I need a swab

[Dale]

I recently broke the thing I have used for awhile to oil the insides of my wooden flutes. I need a replacement. Needs to be long enough for a low D and it needs to hold a piece of cloth that I can drench with oil and swab out the flutes. Anybody know of where I can get a good one?

[DanD]

Terry McGee has instructions on how to make your own at:
http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/rod.html
P.S. - The rest of his site in incredibly informative too!

[MarkB]

I thought you were looking for a lower rank navy type person to do your flutes. And I was goin'to volunteer for a three year stint.

Of course it would come with room and board etc. Thirty days leave a year and benefits.

Mark

[Dale]

Hehehehe. Good one.

Dale

[bgull]

I suggest going to your local sporting goods store and picking up a rifle cleaning rod and shotgun swab, it looks like a larger version of a silver flute cleaning swab. If thats too big you could get a rifle swab holder which kind of looks like the "eye" end of a needle that attaches to the end of the cleaning rod - you thread cleaning patches through the eye.

[gcollins]

Dale:

It's been forever! How are you, old man? Guess I've been hanging on the Flute Forum, since you set it up, after I said, "gee, sure would be great if..." And you did it.

Anyway, I used the plastic rod that Olwell gave me, but I found that even that scratched the bore of my flute.

I like a wood turned one. Softer on the bore (Maybe Copeland can send you one). But Terry McGee's is indeed a good design, though also plastic.

Take care,
G

[clark]

Indeed Terry's is a great swab wand. And if the cloth is wrapped around it properly the plastic never touches the wood. The only down side is that you specified that it be long enough for a low D (whistle I presume), and it is flute sized. Perhaps Terry can make you an extra long one.

For a regular simple system flute, however, here is another idea for oiling. I use a cotton swab (like the recorder people use) that is full of oil (not dripping wet). This reaches all parts of the broken down flute easily.

For a storage arrangement, I bought a small rubber stopper from the hardware store and drilled a hole in it to accomodate the twisted wire handle of the swab. When I'm done I place the oily swab part in a small plastic tube (a small artists brush came in it) with the stopper pushed down to seal. Only the handle sticks out of the stopper.

The advantage of all this is that I can oil my flute without getting ANY oil on my hands, it delivers just a skim of oil, and the whole arrangement fits in my flute case. I now give my flute a SMALL dose of oil after almost every extended play rather than the slathering I used to do every few weeks.

Clark

[LeeMarsh]

Dale,
<a href=http://www.hallflutes.com/hall/flutes.htm>Hall Crystal flutes Cleaning rods</a> are available for under 7 bucks. flanel around sponge, at the end of a 24 inch dowel. I use one for the insides of my low-d whislte, low-f whistle and a one piece Low-D flute.
I bought mine at a local Mars Music store (Music discount chain in North East US). But you might find them anywhere they carry Crystal Flutes. The also come in smaller sizes.