The silk English horn swab from Hodge cleans the entire instrument fully assembled. This long version corresponds to the length of the assembled instrument so that one can pull the swab back and forth. It has a safety cord at the back, so that if a knot got stuck in one of the parts of the instrument, it could be removed by the same way it entered. The oboe swab has a straight weight rather than a ball chain.
 
The qualities of silk


All Hodge brand silk swabs are made of 100% silk and come in black, royal blue, burgundy, forest green, and dark purple.  Silk is very absorbent, it absorbs water better in instruments than any other natural material on the market, including cotton and chamois. The silk is also very compressible, which allows drawing the swabs through the instruments with large variations in the bore. Moreover, the silk leaves no particles or filaments.