I use a microfiber cloth to remove finger prints from my flutes (Yamaha 581, Pearl 765). However, I bought a new flute recently (Muramatsu DS) and find it very difficult to remove the finger prints. It takes a good 15-20 minutes to do so, and I'm afraid the rubbing will put the keys out of adjustment or otherwise damage the instrument.

Could my new flute have some kind of coating on it that makes it hard to remove finger prints? Or did my other flutes have a coating that made it easier to remove the finger prints? Or maybe it's because it is a new flute and the problem will go away after I've used it a while?

Anyone else experience a similar problem?

Thanks!

I do not clean finger prints. They are mine and I do not care... and I can't see them with my poor sight. (Just kidding, but true).

The Yamaha (674) I have does not get brown or stained because of my finger prints and skin oils. It may be that it is factory coated with some protecting layer. In this case, rubbing it every day could damage this protection. It is not longer sparkling shiny as when new, but still looks beautiful.

Of course I do clean the inside, tenons, blowing hole and lip plate each time I store it after playing.

Interesting to see a source of sulphur at home and nearby.

Concerning chlorine, I swim thrice a week in a public pool that sure has lots of chlorine.

I take a normal shower after swimming and so far I have noted no problems with fingerprints or tarnish of any kind.

An interesting exception was the time I was playing in a garage fore a few days and probably there were sulphur vapours coming from the heating oil.

I noticed my flute was getting tarnished (but in the places where my fingers *do not* reach) and I stopped this practise. You may remember I posted about this experience a few months ago.

It is a brand new flute, so it is definitely not tarnish. I wash my hands before playing, but I still manage to get fingerprints on the flute. It's always been that way for me, but on my other flutes these finger prints just wiped away easily. On this one they are harder to remove.

I guess I'll just do a light wipe down (leaving the more stubborn fingerprints) daily, then once a month or so do a more thorough cleaning.

Some people have considerably more acid sweat and this could be your case. There is also a "wet hand syndrome" that prevents those who suffer it from working in some environments such as microelectronics and other activities where bare hand manipulation of delicate components is necessary. This can be evaluated by a doctor, but I do not know whether there is any treatment.

A curious man question: why do you feel so much concerned about those fingerprints if they are not causing any tarnish on your new instrument?