Hello all! I recently got a new flute and just oiled it for the first time today. I’m wondering if it’s really necessary to oil it both inside and out? Especially if the flute is being played regularly?
new?
as in just made or new to you?
If just made ask the maker.
If new to you: oiling probably isn’t gonna hurt
what kind of wood?
did it absorb a noticeable amount of oil?
is the outside or inside sealed
what kind of oil (note: somewhere on this board is someone that will say that whatever kind of oil is the only kind to use…and they are all correct)
What is the relative humidity in the room that the flute is in?
Get a hydrometer 
Wotcha tryin’ta do,Denny? Provoke another Oil Embargo?
Cheers,
Bob 
jus’ tryin’ ta cover a couple of the obvious bases 
The flute is both new and new to me-- a Burns folk flute in mopane. I believe Casey recommends oiling it both inside and out. I just found it awkward oiling the inside of the flute, because it’s hard to reach and the wood surface is not as smooth. I was thinking that if the flute is being played regularly that would keep the interior from drying out? Maybe someone has a trick to make this easier?
I’m using Bore Doctor, which the wood seemed to love. It didn’t absorb an excessive amount. It really brings out the color and grain in the wood. I also have the Woodwind Wax.
As far as humidity-- I have no idea. I do live in a dry climate. Again, I’m thinking that if the flute is being played regularly that will keep the wood from drying out. It’s my only flute so it gets played daily.
a few drops in the large end, swab on a stick, twist it in the large end and out the small (do not make the swab so big that it get stuck…really) you can dribble in the tone holes, you can oil the tone holes, you should oil the ends of the tendons (not the string)
I wouldn’t wax for a year or two,
well, I wouldn’t wax now that ya mention it. 
I’m much too lazy, besides if the maker wanted it sealed with wax they’d have done it.
I’ve been to Idaho 
It’s winter, the heater most likely dehumidifies the inside of the house even further. Spend some time with “Search”; restrict to the flute forum; look for humidify, hydrometer (not at the same time)
Definitely humidify the flute as soon as possible. If it’s cold and you have central heating, you may well have excessive dryness and that is probably the worst enemy a flute has. Cracks.
Store it in a sealed container with a damp cloth. Then get a hydrometer. Do some searching.
But if it were me I would do it right away. humidify when not playing.
see
however, in those imortal words from Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Don’t Panic
not to mention that Casey (and the flute was made) on the Olympic peninsula
and, I’m guessing, yer southern Idaho too
(what’s more like Nevada than somewhere between Washington & Montana)
so the inside is wet while the outside is dry
so the inside swells while the outside shrinks
The purpose of oiling is to cause condensate to bead rather than to wet the bore walls. Excessive wetting and pooling will cause wood grain to rise and reduce the bore’s smoothness. Because the hardwoods that are used to make flutes hardly absorb any oil – even after prolonged exposure, all that’s needed is a very thin film. After playing, a very light swabbing is all that’s needed to remove the excess moisture.
Keep almond oil away from the tuning slide, key pads, and pins. Buy a small and inexpensive humidity meter and keep it in the case. I like to keep my instruments around 45-55% relative humidity.
Thanks everyone for the advice, especially the heads up about humidifying. I will do that straight away. I live in south/central Idaho, but in the mountains where it’s not quite as dry. Relative humidity outside right now is 80%.
Hey,
I have my own question about oiling.
My flute is either very thirsty at some spots, or it must be that it rejects the oil at all: only hours after oiling, these spots look totally dry again. I tried almond oil, recorder oil, and a mix of almond oil and bees wax on the spot. It may already look a little bit better than when I started, but still it’s quite amazing that the spot keeps running dry.
Any thoughts?
I found the niftiest way to oil the inside of a flute by accident. I was in a sporting goods store and wandered down the gun paraphernalia isle to look at the .45 caliber “flute” cases they sell there. I noticed a wall of various sized oiling swabs. The best was a fuzzy cotton swab like this http://www.copsplus.com/prodnum4976.php. Note that it has a threaded end which goes into something like this http://www.hoppes.com/products/ca_rods_scrubbers.html The rod is in two pieces so you can make it long or short. I’ve never been moved to oil my flute while it is together so I’ve never used the long version. I took the “T” handle off so it fits better in a flute case.
Clark
So instead of walking into a bank carrying a violin case, you walk into a concert carrying a gun case?
Whatever works 
What’s it made of?
Antique dark brown wood, my guess is cocuswood, since it looks a lot like this one:
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/french-flute-identification/37715/1
Thanks.