Chamois for cleaning

[Candi Bowen]

I've been using a chamois cloth for polishing and cleaning sticky pads.
Leaves absolutely no fibers Has anyone else ever tried it? I swear, it gets
any gunk off pads better than anything I've tried, but I don't pull it, I
just 'blot' the pad.

Candi

[.]

Is the chamois completely dry? I use a damp chamois for cleaning windows
and mirrors. I wipe out the inside of my flute with a silk cloth, I wonder
if a chamois would also work.

You talk about your flute being flat. How old is it? I heard somewhere
that the older flutes were tuned at a slightly lower pitch than today's
newer flutes. Perhaps our resident repairmen could comment on that.

My flute is also a Selmer (Signet) and I am guessing over 50 years old. It
has a tendency to be flat until warmed up.

Eleanor

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Post by Candi Bowen
I've been using a chamois cloth for polishing and cleaning sticky pads.
Leaves absolutely no fibers Has anyone else ever tried it? I swear, it
gets any gunk off pads better than anything I've tried, but I don't pull
it, I just 'blot' the pad.
Candi

[Stephen Howard]

Post by Candi Bowen
I've been using a chamois cloth for polishing and cleaning sticky pads.
Leaves absolutely no fibers Has anyone else ever tried it? I swear, it gets
any gunk off pads better than anything I've tried, but I don't pull it, I
just 'blot' the pad.

It works on the same principle as a piece of tissue - it absorbs any
moisture on the pad...so it will work, to a degree.
It might not be quite so good at removing any sugars and fats though -
in which case a drop of lighter fluid on a piece of cotton sheet ( an
old handkerchief ) will help.

Regards,

[Candi Bowen]

Hi Stephen,

I do periodically use lighter fluid on a rolling paper for the pads, but
only 3-4 times a year. The pads are in excellent shape, don't know if it's
because of that or if it's because they were fairly new when I purchased my
flute a little over 2 years ago. I only do the blotting with chamois when I
swab out my flute to remove moisture, & don't do the pads every time.
Sometimes I don't even swab out my flute, just not regimented enough. But
dry chamois absorbs water so much better than anything else I've used, I
thought I'd pass it along. It's also wonderful for drying/scrunching your
hair!

Candi

Post by Stephen Howard

Post by Candi Bowen
I've been using a chamois cloth for polishing and cleaning sticky pads.
Leaves absolutely no fibers Has anyone else ever tried it? I swear, it gets
any gunk off pads better than anything I've tried, but I don't pull it, I
just 'blot' the pad.

It works on the same principle as a piece of tissue - it absorbs any
moisture on the pad...so it will work, to a degree.
It might not be quite so good at removing any sugars and fats though -
in which case a drop of lighter fluid on a piece of cotton sheet ( an
old handkerchief ) will help.
Regards,
--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

[Candi Bowen]

Post by Candi Bowen
Hi Stephen,
I do periodically use lighter fluid on a rolling paper for the pads, but
only 3-4 times a year. The pads are in excellent shape, don't know if it's
because of that or if it's because they were fairly new when I purchased
my flute a little over 2 years ago. I only do the blotting with chamois
when I swab out my flute to remove moisture, & don't do the pads every
time. Sometimes I don't even swab out my flute, just not regimented
enough. But dry chamois absorbs water so much better than anything else
I've used, I thought I'd pass it along. It's also wonderful for
drying/scrunching your hair!
Candi

Post by Stephen Howard

Post by Candi Bowen
I've been using a chamois cloth for polishing and cleaning sticky pads.
Leaves absolutely no fibers Has anyone else ever tried it? I swear, it gets
any gunk off pads better than anything I've tried, but I don't pull it, I
just 'blot' the pad.

It works on the same principle as a piece of tissue - it absorbs any
moisture on the pad...so it will work, to a degree.
It might not be quite so good at removing any sugars and fats though -
in which case a drop of lighter fluid on a piece of cotton sheet ( an
old handkerchief ) will help.
Regards,
--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk