All of my flutes are finished with hand-rubbed 100% natural Tung Oil. After the final coat, I give them a light rub with super fine steel wool to smooth out and slightly dull the finish. Tung oil is wonderful because you can always add another coat at any time to enhance the finish if it becomes worn.
Any natural furniture wax can be used in moderation to keep your flute looking it’s best. If you do decide to ad more tung oil to your flute at any time… it will need to be thoroughly cleaned with alcohol to remove any of the wax build up form the polish or oily residue from your hands before the new finish is applied.
Native American Style Flutes require very little maintenance and if the bird on top of the flute is positioned correctly and there are no small specks of dust, dirt or other obstructions in the flue area… your flute will play just like the first day you got it. If you play your flute for an extended period of time your flute will “water-out” and start playing funny, (especially in colder temperatures). When this occurs, al you need to do is untie and remove the bird from the top of the flute and shake the flute downward by holding the “foot” end of the flute so the condensed water will come out the mouthpiece. You can then wipe any excess water from around the sound holes and mouthpiece. Then just let the flute rest and dry out well before replacing the bird.
