Dealing with a previous owners oil choice

[Roland of Gilead]

So I recently came into a whistle and was told by the previous owner that he used Sandalwood oil to oil the whistle. Now, I've heard of folks using almond oil with a drop or two of sandalwood in order to basically act as an antimicrobial or something, but using sandalwood as the whole oil is new to me.

I see that it's common to use sweet almond oil, maybe with a touch of vitamin E. The whistle looks like it could use an oiling at this point, especially since the humidity in my New England home in winter is now 30% and cold (56⁰F in my house). My question is, would it be just fine to apply almond oil now, or do I HAVE to use sandalwood forever in this context? I feel like its probably not an issue but wanted to get your thoughts before jumping into it.

Also, just while I have you here; would you be humidifying your whistle in this environment? I have small humidifying devices in my guitar cases, but I'm not sure if I should do the same with the whistle. I expect the oil is supposed to help with that, but 'help' is not necessarily 'prevention' in the event of damage.

Thanks for your answers in advance!

[Tommy]

Does your wood whistle have metal ferrules on it?
I understand the main thing about using oil on a wood instrument is to be sure it is not a food grade oil that could go rancid. I use olive oil and almond oil. And sometimes have used both on one whistle with no problems.
The oil is to keep moisture out of the wood, and it also seals the porosity if there is some. Very small porosity can make a whistle play poorly. Then apply oil and it regains the tone.

[kkrell]

You haven't indicated what wood is used in your whistle. I would be less concerned about oiling if, for instance, the whistle is african blackwood.

Otherwise, I would just go ahead and use your preferred oil as needed. Do not over oil - a few drops wiped through the instrument should be sufficient. You don't want a lot of build-up. My only caution would be if you are prone to any allergic response to previously applied sandalwood oil, as apparently some people using it in cosmetics may have a reaction.

However, in your environment, I would definitely recommend storing the whistle in a closed container when not in use, with a small humidifier. The case need not be absolutely air-tight. I use the Humistat (links below). Shoot for a Relative Humidity level of about 45-55%.

I originally used this version:
https://www.humistat.com/product/humistat-model-1/

I now prefer this style, easier to fill:
https://www.violinpros.com/products/hum ... on-in-case

Use distilled water only.

[Roland of Gilead]

You haven't indicated what wood is used in your whistle. I would be less concerned about oiling if, for instance, the whistle is african blackwood.

Otherwise, I would just go ahead and use your preferred oil as needed. Do not over oil - a few drops wiped through the instrument should be sufficient. You don't want a lot of build-up. My only caution would be if you are prone to any allergic response to previously applied sandalwood oil, as apparently some people using it in cosmetics may have a reaction.

However, in your environment, I would definitely recommend storing the whistle in a closed container when not in use, with a small humidifier. The case need not be absolutely air-tight. I use the Humistat (links below). Shoot for a Relative Humidity level of about 45-55%.

I originally used this version:
https://www.humistat.com/product/humistat-model-1/

I now prefer this style, easier to fill:
https://www.violinpros.com/products/hum ... on-in-case

Use distilled water only.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm familiar with humistats, but these clones at the Violin Pros are a remarkable price, so I ordered a few.
Thanks so much, that's super helpful.

I wish I knew specifically what kind of wood my whistle is. I wrote the maker (Oz) but haven't heard back, probably because he's retired from making whistles. I can't tell if it's boonaree, Cooktown ironwood, gidgee, rosewood, etc. So, I'm hopeful it's a wood that can handle the north east in winter because it's truly a remarkable instrument.

Here's a shot of the body grain:


And the finger holes. The pores are very pronounced, very unlike blackwood.


This discussion does make me think about something I hadn't considered before. Something like Sandalwood might cause allergic reactions (not me) in some folks, but I do have friends deathly allergic to nuts and if I apply almond oil to my whistle and absentmindedly hand it to them to play, I'd be concerned about a much worse allergic reaction. I'm not sure if it works that way, not being a nut-allergic person myself, but maybe it does?

So I wonder what the most hypoallergenic oil would be safe to use in the end, without the threat of rancidity. Sandalwood might be the lesser evil (though pure sandalwood oil is relatively expensive) when dealing with nut allergen potential. Maybe it's down to olive oil with vitamin E?

[kkrell]

I wish I knew specifically what kind of wood my whistle is. I wrote the maker (Oz) but haven't heard back, probably because he's retired from making whistles. I can't tell if it's boonaree, Cooktown ironwood, gidgee, rosewood, etc. So, I'm hopeful it's a wood that can handle the north east in winter because it's truly a remarkable instrument.

Here's a shot of the body grain:


And the finger holes. The pores are very pronounced, very unlike blackwood.

Maybe it's down to olive oil with vitamin E?

I think I saw your post on Facebook. From what I recall of the woods Mitch offered, I still think Gidgee is the most likely. You might try looking at the end grain if any is visible, see https://www.wood-database.com/gidgee/#identification

Wood images on his site:
http://www.ozwhistles.com/shop/ozwhistles

Boonaree is maybe a possibility from those images - I can't really tell about the surface grain. End grain shot available at
https://www.wood-database.com/boonaree/#identification

[JackL]

The photos look like some type of rosewood to me. Rosewood also has large pores like the photos show.

[Roland of Gilead]

I wish I knew specifically what kind of wood my whistle is. I wrote the maker (Oz) but haven't heard back, probably because he's retired from making whistles. I can't tell if it's boonaree, Cooktown ironwood, gidgee, rosewood, etc. So, I'm hopeful it's a wood that can handle the north east in winter because it's truly a remarkable instrument.

Here's a shot of the body grain:


And the finger holes. The pores are very pronounced, very unlike blackwood.

Maybe it's down to olive oil with vitamin E?

I think I saw your post on Facebook. From what I recall of the woods Mitch offered, I still think Gidgee is the most likely. You might try looking at the end grain if any is visible, see https://www.wood-database.com/gidgee/#identification

Wood images on his site:
http://www.ozwhistles.com/shop/ozwhistles

Boonaree is maybe a possibility from those images - I can't really tell about the surface grain. End grain shot available at
https://www.wood-database.com/boonaree/#identification

Hmm, you know, when I was looking at other photos of Gidgee whistles on his site, they looked a heck of a lot lighter in overall color. Mine is very dark, like rosewood and in fact, the photos I took make it look a lot brighter than it is. It's very dark indeed. But, looking at the link you posted to Gidgee and end grain photos, it does look a bit more like it, but again it's a toss up between that and boonaree, which is very dark like my whistle. The mystery is killing me.

Here's another photo. I tried to take a quick cellphone shot of the end, but the darkness of the wood and smoothness of the finish makes it hard to tell what the end grain looks like. I can see some pores but that's not much. Perhaps it says something to you though

The photos look like some type of rosewood to me. Rosewood also has large pores like the photos show.

It does look like a rosewood to me, but I've heard boonaree referred to as Desert Rosewood too, as it share similarities. Indian or Brazilian rosewood have similar striations from time to time but man, I just can't tell. Brazilian would be straight out as it's endangered and unlikely to show up as a whistle. *shrug*

[JackL]

Any idea how old the whistle is? Based on the color and pore density on the end-grain photo, I would guess Brazilian. Indian rosewood has much higher pore density than Brazilian. Apparently Brazil quit exporting in 1967, but it was not declared endangered until 1992. If pre-1992, the maker may have had pre-existing wood in stock. Beautiful instrument anyway.

Here is a comparison of Brazilian and Indian Rosewoods:
www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/dis ... rosewoods/

[Roland of Gilead]

Any idea how old the whistle is? Based on the color and pore density on the end-grain photo, I would guess Brazilian. Indian rosewood has much higher pore density than Brazilian. Apparently Brazil quit exporting in 1967, but it was not declared endangered until 1992. If pre-1992, the maker may have had pre-existing wood in stock. Beautiful instrument anyway.

Here is a comparison of Brazilian and Indian Rosewoods:
www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/dis ... rosewoods/

I think it's probably unlikely to be Brazilian because Mitch of Oz whistles was about using ethical woods I think and more sustainable sources. He had to stop using African blackwood at some point because of what was going on. This is just from my messy memory though, don't quote me.

He started selling whistles of his own make only within the last 15 years or so, I believe, so Im not sure if he was collecting Brazilian rosewood prior to 92 either.

Its probably more likely to be an Australian wood but you never know!

[Sirchronique]

If you’ve got a number of flutes or wooden instruments, I’d recommend just humidifying the entire room. I keep all of my instruments in the same room with a wall mounted hygrometer and a simple inexpensive room humidifier to keep it between 40% and 50% humidity year-round.

Without doing so, the humidity levels in my house often reach the single digits in the winter. All of my stringed instruments remain stable and without needing a setup since I implemented the room humidifier, and I’ve never had a wooden flute or whistle acquire any cracks yet.

[Roland of Gilead]

If you’ve got a number of flutes or wooden instruments, I’d recommend just humidifying the entire room. I keep all of my instruments in the same room with a wall mounted hygrometer and a simple inexpensive room humidifier to keep it between 40% and 50% humidity year-round.

Without doing so, the humidity levels in my house often reach the single digits in the winter. All of my stringed instruments remain stable and without needing a setup since I implemented the room humidifier, and I’ve never had a wooden flute or whistle acquire any cracks yet.

Yeah, I've got a small walk in closet with my acoustic/classical guitars and violins all in their cases, and the electrics on the wall on headstock hangers, but I go in and out of there frequently, which would probably dump the humidity out as soon as I open the door maybe? If that's unlikely to occur, then that would possibly be a feasible room to humidify. I live in a Victorian from the mid 1800s, so our wall insulation is non existent, and the ceilings are like 13 ft high in most rooms, with all wood flooring. It makes it hard to heat let alone humidify, but I could probably manage the instrument closet. I have individual humidifying devices in each case at the moment and it keeps them going, but I admit it would be nice to be able to leave the whistle out without fear of cracking. My thermostat at the moment is saying my office is 32% humidity (we have steam heating too), so when I do play out here I don't let the instrument sit idle for too long. Maybe I'm being a little paranoid...

[paddler]

That wood looks a lot like cocobolo to me. I've seen pictures of Oz whistles in cocobolo, so I know he used that wood occasionally.
I also own a Grinter whistle in cocobolo and the wood looks a lot like that of your whistle.