Closing the Books (At Least for A While)

Greetings and Happy New Year, friends and flute fans! A little PSA here…

As we prepare to mark 50 years of making flutes (we aren’t quite sure how that happened, but wow!) we want to say a big “thank you” to our friends, customers, and music community for supporting us over the years and for providing so much encouragement and positive feedback. We do this for the joy of the music, and your goodwill lifts our spirits and reminds us of the importance of what we do.

Over the years, we have seen a steady increase in the number of keyed flute orders we receive, and as of this writing, our best guess has that wait-list at ten years or more, factoring in record numbers of orders each year from 2021-2024. This feels like quite the high-water mark, and after much discussion, we’ve decided to close our books to new keyed flute orders for the time being, effective as of this writing. We realize this is a big shift from having open books and taking all orders and we hate to disappoint eager flute players, but we hope folks can understand and appreciate the complexity we face with so many orders already in the pipeline. In trying to crunch the numbers, we realized that we were uncomfortable with the keyed flute list exceeding the ten year mark by too much, and we hope this will allow us to catch up a bit and focus on filling the orders we currently have before taking any more.

Please note that this change will only apply to keyed flutes—we will continue taking keyless orders and do our best to fill those requests in about a year. We made the decision some time ago to keep that list separate, as we wanted to be able to get some kind of flute into players’ hands without them having to wait longer than a year or two.

Patrick and Aaron continue to train our two apprentices (Aaron's brother Matthew and Seth Swingle), and we are hopeful that as they move from our informal apprenticeship program to our—equally informal—journeyman status, we will be in a position to increase production without sacrificing quality. If all goes according to plan, we hope to be able to meet that ten year estimate. In any case, to those already on the wait-list, please be assured that we are doing all we can to work our way down the queue, and of course, please email us via the contact page here if you have a question.  

Anyhow, thanks to all for their custom and support, and stay tuned for announcements of celebratory 50th anniversary projects!

-Olwell Flutes

(Patrick, Aaron, and Matthew Olwell, and Seth Swingle) 

Looking Ahead, Looking Behind

This year, we’ll be celebrating (drumroll, please) 50 years of making flutes! Since that’s a bit of a milestone, it feels like a good time to pause and reflect on instruments and the hands that make them...

(Left to right, Patrick, Aaron, Seth, and Matthew)

Patrick and Aaron at the workbench, c. early 1990s


In writing this, I want to shine the spotlight on my son Aaron, who first apprenticed with me as a lad and then when he had mastered the art and craft of flute-making, joined me as a partner in the business nearly twenty years ago. His dedication and skill have far surpassed any expectations I could have had, and from the first he approached the workbench with goodwill, a hunger to learn, and keen creativity. He and his brother Matthew grew up in the shop, whittling, tinkering, learning to use tools and do flute work, and also learning to play the flute and other instruments. Both of them, inquisitive by nature and beginning with an aptitude for tools and keen attention to detail, worked on flutes and other aspects of the business from the very beginning, and joined myself and their mother Rowena in a life of living, eating, and breathing music and the flutes we make.

Matthew (on left in the first two images) and Aaron (on left in the third)

Over the years, I’ve watched Aaron transform raw materials into artfully made instruments, infusing every one with his own creativity and precision. In 2006 with my blessing, he began making his own flutes from start to finish, and in recent years, he has made the majority of the keyed flutes that have come out of our workshop. Now, he continues to do the bulk of the keyed work and together we are training our two apprentices: Aaron's brother Matthew, and Seth Swingle. Aaron has also stayed true to the high level of quality that we strive for, while bringing fresh ideas and innovation to our work. He long ago earned my respect, trust, and confidence, but because we are an informal operation, there was never a graduation ceremony or an official recognition when Aaron finished his apprenticeship and joined me at the helm of the workshop. It’s long overdue perhaps, but this is a bit of a hat-tip to him for all he’s done.

When I started making flutes in 1975 it was on something like a whim and I had no idea it would become the focus of my life and livelihood, putting bread on the table and a roof over our heads for so many years, and allowing me to create a business that (with a bit of luck) will be in family hands for a long time to come. I've been thinking a lot about the the musical community that I am lucky enough to be part of and which is so important to my life as a craftsman and musician. The friendships, support, and inspiration have kept me motivated from day one, and the goodwill of our customers has always brought me much joy.

In the world of art and music, the myth of the “lone mad genius” is a powerful one, but the truth is that all creativity stems from something that has come before and is so often aided by the labor of others. We study the work of our predecessors and then see if we can add to that store of knowledge and expand it. This is what I did as I studied old flutes to learn how they were made, and it is with great joy that I see Aaron, Matthew, and Seth continuing that tradition. I have no doubt that they will keep the torch aloft and bright! I hope to make many more flutes before I go, but I’m also happy and grateful that there are skilled and capable hands to carry on the work.

Here’s to many more years and many more flutes...

-Patrick Olwell 

(Patrick and Aaron at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville Virginia at the Christmas Market, and at an unknown festival gig.

Photos from c. 1987-1996 at a guess.)

How To Vacuum Test A Flute

When doing repairs or checking the fit of plugs, pads, and cork, we use a simple test in the workshop to check for leaks and ensure that the various parts of a flute are airtight. The good news is, you don't need to be a skilled repair tech to do this at home, and anyone can learn to diagnose a leaky flute part.

You can do this test on any section of a flute, and while we use it most often to check a head-joint for leaks, it also works to check for leaking pads.

It's best to check each piece separately. For instance, to check a headjoint, remove the barrel and hold the head with a thumb or forefinger over the embouchure and place your lips on the metal tube end. Draw air out of the tube to create a partial vacuum, and keep the seal with your lips or tongue. You should be able to feel the resulting pressure as air tries to get back into the tube. After a few seconds, remove your lips, and there should be a slight "pop" as the pressure equalizes. If the tube is leaking, you won't be able to maintain this vacuum, or it won't hold for long and you'll feel the pressure reduce as air passes back into the head through the leak.

It's possible for a head to leak either around the plug or between the metal of the head tube and the wood of the headjoint, so if you detect a leak, the next step is to ascertain where the leak is coming from. To do this, remove the end cap and cover the end of the head tube with the palm of your hand so that the end is sealed, keep the mouth hole covered as well, and repeat the above suction test. If the leak is no longer detectable, it's likely that simply replacing the plug will solve the problem. If on the other hand, the leak is still present, a more delicate repair to seal the head tube may be needed. Our plugs (which are carefully fitted and faced with sheet cork) are very unlikely to leak so if a head is leaking, there's a good chance that the latter situation is to blame, with air leaking between the tube and wood of the head.

To check a midsection or footjoint for leaking pads, it is necessary to cover all the holes and repeat the suction test as above. With a one-piece midsection this is a little tricky, as you'll need both hands to cover the finger holes, so you'll have to either enlist a friend to help by covering the bottom of the midsection, push it against the bare skin of your leg to seal the end, or seal it in some other way. If you find a leak, it's probable that one of the key pads is not sealing properly and may need to be replaced, or that one of the springs needs to be adjusted.

Related Notes on Oiling:

It is possible for congealed oil and dust to get into a keyway (especially if you're over-oiling your flute) and cause the key to bind in the slot so that it is not able to freely return to a closed position as it should, which can cause a leak. It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the action of the keys so that you can feel the difference when a key is binding in the slot.

When oiling a flute—generally inside only and no more often than needed—it's important not to over-do it. It's best to do this before playing the flute rather than after, so that the bore isn't saturated with moisture from playing. Aim for a light coat of oil that is not enough to run down the bore or cause drips. If you sight down the bore against a bright light, it should look shiny after oiling (in contrast to the dull, dry, matte look before oiling). Let it sit for a few minutes, then use a dry rag or paper towel on a cleaning rod to swab out any excess that could build up on the bore and the recesses that the keypads hit. We recommend almond or olive oil rather than bore oil. Petroleum-based bore oil is supposed to be non-hardening, but we have had some customers complain that it has built up on the bore and gummed up the keys and/or pads.

Here's an example of a flute that has been over-oiled and the keys not removed or protected from the oil:

You can see above how the oil has built up on the pad, interfering with the sealing action of the key, which is why is is a good idea to remove the keys when oiling, or to protect them with a twist of plastic wrap until you've allowed the oil to soak into the bore and then swabbed out the excess:

We hope this description will be helpful in explaining the process of a "vacuum test" and enable you to check your flute for leaks if something doesn't feel right. Happy fluting, and as always, drop us a line if you have a question!