Silk is very absorbent, soaking up water in instruments better than any other material on the market, including both cotton and chamois. Silk is also very compressible, making it possible to pull through instruments with large variations in bore size. In addition, silk is lint free.
Hodge Products manufactures silk swabs for all woodwind instruments and several brass instruments. Silk is naturally absorbent, lint free, and compressible. These characteristics allow Hodge swab to go through an instrument with a wide variation in bore size. For instance, a large piece of silk can wick the moisture from the bottom of the bell of a saxophone and yet be pulled all the way through the neck. The entire saxophone can be swabbed out in one motion. In addition, silk can be pulled entirely through an oboe or a bassoon bocal.
Hodge Products also make student reed cases for oboe, bassoon, and single reeds.
