Chiff and Fipple Forums

I had to share this, not that I think it will inspire very many trad players, but simply because it is ebonite and I love ebonite

A customer in Hong Kong who also loves these flutes and loves ebonite, but didn't want the color black, requested this limited edition ebonite color (I got it from SEM in Germany, and it's called "Candy No.1"). She also didn't want metal rings on the body (but she did want rings), and also wanted a second headjoint without a tuning slide. This is the result.

The question is, could you get away with bringing this to the local session?

Far out, man.

First question for me is: How's it going to oxidize?

Wow. That's pretty cool looking. I kind of like the swirly ebonite but it also kind of reminds me of bowling balls

Nanohedron wrote:Far out, man.

First question for me is: How's it going to oxidize?

I gather from the folks at SEM that the oxidization of ebonite is fairly slow, and I don't know that it effects all colors in the same way. Historically, black ebonite would have a slight "greening" effect, but what happens to these brighter colors I'm not certain. In any case, they say the original color can be restored in a couple of different ways. They recommended a type of liquid polish (often used on cars, apparently, but I've forgotten the name in this moment), and of course the ebonite can be rebuffed with a paste abrasive to restore it. I've also polished it with a jeweler's cloth, which is supposed to work well. That last tip came from a customer who is an avid pen collector and has many ebonite fountain pens.

PB+J wrote:Wow. That's pretty cool looking. I kind of like the swirly ebonite but it also kind of reminds me of bowling balls

It really does

But strangely, I found it grew on me after awhile.

Soon you'll be haunting bowling alleys. Don't say you weren't warned.

jim stone wrote:Soon you'll be haunting bowling alleys. Don't say you weren't warned.

My dad took me bowling as a kid (which I loved) and one of the things I remember were the crazy colored bowling balls. Not sure if they were ebonite at that point, but they looked remarkably similar.

Geoffrey Ellis wrote:The question is, could you get away with bringing this to the local session?

Not with me around.

Nanohedron wrote:

Geoffrey Ellis wrote:The question is, could you get away with bringing this to the local session?

Not with me around.

Exactly

A friend saw it and suggested offering it as a regular option (meaning spectacular colors) for players interested in the Pratten flutes. I took the liberty of expressing strong skepticism about the likelihood of an enthusiastic reception! This custom flute is noteworthy because it was requested at all. I don't see anyone pulling this out in the middle of the pub...

Geoffrey Ellis wrote:This custom flute is noteworthy because it was requested at all. I don't see anyone pulling this out in the middle of the pub...

If it were a regular occurrence, I would be sorely tempted to put on a pair of sunglasses every time she picked it up to play.

In public application, it's certainly suitable for loosely-regulated Renaissance Fairs or certain stage contexts.

Geoffrey Ellis wrote:The question is, could you get away with bringing this to the local session?

It's a flute of technical equivalence to a black or brown one. If it plays right (and I'm sure it does), the answer has to be — or certainly should be — yes!

You could sell them with a vintage style two tone bowling shirt and offer to engrave the player's name! I need to think of an ITM nickname I can add in some kind of script font

I like where this is going! Cross-promotional marketing ideas that are well outside of the box!

Geoffrey isn't responsible for this color, since the customer requested it. So I am free to confess that I find the colors and configurations stomach churning, in a hypnotic sort of way. The problem
isn't that the flute looks non-traditional. It would be interesting to see other such colors and designs, less repellent to people like myself. Something good sounding and visually attractive would probably be welcome at most sessions, especially if you can say it's made of ebonite, and I'm not much attracted to the sessions that would make it an issue.

I think a 3 hole version would sell better.

I don't care for this particular color, but I would not object to the typical swirl colors - black with red/blue/green etc. Perhaps the absence of black is more off putting than anything else.