Long-lasting instruments

The stability of the instruments produced in the workshop is at the heart of our concerns.

The first objective is to avoid the accumulation of internal tensions due to drying, by spreading the working and resting phases over several months. Boxwood in particular, while still very popular with recorder players, has the particularity of being capricious and sometimes warping to significant extents. For this, as for other species, time is not enough, and a strict process must be followed to avoid incidents.

It should also be borne in mind that flutes and recorders are instruments played with the breath, and are therefore subject to significant stress due to the absorption and runoff of condensation. Repeated washing damages most wood species, which must be protected. In addition, humidity can lead to the proliferation of fungi, which poses an additional threat. This is why many wood species require appropriate treatment.

The pieces are impregnated with a very thin resin, which I selected for its effectiveness, its safety, and its respect for the physical structure of the wood. The process is similar to an operation called "Encollage" among luthiers, which is carried out with a pore filler. It is accepted that the acoustic quality of Stradivarius violins is partly linked to this preparation, hence its importance.
The instruments are finally dipped in a premium Abrasin oil, which offers superior protection to other drying oils, particularly against the development of fungi.

Several measures are taken to improve the stability of the cedar blocs. They are first heat-treated in the workshop with a process that I have specially adapted. This treatment reduces the expansion usually encountered in the presence of humidity in very interesting proportions. In addition, we also note an improvement with regard to condensation problems thanks to the accelerated drying. Lastly, the growth waves (the rings) of the wood are oriented horizontally, the tests that I was able to carry out having shown the effectiveness of this measure to stabilize the adjustment of the voicing. The choice of cedar on the Resin flutes is motivated by the elegant sound, the attractive visual aspect, and the more natural contact with the instrument.

After several more weeks of rest, the recorder, thus cared for, can begin its musical life in your hands.