Flute Cracking / Messing up Stories

I purchased a wooden flute last year. However, with all the warnings floating around all over the interwebz about proper care and the implications of not doing so, I am constantly worried while using it, and even though I like it more than the delrin one I have, I still use the delrin flute much more often.

So, I want to know actual stories of how people ended up messing up their flutes (primarily to know how far they got away), and be less worried about it 🙂

Oh that’s rough! I don’t play flute at the moment, but love it, so might need to know this at some point. This would be a useful thread.

The problems stem from dehydration and rehydration. Oiling slows the process of both down. Basically as long as you keep it hydrated it will be fine. Keep it in a good case and out of too much sun . A damp sponge will suffice at a pinch and a little hydration dial can tell you the moisture in the air of the case . I use the bore doctors proprietary blend of natural oils.
Play it in gently 20 min a day at first .

It all depends on where you live and how you heat your home. I never had a flute crack when I lived in Lanzarote or since living in Scotland.
When I lived in MA, USA I had cracks.
Luckily cracks are part and parcel of wooden flutes as it’s a disaster to have metal enclosed in wood are easy to repair and have little effect on the flute after occurring if repaired properly.
To avoid cracks Wills advice above.
A flute without metal is less likely to crack in my experience though I’ve seen this occur if you play a cold flute without warming it up.
In short don’t worry too much. Play it. Treat it right it may not crack. It may crack either through abuse, sudden change in humidity, accident. Luckily it’s fixable.

A couple real stories of flute abuse:
I had a beautiful uncracked 19th century flute by Metzler. It cracked when I visited my parents home in the US , heat in the house.

A friend sat on a beautiful Lehart flute a few days before a slew of Paddy’s Day gigs. Ralph sweet pieces it together with epoxy and it played well for a few years after until I was gigging in Spain and it fell apart on the stage during a set in my hands. The heat and moisture must have unbinded the epoxy.

I revived a parcel with an uncracked Rudall piccolo. It was cold I blew through it. Expansion body crack. Stupid really.
Once you can easily repair a crack yourself you worry less about it and get on with the tunes.

So just play away and repair the crack, or meticulously look after and fret, or somewhere in between. I’ve seen cracks in even the most well cared for flutes.

You’re worrying unnecessarily.

Assuming it is now “broken in” and has achieved a stable level of moisture - all you need to be doing is (a) mopping out (drying excess moisture) after playing, (b) dismantle and store in a protective case when not playing and (c) giving the bore a monthly light oiling (e.g. Almond Oil) when fully dry (i.e. BEFORE playing).

Other than that don’t leave it where it is going to get excessively hot or cold or dried out (e.g. in direct sunshine or warm car or close to a blazing fire).

Most importantly, play it lots. I think the instrument will benefit from regular play and basic maintenance (as indicated above). You say you prefer your wooden flute - time to hide the delrin one and make the switch. Enjoy!

I work at woodwind manufacturing plant (does not make an expert) and worked in returns for awhile and I was rather appalled at how many instruments (clarinets and bass clarinets) came back with cracks.
The problem we have is that we’re sending instruments all over the world into different climates.
I’ll add some bits:

A general rule of thumb is that if the instrument makes it through the first year it will usually be stable. Very old instruments can have this problem as well because they may be very dry.
The change in moisture in the instrument changes the shape of the wood and that adds stress which can cause the instrument to crack. If you live where it is cold (and dry) it is worth getting a room humidifier (full house humidifiers don’t generally get the job done). It is also great for your other wood instruments, your piano, your reeds and your health. Buy a hydrometer - they are cheap and it’s good to keep an eye on out for dry or drastic change. I worry about the dry - not usually the humid.
The maker (or their supplier) goes through 2-3 stages of seasoning the wood. If this is not done adequately the instrument will be at risk for some time.
Almond oil is very good for oiling you bore. It has vitamins E in it which helps keep the oil from going rancid. I mix a lot of olive oil in when I do full immersion because it is so cheap but it does go bad over time. I’ve seen formulas with Vitamine E oil but it is very expenive and the last bottle I bought had only Almond oil listed in the ingredients. I have even seen Grenadilla oil for about $1000/oz or some ungodly figure. Never buy commercial hire oil unless you know what’s in it. I personally would never buy a specialty oil because of the price and the fact that the ingredients and recipes are easy to find and save a lot of money.
Cracking is not the only reason to do your recommended maintenance. A properly oiled bore will tend to allow the instrument to play to its full potential. When the shape of the bore changes, even a little, the sound will be effected.
Terry McGhee has some good advice about this on his site.

Almond oil is what I would use for a larger project, but the bore doctor stuff is really good , various nut oils and much lighter and thinner than almond . A bottle lasts forever !!
I second the advice not to use commercial petroleum based oils .
Vit e oil can be bought cheaply and mixed in with the almond.
Make no mistake though oil is not a replacement for water! Hydrometer! Yes that’s the word!!
Cigar people know all about hydrification 🙂

A hydrometer is great when making wine or beer, for musical instruments I prefer a hygrometer!

Good advice above but the best advice is to play it and not let it get dry. Neglect is the worst thing for a flute . I don’t often clean out all the moisture from my flute in the winter (perhaps just a wipe through with a lightly oiled silk rag), preferring to leave the moisture in the bore to keep the flute hydrated.
When you aren’t playing the flute you can store it in a case, in a plastic bag, with a small damp sponge. That will keep the flute hydrated sufficiently that it won’t crack. Never leave it in the car.

Hygrometer - Ok - Thank You.

Terry McGhee say to leave the swab in the case with the flute and you should be fine. I like my room Humidifier. Like I said, it’s good for a lot of things. Sax and clarinet reeds are a pain in Northern Indiana in the winter time. I carry mine in a cigar case with a little silicon filled case that provides the humidity the reeds require. This is the first I’ve used it and I’m about to begin a Three week show so it will be interesting how the new system works.

As some have already commented, playing it more will be better than leaving it alone. And considering some of the fine repair people out there, a crack is not the end of the world for a wooden flute. Weather and humidity plays are real important part in how you maintain your flute. Where I am, flutes are very happy with the cool, high humidity, but if you’re somewhere cold/hot and dry, then you will need to take care of your flute more.

The good folks at Windward have a “play in” schedule for new flutes and recommends you follow it again if you haven’t been playing your flute for a while.

http://www.windwardflutes.com/flutecare.html

Cheers,

Melany

First develop a relationship with a good local woodwind repair guy. I’ll bet Austin has several. Then oil your flute regularly, play it often, swab it each time you play it, and relax. It’ll be ok. I’ve had a crack in each of my 2 wooden flutes (unlined), one while in Ireland in winter, both repaired easily. I live in a desert, dry summer and winter, my home is not humidified. You could do well to keep your flute in a military grade zip-lock bag. REI and other outfitters have them. That will go far to keep a consistent humidity with out breaking the bank. If you wish you could add just about any kind of a case humidifier if you go to a dry area. I get the value you attach to a wooden flute, but it’s not worth overthinking. They’re tougher than you think.

Oh, and like you, my 8-keyed Somers is my go to guy.

Thanks all for the valuable guidance. I am glad I started this topic. Took a lot of worries away!

Yes hygrometer, that’s the word damn autocorrect 😉

Dave Atherton is perhaps the world’s best Highland pipemaker at this time, and he wrote this article about wood cracking. It goes into quite a bit of detail. Even though it’s about Highland pipes, I think it applies to wood flutes, especially flutes made of African Blackwood.

Both Highland pipes and flutes are subjected to a high amount of moisture.

http://www.dmatherton.com/education.php