - drill into one end — and nothing can go wrong – go wrong – go wrong!!! Ah, Hah! Arghhh! Split, split, split. Smaller bit, wood type: split, split – well, you get it. Tomorrow, when I’ve slept a good night’s sleep I’ll have a go again.
You did ask to keep you posted, did you not?
BillG