Recommendations for a first time wooden flute owner?

[Loren]

Sensitivity to the true ´Rosewoods´ does not indicate sensitivity to true Cocus. Some people however seem cursed that way. (Loren )

Bob

Sad but true

I read an article at some point that referenced scientific research on the compounds in woods that cause allergic reactions in humans. If I’m not mistake (and I very well could be), the compound was essentially the same in most of the woods people react to. I know the rosewood species were referenced but I can remember if Cocus had also been analyzed.

At any rate, I and at least a few others have become sensitized to to the rosewoods, including blackwood, through cocus. For the OP who maybe isn’t familiar with my story, the short of it is: I played blackwood flutes for a while with no issues at all, then switched to a new Cocus flute which caused me ever increasing problems. It was a world class flute whichI had waited a long time for and I loved, but even isolating my face from the flute didn’t solve the problem and eventually I had to part with the flute.

Now, that would have been bad enough, but I learned that I could no longer play blackwood flutes either. Likewise for any of the rosewood family. Even my hands react at this point - if I handle a flute, or anything, made from one of the offending woods my fingers and hands will start to tingle within 30-90 seconds, longer and the sensation starts to be more of a burning feeling. When I was still woodworking I had to wear long sleeves and gloves when turning certain woods or my hands and arms would be burning like mad in no time.

I seem to be an outlier and I’m not trying to scare anyone, but I do suggest folks consider what your flute buying/owning life might be like if you happen to get sensitized: Much as Boxwood, Mopane, and polymers have their charms, they also have really significant drawbacks. Finding good used flutes, particularly keyed flutes in these materials is a real challenge as well, it’s a bit like being a lefty - your choices are few and far between. Major drag. Just something to consider.

[Conical bore]

So, for someone who didn't experience a noticeable reaction, is it recommended to protect one's self to avoid becoming sensitive? My lips are chapped from the winter storm a few weeks back and aren't in the best shape, but I'm pretty sure I haven't noticed any additional discomfort. I am starting to wonder if this lip balm I've been using isn't prolonging the issue

We're all different in this respect, and the only way to know if one reacts badly is to have a bad reaction, unfortunately. For reference and it's just one anecdote, I've been playing a Cocus flute for two years now with no problems. I played a blackwood flute before that, also no issues.

In the last 8 months or so, I've been using the tiniest swipe of cork grease (D'Addario "all natural") and rubbing it around the embouchure hole and the rest of the headjoint before putting it away after a practice session. The idea is to form something of a moisture barrier, to prevent too-fast drying of the outside relative to the inside. It avoids that dry look from mouth contact around the embouchure hole that wooden flutes are prone to, and it may help prevent cracking over time with a fully lined headjoint like this one.

I also apply a very thin coat of this cork grease to the rest of the flute every month or so, just to keep it clean and shiny. For both that and the headjoint, I'm talking about a *very* thin coat, not so much that the flute feels greasy.

I mention this because I suppose it's possible that the very light finish of cork grease around the embouchure may act as a barrier to whatever causes irritation in some folks. I don't know how much protection it adds, but since I'm doing it for another reason anyway -- to prevent excessive drying -- maybe it's helping in that way too. If you're nervous about developing a reaction that you don't have yet, you might want to try this. The D'Addario cork grease is just beeswax and a few other natural waxes blended in, nothing that should cause irritation by itself.

[Loren]

I have ordered a small air tight box and a humidity monitor as well as cork-grease and material for cleaning it.

Airtight is not good, you may end up with mold growing in your flute, which can be bad for your health, and difficult if not impossible to eradicate. The trick is to maintain the right humidity - not too low, not too high - with at least some airflow.

[est]

I have ordered a small air tight box and a humidity monitor as well as cork-grease and material for cleaning it.

Airtight is not good, you may end up with mold growing in your flute, which can be bad for your health, and difficult if not impossible to eradicate. The trick is to maintain the right humidity - not too low, not too high - with at least some airflow.

So, what are folks' recommendations? The humidity in the room where I play was around 30% until a front came through with some rain (and warmer weather), and now it's 45-50%. But, that will change in a couple of days and almost certainly be under 40.

I don't have a case, but I found one on etsy that looks like it will probably work.

[Loren]

So, for someone who didn't experience a noticeable reaction, is it recommended to protect one's self to avoid becoming sensitive?

Yes, unless you just like gambling

Absolutely slap one of those adhesive flute face/lip protectors on there or do the superglue treatment.

My lips are chapped from the winter storm a few weeks back and aren't in the best shape, but I'm pretty sure I haven't noticed any additional discomfort. I am starting to wonder if this lip balm I've been using isn't prolonging the issue

Wood allergy symptoms can present differently for different people, for example: One symptom I had was that I got these fissures/cracks in the skin at the corner of my mouth. This in addition to the irritation below my bottom lip and chin. I didn’t associate the two, at first. However, after applying a superglue lip plate, my face stopped being irritated, but the cracks at the corners of my mouth got worse. Eventually the light bulb went on and as an experiment I stopped playing the flute for a couple of weeks and these cracks, which were quite uncomfortable, started to heal. Went back to the flute, condition worsened. Laid off the flute for a month, condition disappeared. Played a blackwood flute, condition returned, and so forth. This even though that part of my face never got anywhere near touching the flute, and, before someone suggests it, I don’t have the habit of touching my face.

“Chapped lips” can be symptom of a reaction to your flute, or not, but I doubt it’s your lip balm prolonging the healing process, that’s a myth to the best of my knowledge and experience.

Also, I have found that oiling the exterior of a flute can definitely make reactions worse. I suspect oiling transports more of the offending compounds from just below the wood surface, up to the surface of the instrument. But I am theorizing and haven’t looked for studies on the subject.

I no longer play flutes I react to, but I’ve gotten away from oiling flutes for other reasons as well over the years. Opinions will vary widely on this topic, so I’ll just say I haven’t found it particularly useful or necessary, and there can be downsides. That said, always follow the original maker’s recommendations, if you value your “warranty”, and assuming the maker is still alive. YMMV, yardda, yadda, etc., etc.

[Loren]

I have ordered a small air tight box and a humidity monitor as well as cork-grease and material for cleaning it.

Airtight is not good, you may end up with mold growing in your flute, which can be bad for your health, and difficult if not impossible to eradicate. The trick is to maintain the right humidity - not too low, not too high - with at least some airflow.

So, what are folks' recommendations? The humidity in the room where I play was around 30% until a front came through with some rain (and warmer weather), and now it's 45-50%. But, that will change in a couple of days and almost certainly be under 40.

I don't have a case, but I found one on etsy that looks like it will probably work.

I personally prefer a nice hard case like the Northwind cases, if you can stomach the cost, but it really depends on your wants/needs, and budget. For storage at home you can simply put the flute in a Tupperware type container with a humidifier like the oasis brand, and leave the lid sitting on top but not not actually closed. Or you can drill a hole or three in the box to allow for some airflow.

Wood boxes are another option. They tend to not be airtight and, if the wood hasn’t been sealed on the inside, they have the advantage of holding some moisture and then releasing it slowly which keeps humidity levels from falling rapidly if you forget to fill your humidification source. I had a great box that I had been using for years to store and humidify most of my flutes but I made the mistake of “improving”it by sealing it inside and out with multiple coats of Renwax. The box is waterproof and has a nice finish now, but it’s basically useless for housing flutes: The humidity skyrockets to unmanageable levels when you first fill your humidifiers, and then as they get low the humidity drops like a stone to dangerous levels. Unsealed wood acts completely the opposite. Ah well, as they say, “Experience is what you get, when you didn’t get what you wanted.”

You will need also need a fairly accurate humidity gauge in the box to see that the humidity is staying in the proper range. There are a multitude of choices: I’ve had cheap dial gauges, for years but they can be all over the place with readings. A digital gauge is better. I currently use a remote sensor and an app that lets me see the current and past humidity trend on my phone. Take your pick.

[Conical bore]

So, what are folks' recommendations? The humidity in the room where I play was around 30% until a front came through with some rain (and warmer weather), and now it's 45-50%. But, that will change in a couple of days and almost certainly be under 40.

Get a "cool mist" type room humidifier in the appropriate size for your practice room, and run it during the Winter months when your house heat is on. They're not very expensive, and should keep your room out of the danger zone.

After a practice session, I swab out the flute and put it in the Northwind case I had made for it, but I don't latch the case shut. I leave the lid partially open, so the case can "breathe" and the flute, which is still slightly moist even after swabbing, can stabilize with the room humidity.

[Loren]

Get a "cool mist" type room humidifier in the appropriate size for your practice room, and run it during the Winter months when your house heat is on. They're not very expensive, and should keep your room out of the danger zone.

I wish I had experimented with this at home years ago (they used it at the workshop during the winter) and it’s certainly the easiest solution. The only reason I didn’t go this route is that I nearly always lived in rented apartments with wall to wall carpet throughout and I was concerned about having humidity based issues with the carpet. For those who own, or rent in a place without carpeted floors, room humidification has many advantages, some health related related.

[tstermitz]

I live in a fairly dry climate, but I am cautious with excess room humidity as it can condense in the walls of the insulated basement (poorly sealed walls), leading to mold issues.

A Tupperware box with guitar humidifier (the little disk one that fits in the guitar hole) works great for me, and it stays moist for a week or two. A tighter box sits at 55-65% humidity, a slightly looser one at 45-50%. Meanwhile the house ranges from 10% to 50% depending on whether the weather outside is at 5 degrees or 95 degrees F (-15 to 35 Celsius).

I do dry the flute and let it sit for an hour or two so it doesn't go back in sopping wet.

[busterbill]

Antique flutes, especially cocus often need less oil than newer ones. This may be something that comes from the stability of old wood. I don't know if there were modifications done on the inside of the bore in the case of this flute. That might affect its need for oil. You could always ask the Olwells, either by contacting them directly or through The Irish Flute Store. Cocus seems to need less oil than blackwood. The kind of soaking which would require the removal of keys may not be necessary.

I have preferred cocus flutes for decades. But the sensitivity issue is real for some people. If you have it, those Yamaha protectors could be good. But they may or may not be enough. You will know. Luckily the Irish Flute Store gives you a trial period.

The airtight container is not a good move as mentioned in this thread. The pistol case is an easy solution and inexpensive. It is rather bulky, but might be a good start.

Depending on how handy you are and the dimensions of this particular flute you could experiment with an inexpensive Ebay or Amazon standard flute case from China. They are sometimes made of styrofoam type foam and can be adapted by carving out some of the foam and patching the lining with some old t shirt material and pva glue. A hard body case can sometimes be adapted as well by ripping out the innards as needed and doing a bit of reupholstery. But it takes a bit of determination.

The Northwind cases are amazing and a great value for the lifetime of protection they will give you.

Von Huene Workshop sells fleece lined bags for historical recorders. These have been used by wooden flute players for years. They don't have all the protection of a hard case, but do provide some padding and breath-ability. They call them "flute rolls" and are available on their accessory page. Depending on the dimensions of the sections the Alto Recorder Roll might fit as well. I think I have that for one of my flutes.

There are some folks on this site that make custom cases as well. Alex DeWilde made a case for me a couple of years back.

And you will be entering the world of monitoring the humidity levels in your home. But that can be managed.

It is best to remember when you are setting down your flute to pay attention to details that you would not think of if you were setting down a book.

Is there direct sunlight that comes in on that spot on your table or shelf? If so it can contribute to heat building up. So you will want to find a spot that is not. This will change as the seasons change. A shielded spot in August may get a steady stream of light on a December afternoon. You'll figure that all out.

You will want to avoid heating vents, radiators and air conditioners that blow directly on your case. These can contribute to drying out your flute leading to cracks.

But this is all manageable. Enjoy!

[Jeggy]

I still can't figure out whether or not I had a reaction to the cocus. I wonder if it's my mind playing tricks on me, creating what I fear. Most definitely it felt like my lips were tingling after I played it the first time. Second time, was much less. Little spot on the top of my chin slightly irritable as well, noticed it more last time I played it.

So, to be on the safe side, this clear nail polish trick. I presume it's getting clear nail polish and coating the areas of the head joint where my face comes into contact with the flute? I'm assuming this doesn't harm the wood? Is there any kind of nail polish which is better than others, or types to avoid?

That stick-on lip plate makes since but the thought of putting something that looks like a nappy on such a beautiful flute makes me wince.

[est]

So, to be on the safe side, this clear nail polish trick. I presume it's getting clear nail polish and coating the areas of the head joint where my face comes into contact with the flute? I'm assuming this doesn't harm the wood? Is there any kind of nail polish which is better than others, or types to avoid?

I have to admit, I'd be curious to hear from folks who have used this trick as opposed to the lip patches (and from the fans of the patches as well!). Some comments at amazon suggest those would (or would not, depending on the review) leave a residue that would be difficult to get off from a flute.

[Loren]

So, to be on the safe side, this clear nail polish trick. I presume it's getting clear nail polish and coating the areas of the head joint where my face comes into contact with the flute? I'm assuming this doesn't harm the wood? Is there any kind of nail polish which is better than others, or types to avoid?

I have to admit, I'd be curious to hear from folks who have used this trick as opposed to the lip patches (and from the fans of the patches as well!). Some comments at amazon suggest those would (or would not, depending on the review) leave a residue that would be difficult to get off from a flute.

Regarding nail polish (ugh) and superglue for lip plates: There is little one could think of that hasn’t been discussed here on the forums, more than once. I suggest utilizing the search function

As for removing adhesive residue, there are plenty of safe solvents to deal with that issue.