Keeping an Olwell Bamboo Clean

[Peter]

Hi. After playing my Olwell bamboo flute for two months, it appears that little black dots are starting to appear inside the bore. I have been swabing it regularly after each use and oiling with flaxseed oil about once a week. What do I do from here? Is there any way to keep it from spreading. I guess this is better than getting a crack. Please help.

Peter

[toddyboy50]

Those black spots may be fungal, possibly caused by too much moisture at some time, especially if it's starting right under the embouchure hole. I would suggest swabbing the bore with Tea Tree Oil, which you can get in a health food store. If it continues to spread, there is a copper/silver compound that is used by plant professionals, but you'd have to research where to get it. Hope this helps... - Tod

[Jon C.]

You could try coloidial silver. It's non-toxic and kills germs dead!

[Peter]

Thanks for the help.

Jon, where do you get coloidial silver? From a nursery or garden store? Should I have any concern about negative effects on the flute? I would hate to do any damage to this beauty. I can't imagine the concern you guys have over the 1000+ olwells, grinters etc.

Is there a general concensus on the best type of oil to use? I apologize if this subject has already been beat to death.

Thanks again

Peter

[sturob]

Hmm. I think you're doing WAY too much to your bamboo flute, in the way of oiling, and might be creating an environment for fungal growth. Heat-treated, dried bamboo flutes (like the Olwell) last and last and last.

I think you should let the thing dry out well, and note any kind of response from the black specs. I personally like the tea-tree-oil idea as an antiseptic; colloidal silver can be obtained at most health food stores, but I don't know that I'd go that route.

Remember that your flute is a long piece of grass, whereas a timber flute is, well, a chunk of timber. You might want to oil the bamboo occasionally, once every few months as needed, but weekly just sounds like too much to me. I've had an Olwell bamboo flute for a couple of years with the worst habits of all: when I play, I play it for a long while, then it might sit unplayed for days. No cracks.

I oil the HECK out of my wooden flutes, sure, but not the bamboo. That's probably some kind of mold, and I'd worry more about it getting a hold of your flute and causing damage than getting into you and causing illness. So my humble yet honest opinion is that you let the instrument dry out completely (even if it takes days), see what happens to the mold, and then perhaps use an antiseptic if need be.

You could always call Pat and see what he says, too.

Stuart