This material should be impervious to changes in humidity and temperature. I'll be leaving some in a hot car over summer to see if that degrades it. I am exploring it as an alternative to Delrin for people who must have something that can stand up to an extreme climate.

Casey

Are flute bores oval? I know lengthwise we can have cylindrical to conical etc. But the section elliptical? Are flutes like that?

Andrew

They get that way with time because wood shrinks differently in different planes.

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Just for any info on tooling, etc. that might be helpful when working with Richlite:

https://www.ecosupplycenter.com/brands/ ... ion-guide/

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I find the slightly ovalized bores of flutes play and feel more lively than a perfectly round bore. In the modern flute industry some makers slightly squeeze the tubing for this effect.

Thanks Kevin for the machining etc. sheet. That will be useful.

Casey

This material is really intriguing. It reminds me of "GreenLinE", a material developed by Buffet Crampon and which is used for some of its high-end models as a substitute to ABW. Apparently it's made of 95% Grenadilla wood powder and 5% epoxy resin. It's very stable and doesn't crack, but I heard that when it falls it breaks like glass. Having said that, I don't think a fall would do any good to a wooden flute...

Edit: found the actual composition of the stuff...

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Interesting. Is there a preferred orientation to the oval? Long axis through the toneholes and embouchure hole, or perpendicular to them? (I can see the latter making the flute slightly easier to hold.) Do you want the whole bore oval, or does the headjoint stay round?

(See also this intriguing thread, viewtopic.php?f=6&t=110184)

De nada.

I did searches on the guitar forums, etc. and there seem to be no particular problems with Richlite, other than lack of color stability (some graying over time, restored by wiping with oil). Possible easier fracturing/splintering, so may not be as robust as Delrin if dropped. Repair technicians doing neck resets have had some burning/bubbling of the Richlite with contact by hot lightbulbs, but otherwise have been good with steaming & heat blankets to approx. 350 degrees F. Some references to being careful with oils, as some apparently not best for fretboard use. There are paper/resin products from other companies that do show streaks/patterns on sanding as they may have paper layering, at least towards the surfaces of the materials, and you can wear through those. Richlite is claimed to be all from ground wood pulp, so does not appear to be a factor with that.

_________________
International Traditional Music Society, Inc.
A non-profit 501c3 charity/educational public benefit corporation
Wooden Flute Obsession CDs (3 volumes, 6 discs, 7 hours, 120 players/tracks)
http://www.worldtrad.org

Casey any updates on the richlite experiment?