Although one of the most beautiful woods to build from, it is also one of the most difficult. About 40 steps are necessary for me to build a flute from lumber. This material took each step, and created three. It did not want to become a flute

Woods used at the mouthpiece include redwood burl, the flamewood, SE Asian amboyna burl, and capped with addl. flamewood. Each side of the compression chamber includes 19mm disks of the amboyna burl as well. The fetish block starts with the flamewood bonded to a base of Oklahoma red cedar for moisture control, and wing overlays to include abalone, mappa burl, additional abalone, and the amboyna burl.

Inlay begins at the mouthpiece with an 8x11mm Mexican boulder opal, flanked by 4mm turquoise dots. Each side of the compression chamber accents the amboyna disks with a 4.8mm orange pearl. The disks themselves have some subtle hand colorizing. Moving to the sound chamber, I found a gigantic but otherwise perfect 19x34mm Mexican crazy lace agate cab, which was too large to be imbedded, so it sits atop the sound chamber. The finger holes are accented with four 4mm abalone dots, as well as a 6mm dome cut Mozambique garnet. Lastly, the fetish block has a 6mm dome cut amber cab set to the crown, and 2.8mm hematite beads, set as eyes.

The flute was tuned at a wood temperature of 75.8° F, an ambient temp. of between 72.0 and 72.8° F, with a humidity factor of 70%..

The fetish ties run through the flute, it is not necessary to remove them for drying purposes. Simply loosen them and slide the fetish to the side.