Flutes and Cigarette Smoke

[Unseen122]

Well, last week I was playing in a smokey Pub, and a strange thing happened. I had both of my regularly played Flutes with me (the Burns Pratten and Hoza F). I noticed the next day a smell of smoke while playing. I knew it wasn't me or my clothes as I do not smoke and had showered and chnaged since. I realized it was coming from my Burns, I thought that interesting. I first thought it ws due to it being Boxwood, but the Hoza smelled also, but less than the Burns. I would expect the Burns to smell more as I didn't play te Hoza much, if at all. This ever happened to anyone else? Of course if you do smoke, your Flute probably smells that way anyway.

BTW, the smell of almond oil, smoke, and Boxwood is absolutely nauseating.

Avery LeVine

[peeplj]

The Flying Saucer is a bar in Little Rock that still allows smoking.

There is a session there once a month, and it usually brings out the very best players.

I won't take my Hamilton to the Flying Saucer. I take the Seery, usually, when I go to that session.

Part of the reason is the smoke, and partly, it's just not always a well-controlled atmosphere in general. Probably nothing bad would happen involving my Hamilton...But my Seery's already been knocked to the concrete floor once, and took no damage. I shudder to think what it might have done to the Hammy.

Every other session venue is no-smoking, and I take the Hamilton to those sessions.

--James

[greenspiderweb]

Yesterday, I opened a package from a small time Native American Flute maker in Ohio, and in it was a Low B cane flute. I was anxious to try it out, since I had found it on his website.

It looked nice in his picture, didn't sound too bad over the phone (he said he couldn't play real well) and Low B flutes being few and far between, I thought I would take a chance, and seemed reasonable for $85. I anticipated a nice looking bamboo (actually cane), with that nice smell bamboo has.

When I opened the package, all I could smell was cigarette smoke! It was all I could do to get near the thing to see how it played. It didn't play too bad, but it wasn't concert quality either-but I just couldn't stand to be near it! It smelled like he used it like a pipe to smoke with! Of course, I sent it right back. I couldn't wait to get it out of here!

I've learned a couple of things-don't buy from makers who can't make it sound great over the phone, and ask if it comes from a smoke free einvironment. I kicked the habit March 10, 2000 myself, but I never did like that stinky smell!

YUCK!!!

I wrote him an email after I sent it back, telling him that I could barely get close enough to play it, and his reply was, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you.

[Jumbuk]

Greenspider, I have a few bamboo flutes made by Erik. They generally have a slightly smokey smell about them because he burns the holes in (so as not to split the bamboo). It's not an unpleasant smell.

[Lambchop]

Gack! Cigarette smoke isn't just a "smell" or a "gas." It's particulate matter suspended in the air--the burned tobacco and the chemicals the manufacturers add to the cigarettes. Most restaurants and pubs that permit smoking have air quality so bad that they'd be shut down if they were industrial environments.

The particles will dissolve in liquids and stick to damp surfaces, so that's probably what happened inside your flutes. I don't think it's been absorbed into the wood much.

I'd give it a good cleaning using fresh oil and fresh rags every time, and get the goo out! You might want to wipe it out really well with a damp rag first.

[cajordan]

When I recently announced that I wanted to learn flute, a friendly player lent me a selection of keyeless flutes to try out and see how I got on. Unfortunately they're a smoker ... the plastic flutes were Ok and none of the flutes had a strong smell ... but the wooden one tasted dreadful...

If you're buying secondhand, it might be a question worth asking of the seller.

[withak]

Check out your case. If it has any kind of felt or fabric then I'll bet it is more likely to hang on to smells than a wooden instrument is. The smell might leave the flute if you leave it out, but if you are putting it back in a smelly case every time...

[peeplj]

When I recently announced that I wanted to learn flute, a friendly player lent me a selection of keyeless flutes to try out and see how I got on. Unfortunately they're a smoker ... the plastic flutes were Ok and none of the flutes had a strong smell ... but the wooden one tasted dreadful...

If you're buying secondhand, it might be a question worth asking of the seller.

I have an antique 8-key, anonymous but almost certainly German.

To say this flute has been mistreated is an understatement. It's original owner was a medical doctor who was murdered. After his death his wife hung his flute above the fireplace--and it pretty much stayed above fireplaces through the years until it came to me.

I had the flute worked on, oiled, padded, and one broken key touch replaced.

And I happily went about playing the thing.

An odd smell started coming from the headjoint. At first, not too bad, and I noticed some discoloration on the cloth when I'd wipe it out after playing, but again, not too bad.

The flute has a lined head. Years of gunk were slowly hydrating.

I'm sure you see where this is going.

The original owner dipped snuff.

As it become more noticable and I finally realized what had happened--and nearly threw up! blech!!!--I finally took a brush and some Comet (a bleach-based scouring powder) and worked on the headjoint until the liner was absolutely down to bare shiny metal.

Since then it's been a really good old flute, and I love playing it.

Unfortunately, in the era from which antique flutes come, use of snuff was extremely common in America. I don't know if this was so in other countries, but in the American south, at least, you would have looked much harder to find someone who didn't dip.

It's a nasty nasty nasty habit, and one I'm grateful to see that the younger generations pretty much just aren't picking up, although regretfully chewing tobacco is still very common.

--James

[greenspiderweb]

Greenspider, I have a few bamboo flutes made by Erik. They generally have a slightly smokey smell about them because he burns the holes in (so as not to split the bamboo). It's not an unpleasant smell.

You're right, Jumbuk, that smell to me isn't unpleasant, although it is pungent, from burning the holes in. I prefer it when the holes are drilled, myself. But, old tobacco smoke is another animal altogether!

BLECH!

That's a perfect description!

[AaronMalcomb]

To say this flute has been mistreated is an understatement. It's original owner was a medical doctor who was murdered.

Ooh, spooky. Sounds like the premise for a ghost story.

More and more places are going smoke-free. Last December the state of Washington went smoke-free in all public restaurants and bars and Scotland started the same today.

[Denny]

Good thing it was lined, eh?

[peeplj]

To say this flute has been mistreated is an understatement. It's original owner was a medical doctor who was murdered.

Ooh, spooky. Sounds like the premise for a ghost story.

This flute originally belonged to the great-great-great-grandfather of an old friend, Aaron Harding.

Not much is known about the man, except that he was a medical doctor, and loved music.

Here's the little that is known about him--and yep, you could make a pretty decent ghost story out of it if you were so inclined.

One evening as he was returning home he was attacked by a number of persons, who robbed him, beat him, drove a rail spike into his head, and left him for dead. Apparently he regained consciousness and lived long enough to get home to his wife.

That's about it as far as what's known about either the man or his flute, which has no maker mark and indeed no identifying marks of any kind that I've been able to find.

That flute led me into Irish music.

--James

[Unseen122]

As I said, this was a week ago (well St. Pat's Day actually) the smell is gone from the Flute now. Well for the most part, I will try wiping it out, maybe even get out the #000 steel wool. Although all of my soft cases smell, but it is slowly going away. NJ is banning indoor smoking soon (or has already), but this Pub is in PA and the Box player smokes. I guess what Lamb says explains why the Flute I played most of the night smells the most. Of course this brings up another excuse for me not to smoke, but I never get into that peer pressure thing.

That is an interesting story James.

Avery LeVine

[Terry McGee]

I've asked a number of musicians and listeners to refrain from smoking in or near the session over the years - generally with success and without violence. I try to make the request sincere, pointing out that we flute players process rather a lot of air and that it's very hard to play when you take a big gulp of air if it's smoke-filled. Usually I approached the smoker quietly, but on occasions I've actually done it in a cheerful loud voice to bring peer group pressure to bear. A risky approach you have to evaluate on the merits of the circumstance.

I think the comment about the cloth in the flute case taking up the smell is probably accurate - it would be worth bringing the flute to a smoky pub with the case in a plastic bag which you can close again immediately upon releasing the flute.

In terms of removing the smell from an old flute, you should feel free to wash the flute in warm water with some household detergent added, scrubbing the bore with a bottle brush or rag on a stick. Remove the keys first of course. Just don't leave the flute to dry itself - dry it inside and out with a rag to prevent excess take up of water. Then let the flute dry overnight before reoiling. Re-oil thoroughly before returning to active duty.

Forthcoming legislation in Australia will make all enclosed places smoke free; already attitudes have changed enough that pubs provide smoke-free areas and people generally don't assume that smoking in a session is acceptable behaviour. Hopefully the worst is behind us.

Terry

[AaronMalcomb]

Sorry to derail the topic but it looks like Avery's issue has been resolved.

This flute originally belonged to the great-great-great-grandfather of an old friend, Aaron Harding.

Aaron Harding... like the college in Searcy, Arkansas called Harding? Any relation? Oddly, when I googled it the second hit was a ghost story. This is taking me back to my Ozark folklore class...