White Shield Flutes are based on traditional design of the
Native American block flute. Native American flutes were made by splitting a
branch in half, hollowing out the two halves and gluing them back together
using leather wraps to hold the bird and flute together with a modern twist.
Our flutes are coated inside out with the old fashion
shellac, and glued together with TiteBond glue. This makes the flute resistance
to moisture, however this does not mean that it can be soaked in water or left
out in the sun.
After every playing session, it is recommend removing the
bird from the flute. Rest the flute north side down. Don’t leave it on the side
so that moisture inside the mouthpiece chamber can collect and runs down the
side of the flute.
Keep your flute away from extreme heat and cold. The
temperature can weaken the glue seam, or even cause the wood to spilt. When I
am performing I like to have a heating pad on the lowest setting with a towel
on top. I place my flutes on top of the towel to prevent watering out
significantly.
When watering out occurs, there are number of ways that you
can clear the airway.
FIRST grasp the flute at the south end of the flute and
shake vigorously. (North is the mouthpiece and south is the bore end of the
flute.) Like cracking a whip. Be careful! You don’t want to be hitting anything
hard, and you don’t want to discharge the moisture onto your audience!
SECOND covering the sound hole in front of the bird with
your finger, blow into the flute with force. This will force the moisture out
the front of the air channel.
THIRD removing the bird from the flute and gently dry the
underside of the bird and flue with a soft cloth. Good luck with cleaning rods,
I found that they are very cumbersome. I end up throwing my rod away.
Maintaining the finish on the flute requires periodic waxing
the flute. I like beeswax, allowing it to dry. Wiping the excess wax off with a
soft cloth and wiping the excess wax from blocking the flue.
Maintaining the mouthpiece, I recommend mineral oil when the
mouthpiece gets dry. With mineral oil it will not ruin the finish and plus it
wont get rancid as vegetable oil will.
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