Re-hydrating a flute

Tim2723 · Post by **Tim2723** » Sun Dec 30, 2007 9:27 am

I was certain I'd read about this here, but I can't find the thread. Sorry if this is a repeat.

I hadn't played my flute for about five weeks in a row this winter. When I picked it up it simply refused to play. I remembered a discussion about rehydrating a dried out flute by putting it in a container with a damp paper towel for 24 hours or so. I tried that and it seemed to work perfectly.

How long or how often should this be done in very dry weather? What are the cautions to observe?

clark · Post by **clark** » Sun Dec 30, 2007 4:16 pm

Rather than serial re-hydration, find a scheme to keep the instrument at a constant humidity level.

Clark

Tim2723 · Post by **Tim2723** » Sun Dec 30, 2007 6:39 pm

Thanks Clark. I normally don't have a problem. Even though I only play the flute for two or three tunes a show maybe twice a week, I never had the problem before. Because I play so little, I don't bother to swab out the flute so that the moisture inside keeps it hydrated inside the case until the next week. For some reason, we haven't used the flute for about five weeks running. That, coupled with the dry winter air, caused the whole thing to dry out excessively. Even the rings were loose from the wood shrinking so much.

24 hours in the humiduity chamber brought it right back though, and I oiled it down to keep the water in.

[For newcomers reading along, don't treat your flute like I do. Play it often and swab it out every time. Oil it when it needs to be oiled and give it lots of love. It's my wacky play schedule that causes these problems. I'm really hard on instruments and gear.]

Ronbo · Post by **Ronbo** » Sun Dec 30, 2007 7:09 pm

Tim, save yourself the worry and buy a simple plastic container to keep the flute in. Add a cigar box humidifier and keep it properly humidified all year long. Winter weather normally has very low humidity, and can damage the flute, especially if you run it back and forth between moist and dry conditions. Since you use it rarely, you minimize the potential for a crack by keeping a constant humidity all year long. Plus you don't have to keep hunting for the rings when they fall off.

The crwth may set you free, but the trwth will get you an F on a spelling test.

sbfluter · Post by **sbfluter** » Sun Dec 30, 2007 7:49 pm

I usually can't get my flutes apart to swab them out after I play them. I have to leave them put together overnight or even longer until I can take them apart. I have to bring my strumstick case with me to the session so I have a way to bring my flute home from the session on my Vespa.

Irish Marine · Post by **Irish Marine** » Sun Dec 30, 2007 9:40 pm

Hi Tim-Ronbo's suggestion is a good one. I did that for a while and it worked really well. I decided to try Cocusflute's suggestion recently and it's working very well. He had suggested placing the flute in a drawer with a hygrometer, and placing a cup of water with a small hand towel to act as a wick (I'm using an infant's washcloth as I have tons of them around the house). It's keeping the flute at a constant humidity of about 50-55%; the nice thing about this method is that there's still air flow, which will keep mold and mildew away. I decided to go for Cocus's method b/c I do play daily and found the humidity getting too high in the plastic container. That being said, that method may work well for you since you're only playing a couple times a week. Best of luck and Happy New Year!
~Sean

plunk111 · Post by **plunk111** » Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:40 pm

I use a Tupperware container... I disassemble my flute, swab it out, and put it in there with a hygrometer and a DampIt guitar humidifier. The humidity in the Tupperware stays at 60 - 65% (close to ideal according to my maker, Dave Copley).

Pat

Tim2723 · Post by **Tim2723** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 8:38 am

Thanks everyone! Those are fine ideas. My problem was one of 'emergency re-hydration' for a flute that had come to bad times. You definitely shouldn't let your flute dry out, but it's good to know there are ways to recover them safely. It was an unusual situation. My flute never dried to that extent before. These things are good to know since I suppose any of us might (God forbid) run into a situation where our instruments go unattended for extended periods.

Thanks again everyone!

johnkerr · Post by **johnkerr** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 9:41 am

Tim2723 wrote:[For newcomers reading along, don't treat your flute like I do. Play it often and swab it out every time. Oil it when it needs to be oiled and give it lots of love. It's my wacky play schedule that causes these problems. I'm really hard on instruments and gear.]

You sound like a good candidate for a Delrin flute. Either that or get on some maker's waiting list now because you'll soon be needing a new wooden flute. Serial dehydration and rehydration of wooden flutes to te extent you have described is the absolute worst thing you can do to them. If you insist on continuing to play wooden flutes, either change your ways or buy the cheapest flutes you can find, because you'll be going through a lot of them.

Tim2723 · Post by **Tim2723** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:28 am

John, you're absolutely right. Hence my warning to newbies who might read this. I should be severely scolded for treating a flute the way I do! But I've been playing this flute for nearly 20 years now and this is actually the first time this problem has happened. We use the flute in our act for about six tunes total. There are nights that we don't use it at all. We play 150-200 shows a year and usually there's enough playing to keep it wet enough. That's why I break the rule and put it away wet. That usually keeps enough moisture in it while it sits around all week. It was just a weird coincidence that we went about five weeks without using it and it happened in very dry weather.

BTW, this is one of those Lark in the Morning keyless D flutes in ebony. I think I paid $250 for it back then. Heck, I think it's only $350 or so 20 years later. It's not a great flute, but it plays well and has a pretty tone. Oddly enough, in the last 15 years of road work we've gone through five guitars, four mandolins, and three PA systems. The only thing in the act that's original equipment are this flute and an old Sweetheart whistle. I've gotten my money's worth out of it at any rate.

This is the sort of thing that might happen to any one of us under odd circumstances. An extended illness or injury might leave our flutes unattended for weeks at a time. Extreme re-hydration is not a good idea, but it will recover a flute that hasn't gone too far toward death's door.

But the flute has made a full recovery and with a little luck I'll play it for another 20 years or so.

clark · Post by **clark** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 8:53 pm

sb fluter said: I usually can't get my flutes apart to swab them out after I play them. I have to leave them put together overnight or even longer until I can take them apart.

Hey Diane,

This isn't right. Instead of going to great lengths to accommodate not being able to get your instrument apart, why not get the problem taken care of? Having your flute lock together after just one playing is not good for the instrument. It could be as simple as a little less thread (unwind) or cork (judicious sanding) on your tenons. If the problem is that the wood end of the tenon (the part sticking out from the threads/cork) is binding in the joint, then the fix can be slightly more complicated. Whatever the reason it can and should be fixed.

Clark

sbfluter · Post by **sbfluter** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 3:34 pm

Not to worry. I have sent one of my flutes to Casey.

Turns out the other sticks together as well, but not as often so I won't worry about it.

Tim2723 · Post by **Tim2723** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:54 pm

Hi Diane,

Good luck with the fix, and I hope you'll take a moment to tell us about it when you get the flute back. I've never had that problem, and to be honest, I think it's the first time I've heard of it. I've had to re-wind caulking and sand corks like Clark mentioned, but that was to make it possible to put the flute together, not get it apart.

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