The next stage is to modify the boxwood's natural yellow color
to an appropriate shade of orange or brown, depending on the model
(for ebony and exotic woods, we skip this part). For this process
Cathy is suited up like the brain surgeon she might have become
had she not been a flutemaker, not to protect the flute from germs
but to protect herself from nitric acid and its fumes. Then the
pieces will be soaked in a warm bath of raw linseed oil for several
days. After the oil is dry, we drill the embouchure and toneholes
in the tube sections, and fit the keys.
|
|
|