Humidifier and wood instruments

[Mark_J]

hello,

I'm posting here because the flute craftsmen all hang out here.

I just got a simple tabletop humidifier working. I am keeping my wooden whistles in this space. How humid should I let the air get. Can it be too humid? Can I do damage to my whistles when I play them at sessions where it is dry?

Thanks.
Mark

[dcopley]

Humidity in the range of 60% to 80% seems to work well for wooden flutes, so it should be good for wooden whistles too. Also a cool place is better than a warm one. I guess it would be too humid if you see condensation on the whistles or things starting to grow on them. I don't think that a session would be a long enough time for the whistle to take any damage from drying out, but to be extra-cautious you could keep the ones you are not playing in a case with a dampit-type humidifier.

Dave Copley
Loveland, Ohio