Care for fixed low whistles and flutes?

[khl]

I’m curious to know what might be done for cleaning/swabbing low wood Whistles or Flutes that are one piece and can’t be taken apart. The regular, available swabs, for instance, are too short.

What have some of you done for flutes such as an Owell Bamboo flute or similar instruments? I recently acquired and Ellis Essential Flute—low Bb and so the question.

[Steve Bliven]

Don't mean to be flip, but just use a longer rod.

A dowel from the local hardware store with a slit on the end and a cloth with an attached string would work.

Best wishes.

Steve

[khl]

Don't mean to be flip, but just use a longer rod.

A dowel from the local hardware store with a slit on the end . . .
Steve

This will probably be what I’ll do. I was hoping to find something already made, available at a music store online, etc.

Any other DIY suggestions are welcome.

[Latticino]

I use a version of a flute flag: graphite tube from a sport kite build leftover (arrow shafts...) and a piece of microfiber glued and sewn on. Here is an original: https://www.flutacious.com/Accessories-Flute-Flag-TD

[khl]

I use a version of a flute flag: graphite tube from a sport kite build leftover (arrow shafts...) and a piece of microfiber glued and sewn on. Here is an original: https://www.flutacious.com/Accessories-Flute-Flag-TD

Thanks. I thought I’d done a fairly thorough internet search. Hadn’t seen the flute flag. The build your own seems a good deal less expensive.

[Narzog]

When I got a cecilio concert flute a while back it had a big plastic cleaning rod with the thing on the end to fit a cleaning cloth. If you can find a long version of something like this it would work. Otherwise I endorse the dowel method. Lots of ways to attach a cloth, like drilling holes for a slit.

Also you could get something like this and stick it to a longer dowel/stick to use. Just make sure not metal parts of it can hit the inside of your bore and scratch it. Or find a plastic version of this.
https://www.amazon.com/Cotton-Cleaning- ... 08K8T7Z7G/

[Nanohedron]

You know, there's really no need for the slit. I made my own cleaning rods from 1/4" dowelling for my flutes, sizing them accordingly, and when using them put a corner of the cloth over the end while wrapping the rest around the the length. What's important is that the cloth won't obstruct and cause jamming, and that it is absorbent. Silk is really good for that, but if like me you avoid silk for ahimsa reasons, you'll have to experiment until you find what works; but there are plenty of good choices. IIRC my last swabbing cloth was a plain, white cotton handkerchief.

My personal style of cleaning rod was one end rounded, and the other end squared off (IOW, a plain, perpendicular cut). I would use both ends for different purposes: the rounded end for basic swabbing of the tube (the theory being that a rounded end would put less stress on the fabric), and the flat-cut end for better grip on the cloth in getting it to fill the headjoint (which was my practice), and for getting into the corners of the sockets.

[rykirk]

Gun cleaning rods are perfect, they usually come in sections that screw together so you can make it whatever length you want.