Life Span of Wooden Flutes

[Mindermast]

I have a professional wooden flute from my grandfather, which is undergoing thorough maintenance right now. It is in a pretty good shape, except for the pads, and of course, it needs some adjusting too. But I have been told by several professionaly, including my teacher, that I will have a very good instrument soon - unless something horrible happens during maintenance. Of course, I would like to know, how long I might be able to enjoy this flute. It must be around 80 years old, fortunately stored in a good place from the time when my grandfather died until I got it recently, and the wood is in a very good condition. Of course, I don't see it as a museum's piece, I will play it until it or me is beyond repair.

[Zevang]

I don't have much experience in wood instruments, though I know quite a lot from others. What I think is that there is not a rigid life time or ending date for a wooden flute.
It depends mostly on the type of use and care you may give to it. So, get well informed about what is the better way to take care of it, like putting a good oil from time to time inside the tube, cleaning and so on.

good luck

[Mindermast]

I am still waiting for the maintenance to be finished...

In the meantime, I keep looking for good advise about taking care of wooden flutes. Unfortunately, this is no science, there are as many opinions as writers about this subject. But most of them agree on oiling the inside. I also learned, that a wooden flute, that is played regularly, is at least as safe as one that is being conserved under perfect climate controls etc, because the saliva keeps the wood "alive". Of course, the mechanical parts will eventually fall apart and need to be replaced little by little, that cannot be helped. But since the "soul" of the instrument is in the wood, it will remain the same instrument even then.

[Gordon]

I am still waiting for the maintenance to be finished...

In the meantime, I keep looking for good advise about taking care of wooden flutes. Unfortunately, this is no science, there are as many opinions as writers about this subject. But most of them agree on oiling the inside. I also learned, that a wooden flute, that is played regularly, is at least as safe as one that is being conserved under perfect climate controls etc, because the saliva keeps the wood "alive". Of course, the mechanical parts will eventually fall apart and need to be replaced little by little, that cannot be helped. But since the "soul" of the instrument is in the wood, it will remain the same instrument even then.

Not the saliva - saliva will eventually break down wood, as it contains enzymes for digestive purposes. But, unlike a recorder, flutes don't get much, if any, saliva. It gets condensation, which is just water. The humid air from your breath will keep the wood properly humidified - the rest (excess moisture) needs to be (reasonably) swabbed out after playing. When not played regularly, or during dry winters or in arid regions, wooden flutes should be kept in a humidy-controlled environment (about 50%, which is good for us, too). Oiling, and whether it protects as a barrier, or conditioner, of the wood, is an ongoing debate, but few argue that it hurts, so it probably should be done semi-regularly, but avoid getting oil on any pads!
As for longevity, there are Baroque period instruments that are in fantastic playing condition, and used regularly, and many more 19th c. instruments, also used regularly (and heavily), particularly by the Irish music crowd.

[James_Alto]

No kidding! The ITM (Irish Traditional Music) crowd might pay more for a 100 year old flute than a new one!

Bass recorders are an exception to the saliva issue Gordon - all of mine use a bocal, and as a result, the bass recorder never ever sees any saliva - it all gets trapped in the swan neck bend of the bocal tube, and gets less saliva than any flute ever sees - especially if you play the flute like Greg Patillo beatbox style, then your flute will be swimming in saliva.

The main problem about saliva being a 'moisturising' or humidifying agent for a flute, relates to the temperature at which saliva and hot air come out of the body - around 37.4 degrees C, whereas ambient room temperature might be around 10-25 degrees C. The sudden shock of moisture with a temperature gradient will probably lead to a crack.

If the flute is 80 years old, it should play for at least another 20 with good maintenance and conditioning: playing it in gradually, avoiding temperature gradient extremes; using bore oil 2-3x a year for the head joint.

Unfortunately, even adhering to the best of advice, one of my wooden flutes shows breakdown in the embouchure (wood) area, within 6 months of use. I think I've been overexcited playing it, and have done 2 hour stretches non-stop on it. The embouchure shape is changing already. If you really love your flute, you might wish to get a silver plated or silver lip plate and rework the embouchure with bone or another non-wood material to stop it from shape-shifting over time.

In any case, nothing lasts forever! Enjoy it when it comes back

[Gordon]

No kidding! The ITM (Irish Traditional Music) crowd might pay more for a 100 year old flute than a new one!

Unfortunately, even adhering to the best of advice, one of my wooden flutes shows breakdown in the embouchure (wood) area, within 6 months of use. I think I've been overexcited playing it, and have done 2 hour stretches non-stop on it. The embouchure shape is changing already. If you really love your flute, you might wish to get a silver plated or silver lip plate and rework the embouchure with bone or another non-wood material to stop it from shape-shifting over time.

In any case, nothing lasts forever! Enjoy it when it comes back

This should not be happening. Few ITM players play for less than 2 hrs. at a time (sessions at a pub can go on forever..), and many play antique flutes. I have several friends with flutes made in the mid-19th c., and I wish that most modern-made flutes played and sounded as well. My only antique is a so-called German flute (anonymous maker, but a nice enough player), made around the turn of the last century. It is in cocus wood and, early on, I played it regularly/exclusively, sometimes at four hour intervals (with pauses for Guinness). It had clearly lived an active life before me, as well, and its embouchure is absolutely fine - its internal tuning is another issue, for another thread, and the main reason I no longer use this flute. My main (wooden) flute now is 10 years old, bought from its maker in '01, in blackwood. Again, no discernable wear on the embouchure, despite heavy use.

I can't explain your flute's embouchure depreciation in 6 months' time - very odd, unless you have exceedingly acidic body chemistry... What wood is it in?

[Mindermast]

Ok, finally, the flute is back, and it is amazing! As a matter of fact, I had lots of excuses for bad sound and the like in the past, now, I don't have any. The flutemaker, who had worked on the flute, confirmed the idea of a little bit of oiling eventually, and regular playing. He told me, that a wooden flute, that isn't played regularly, is in much more danger. He also told me of a professional flutist, who played a flute of similar age until his death, and the only trouble was the wooden headpiece, which never stopped cracking. The body and foot never needed any work beyond normal maintenance. The flute was in good condition, when the flutist died, but it cannot be played anymore, because it had been incinerated together with the body of the player (which shows a considerable advantage of wooden flutes over metal flutes).