There’s been some discussion of travelling with wooden flutes and the durability of boxwood, so I thought I’d recount my recent experience.
I recently got a Bleazey boxwood flute with slide and decided I wanted to take it with me on a weekish vacation with a lot of driving. This was a trip from the DC area up to New Hampshire and back. On the way up, we were very careful to bring the flute in during rest stops and meals. But it turned out to be a heat wave up in Connecticut and NH, with no climate control whatsoever at either place I was staying. That, coupled with the general fatigue at the end of the trip led to us completely spacing about the flute, so it stayed in the car when maybe it shouldn’t oughta.
This occured to me about 6 last night, after we’d arrived home, and I just about shit my pants unpacking it. It’s fine. I dunno if it’s blind luck, Phil’s fine construction, the youth of the flute (doubtful), or whether these flutes really are a little sturdier than we give them credit for. Whatever it is, I still enjoy taking care of mine, and I’ll continue pampering them. Plus I have a Dixon three-piece coming for trips.
I’m actually not surprised about this, but I think you’d have a different experience taking it on a road trip in winter.
Last winter I lent my boxwood Bb flute to a friend who wanted to use it for a CD she was recording. She must have kept it in a place that was pretty hot and dry, for when she returned it after a week the tenons had warped so badly out of round that I couldn’t put the flute together. The blocks had also warped, squeezing the keys so they wouldn’t close properly. I left it in a humidified Tupperware container for a couple of days and everything returned to normal. In my experience, changes in humidity affect boxwood a lot more than changes in temperature.
You’d probably see less dramatic effects with a D flute than with a Bb, but still I’d be careful with boxwood in winter if you’re traveling.
I think that Boxwood moves around quit a bit, but has less tendencies to crack then most woods.
On the Boxwood flute that I have on order from Peter Noy, I’m weighing the option of
key lining.
Yup, I had a boxwood whistle that would warp like crazy in low humidity and then spring right back to “normal” when the humid environment was restored. Wacky wood to be sure, but it does seem more resistant to cracking than many other instrument woods.
Well in this case it was really my fault for not warning her to keep it in a humid environment. She has no experience with boxwood; her own flutes are blackwood and wouldn’t react the same way. No harm done, and she’s still a friend!
I lent a nice mandolin to some friends
who took it with them travelling, on
the top of their van. It rained, the
case flooded, the mandolin…well.
They’re also still friends.
I live in an area typically with 17%-35% RH, at 3300 ft above sea level. Like others, I’ve observed the propensity of boxwood to change in reaction to moisture. I went to 10-12% RH for a week at 10,000 ft.above sea level, then traveled to Ireland for two weeks. I don’t know what the RH was, but it was high. I returned home for one day, then traveled to the east coast for five days. I’ve experienced no problems. None. The flute has remained in a very consistent state.
I travel with the flute in a heavy plastic, o-ring sealed, pistol, travel vault manufactured by SKB Sports. The case is equipped with a manual relief valve component (a push-button core to facilitate equalizing internal/external pressures due to barometric press. differentials at various altitudes, etc.). Inside that case, I cut out for the flute pieces and a clay-type (Guardfather brand) humidifier. Both top and bottom sides of the case are comrised of two flat layers of foam, and one layer of egg-crate foam. The egg-crate layers align to fill the annular space. There is enough space under the egg crate section to cut out for two whistles, joint lube, tuner, rod, etc.
Once I reach my destination, I use a less bulky, hard-shell gig bag for carrying the flute/whistle. But the flute is always returned to that sealed case at the end of the day. The stable environment of that case, even in consideration of extreme swings outside the case, has proven much more effective than I initially thought possible. I hope this is useful to someone.