Care and feeding of boxwood flutes

[mandoboy]

I have been reading posts about boxwood and many say they require a lot of care.

What exactly is required above and beyond normal wooden flute care? (Keeping them at a reasonable humidity and oiling them from time to time)

Are there an special precautions to keep them from warping?

Thanks

Mandoboy

[O_Gaiteiro_do_Chicago]

In my opinion there is little you can do about warping from the user end. Sometimes flutes warp, sometimes they don't. Basic care is not going to change that. Care of the flute would be like any other flute in regards to humidity, oiling, and swabbing it out after playing. The one thing you have to be cautious with is the fact the tenons swell quite easily, and keys occasionally get stuck in their blocks. In the case of the tenons make sure the flute is always well oiled so no moisture will be allowed to penetrate into the wood and cause it to swell. As for sticky keys usually they work themselves out but if needed you can use a bit of graphite powder to lubricate them. If they still are a bit sticky get a glass nail file(they are only mildly abrasive) and look for any shiny spots on the inside of the block, give it one swipe with the file at that spot at put the key back in. Usually that will fix it, if not give it another pass.
I used to play a boxwood Rudall and it had not been in use for probably a hundred years. Initially it was very sensitive to playing but after a few weeks in settled down and gave me no trouble at all. Boxwood is very lively stuff, not just in terms of sound, but also in the way it acts to it's environment. I wouldn't let any of the above deter you from owning or getting a boxwood flute. There really is nothing quite like the stuff, it's lightweight and just buzzes in your hands when you play it.

[mandoboy]

Thank you for that information.

So If it is an older flute and hadn't warped yet it would be less likely to warp in the future?

mandoboy

[jim stone]

Yes, that's right--with reasonable attention to humidifying if the air gets dry.
I have two boxwood flutes. No trouble with either.
And if the flute does warp, you play it anyway.

[Julia Delaney]

I have always thought that boxwood, being more plastic than blackwood or cocus, is more likely to warp and thus less apt to crack or split. It will bend rather than break.

[mandoboy]

Thank you Jim. I know I can play it warped, but I would rather keep it from warping if possible. Glad to hear you haven't had any issues with yours. Sounds like I shouldn't have any problems if I give it a little bit of care.

Interesting Julia Delaney, (Hmm I just played you last night after a long time having not, it was a welcome old friend.) I work with woods as a hobby an it is really amazing how different different species are and react to the environment. You may very well be correct on this issue.

Thanks for your comments.

[clark]

Well the best thing I've found to do for a boxwood flute is move to Hawaii. Perfect flute humidity and temperature year-round. If that is impractical for you just send it to me and I'll make sure it get played regularly and doesn't warp.

Clark

[Jon C.]

The problem is the Boxwood today is very small stock, and has a lot of internal stress. I am making a flute form old growth Boxwood from the Pyrenees, the flute wood is very stable. The Boxwood I got from Turkey, warped in a coupe of months after turning it...

[Casey Burns]

Actually its been my observation that the internal stress varies from log to log. One can detect this easily when resawing.

Even with stresses, its possible to de-stress boxwood and render it more stable through a simple process. I usually turn a number of pieces round, and then pilot bore the wood and then face the ends. The end grain is then sealed with polyurethane. Then the pieces are put into a Microwave oven and heated using the defrost cycle for 5-10 minutes depending upon the thickness. The wood is then left to sit for a week or more. The wood warps mostly in the first 24-48 hours and much less after that. Then the wood is turned to its final shape after all the warping has happened. Think of it akin to preshrinking fabric before sewing clothes.

This works well for wood cut freshly out of well aged half logs that have been drying for 5 or more years. I did try some of the Turkish-derived boxwood sold as premium instrument grade recently, however, and found it to be considerably less stable. I suspect they are milling it into squares soon after the trees are harvested. The pieces seemed to warp over a longer period of time than I prefer.

Fortunately I have a good quantity of good boxwood half logs, so I'll be making flutes from it for a number of years. Currently I've got a Bb in progress and the pieces are more or less free of knots, and feature a little bit of curly. I'll have a picture up in a few days.

Casey