Disassembling and assembling the flute...

The Chiff & Fipple Irish Flute on-line community. Sideblown for your protection.
Marish
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2019 2:57 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm an Italian lady interested from always in the the irish music and flute in particular. I'm starting to learn playing this fantastic instrument and I'll need some advices for sure. Thx
Location: Milan, Italy

Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by Marish »

...during the same day? I mean, when I have precious 30 minutes to play, I always hope to have other 30 min during the day to play again...since it's really difficult for me having a long playing session.
The flute maker instructed to disassemble the flute EVERY time I use it, but I was wondering if it would be so tremendous leaving it assembled for another brief session :)
THANKS
fatmac
Posts: 1149
Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:47 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Kickbiker - at over 70!
:lol:
....................................................................
....................................................................

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by fatmac »

I had the same thoughts, it seems it's more than OK to leave assembled each day, just take it apart over night. :)
Keith.
Trying to do justice to my various musical instruments.
User avatar
Conical bore
Posts: 505
Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 7:12 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: Pacific Northwest USA

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by Conical bore »

I posted this question a while back, wondering if it was a good idea to leave a wooden flute assembled on days when I can manage both a morning and late afternoon practice session. The main consideration being that the bore would remain wet between sessions, only swabbed out at the end of the day when it was disassembled and put away. I'm a fairly "wet player," either by nature or due to the environmental conditions that encourage condensation in my house.

IIRC, the consensus advice here was that the flute should be disassembled, swabbed, and put away between the two practice sessions. Possibly due to people leaning towards "better safe than sorry" when it comes to advice.

Anyway, I usually leave it assembled regardless of the advice, giving it a good hard blow-out with the tone holes closed after the morning practice. It saves some wear on the tenons and sockets with one less daily disassembly. This flute is Cocus wood, not an antique, but the wood itself is probably very old and stable. A single swabbing at the end of the day seems to be enough to avoid raising grain in the bore.
cac
Posts: 121
Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2016 6:47 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Simple system wooden flutes, keyed and keyless. xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by cac »

If I only had 30 minutes to play I would use my delrin Rob Forbes. Otherwise I always disassemble and swab the flute out immediately after playing. This might not be necessary with my flutes with a full-length tuning slide, but I wouldn't want to take a chance with a flute without a slide or with a 'French' (i.e. short) one. If I play a second time, I use a different flute, but I can see that if you're only playing for 30 mins at a time, you'd be tempted not to disassemble the flute. If you don't have a delrin flute, get one.
User avatar
mendipman
Posts: 151
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 11:24 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I play flute and stringed instruments and enjoy playing in sessions and for step dancers and teach music part-time. My flutes are a new Gilles Lehart blackwood keyless in D, a c.1820 Clementi 'Nicholson improved' English boxwood single key in F and a simple-system 8-key English blackwood flute made by Richard Weekes of Plymouth, Devon c.1840 both in beautiful, pristine condition. I also have a wooden c.1880 English keyed flageolet. My home is in North Somerset a short distance from where my family come from at Blackford in the Mendip Hills and my repertoire are the tunes that are local to my area. That is the rural vernacular English music from when ordinary working people simply played and danced to their own rhythm with little concern for that which lay beyond a day's walk.
Location: Somerset, England

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by mendipman »

My keyless wooden flute stays assembled throughout the day, and often overnight too on a stand. I do swab it out between practice sessions.

It has never occurred to me not to do this. I clean and oil it with almond oil every month or so and keep the cork joints greased. I've never had any problem from doing this.

Should I go sit on the naughty step until I learn different? :-?
User avatar
cavefish
Posts: 1016
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2005 4:22 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: been out of it for awhile and decided to start back up on the flute and whistle , been doing NAFs and saxophones
Location: San Pedro

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by cavefish »

what i do is during the day, i as i play and quit, i blow it out with all the holes closed and a cork plug in the tuning end joint and lay it vertical in a holder i made, , till the end of the day when i wipe it out, and i am going to start wiping it out with a turkey feather just to take heavy beads off only

Image
Choose you this day, whom ye shall serve
User avatar
oleorezinator
Posts: 1625
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 1:21 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I love uilleann pipes I love tin whistles I love flutes I love irish music I love concertinas I love bodhrans
Location: Behind the anthracite and shale curtain.

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by oleorezinator »

Marish wrote:...during the same day? I mean, when I have precious 30 minutes to play, I always hope to have other 30 min during the day to play again...since it's really difficult for me having a long playing session.
The flute maker instructed to disassemble the flute EVERY time I use it, but I was wondering if it would be so tremendous leaving it assembled for another brief session :)
THANKS
Who made your flute?
What do they recommend?
Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love.
Love is not music. Music is the best.
- Frank Zappa
busterbill
Posts: 731
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2003 8:06 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by busterbill »

My first "real" wooden flute was a Dave Williams 5 key. I had played the boehm flute as a child and left it assembled on the table for days so I did the same for the wooden flute. Within 4 months it was back in the mail to the maker for a serious tenon repair requiring wood splicing and an added large silver ring. I felt like an idiot. (I sometimes wonder where that flute has gone. I sold it to a young player in MIlwaukee 25 years ago or more when I wanted more keys).


Just last year a young fiddler I know who was adding flute to the mix kept her wooden flute on the piano so she could just grab it on a whim. It cracked, a nice hairline which was more easily repaired, but a crack nonetheless.

I am sure some have done the "desk flute" thing successfully, but I wouldn't mess with it myself, especially with a newer unseasoned flute.

After I got over the initial resistance to putting the flute together, breaking it down again and putting the case on the shelf, I realized I was only costing myself about a minute and a half of playing time on each end. :D (after 30 years on this particular flute, now well seasoned, I seldom swab, but even if I did, that can be a rather quick move.

Your mileage may vary...
jim stone
Posts: 17185
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2001 6:00 pm

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by jim stone »

I leave the flute assembled all day. After the first practice session an option is to
stand the flute in a corner or against the wall or on a stand and let it drain till
you play it again.
User avatar
Conical bore
Posts: 505
Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 7:12 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: Pacific Northwest USA

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by Conical bore »

busterbill wrote:Just last year a young fiddler I know who was adding flute to the mix kept her wooden flute on the piano so she could just grab it on a whim. It cracked, a nice hairline which was more easily repaired, but a crack nonetheless.
Unfortunate, but I have to admit that every time I hear a story like that, or see the cracks in antique flutes, I wonder whether the instrument was exposed to low humidity at some point. Not everyone is aware of what their ambient humidity level is, especially in a climate where rooms are heated in Winter.

I'm pretty careful about maintaining a safe range of temperature and humidity in my music practice room, something I learned about years ago as a stringed wooden instrument player.

Edit to add: Yes, I also blow out the flute and store it vertically on a DIY flute stand between practice sessions. Any larger drops will at least make it to the bottom and out, and the bore dries more or less evenly.
Last edited by Conical bore on Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
cavefish
Posts: 1016
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2005 4:22 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: been out of it for awhile and decided to start back up on the flute and whistle , been doing NAFs and saxophones
Location: San Pedro

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by cavefish »

jim stone wrote:I leave the flute assembled all day. After the first practice session an option is to
stand the flute in a corner or against the wall or on a stand and let it drain till
you play it again.
yup :D . me too, i do a blow out first, , i make everything, fell over one day freaked out so made a tie down,

Image
Last edited by cavefish on Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Choose you this day, whom ye shall serve
User avatar
oleorezinator
Posts: 1625
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 1:21 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I love uilleann pipes I love tin whistles I love flutes I love irish music I love concertinas I love bodhrans
Location: Behind the anthracite and shale curtain.

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by oleorezinator »

cavefish wrote:i am going to start wiping it out with a turkey feather just to take heavy beads off only

Image
How quaint.
Who made your flute?
What do they recommend?

Feathers were/are used by oboists because of the narrow bore,
which is not the case with the flute.
Here’s some of the pros and cons pertaining to the oboe.

Pros and Cons of the swab, feather, and oboe cleaning mop.

I don’t want to confuse any new oboe students, so if you are not familiar with the information I have provided to this point you may like to skip to the next section.
Each of these tools has its advantages and disadvantages. There are oboists that swear by one tool and condemn the others. I suggest Students talk with their teachers about what tool they would like them to be using for oboe cleaning. Below are some of the “positives” and “negatives” that a teacher or another oboist may express.
Swabs

Positive qualities of oboe swabs
Swabs can be used in the middle of concerts without much time being needed. Simply pull the swab through the oboe to where the rip cord can still be grasped, then pull it back. They are easily found at local music shops. I personally feel they are more absorbent than feathers.
Negative qualities of oboe swabs
Swabs can become stuck in the oboe. The cords can also become tangled on keys, not usually a huge issue, but it can happen.
Feathers

Positive qualities of feathers
I have heard that Paul Laubin suggests only using feathers to clean oboes. The reason he gives is that the swab or oboe cleaning mop can wear away at the bore of the instrument over time. This will change the playing characteristics of the instrument. I have also been told that if you do use a swab he suggests only pulling it in one direction, to again preserve the bore of the instrument. He is a legendary oboe maker so his perspective is valuable for professional oboists playing on wooden instruments. While visiting his shop perhaps leave your swab at home.
negative qualities of cleaning the oboe with feathers
Feathers can take a little longer to clean with, and the oboe must be disassembled to use them. I have heard the argument that feathers can push water into the tone holes as well and that the feather only moves the moisture around within the oboe.I would make the case that the feather comes out wet and therefore is removing at least some moisture.
Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love.
Love is not music. Music is the best.
- Frank Zappa
User avatar
cavefish
Posts: 1016
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2005 4:22 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: been out of it for awhile and decided to start back up on the flute and whistle , been doing NAFs and saxophones
Location: San Pedro

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by cavefish »

oleorezinator wrote:
cavefish wrote:i am going to start wiping it out with a turkey feather just to take heavy beads off only

Image
How quaint.
Who made your flute?
What do they recommend?

Feathers were/are used by oboists because of the narrow bore,
which is not the case with the flute.
Here’s some of the pros and cons pertaining to the oboe.

Pros and Cons of the swab, feather, and oboe cleaning mop.

I don’t want to confuse any new oboe students, so if you are not familiar with the information I have provided to this point you may like to skip to the next section.
Each of these tools has its advantages and disadvantages. There are oboists that swear by one tool and condemn the others. I suggest Students talk with their teachers about what tool they would like them to be using for oboe cleaning. Below are some of the “positives” and “negatives” that a teacher or another oboist may express.
Swabs

Positive qualities of oboe swabs
Swabs can be used in the middle of concerts without much time being needed. Simply pull the swab through the oboe to where the rip cord can still be grasped, then pull it back. They are easily found at local music shops. I personally feel they are more absorbent than feathers.
Negative qualities of oboe swabs
Swabs can become stuck in the oboe. The cords can also become tangled on keys, not usually a huge issue, but it can happen.
Feathers

Positive qualities of feathers
I have heard that Paul Laubin suggests only using feathers to clean oboes. The reason he gives is that the swab or oboe cleaning mop can wear away at the bore of the instrument over time. This will change the playing characteristics of the instrument. I have also been told that if you do use a swab he suggests only pulling it in one direction, to again preserve the bore of the instrument. He is a legendary oboe maker so his perspective is valuable for professional oboists playing on wooden instruments. While visiting his shop perhaps leave your swab at home.
negative qualities of cleaning the oboe with feathers
Feathers can take a little longer to clean with, and the oboe must be disassembled to use them. I have heard the argument that feathers can push water into the tone holes as well and that the feather only moves the moisture around within the oboe.I would make the case that the feather comes out wet and therefore is removing at least some moisture.
well when I use my feathers it will be with the grain not against
Choose you this day, whom ye shall serve
User avatar
oleorezinator
Posts: 1625
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 1:21 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I love uilleann pipes I love tin whistles I love flutes I love irish music I love concertinas I love bodhrans
Location: Behind the anthracite and shale curtain.

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by oleorezinator »

well when I use my feathers it will be with the grain not against
I believe that the idea is to get the
moisture outta the flute.
Good luck.
Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love.
Love is not music. Music is the best.
- Frank Zappa
User avatar
cavefish
Posts: 1016
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2005 4:22 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: been out of it for awhile and decided to start back up on the flute and whistle , been doing NAFs and saxophones
Location: San Pedro

Re: Disassembling and assembling the flute...

Post by cavefish »

It will. The tail is wider
Choose you this day, whom ye shall serve
Post Reply