oiling

Matt_Paris · Post by **Matt_Paris** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:21 pm

pbar03 wrote:Matt_Paris wrote:

Here (in France) supermarkets don't have a "health section". Pharmacists are strongly protected by the law against supermarkets.

So the only way to find almond oil is in a pharmacy... Sometimes in vegeterian food stores too, but this one is not "pharmaceutical"

Matt, here in France, I buy my almond oil from hypermarkets (skin care section) at a very affordable price (about 4 euro/5 US dollars for 100ml if my memory doesn't fail me). One brand (Mercurochrome) comes with vitamin E, another (Vendome) is 100% pure.
I have more problems finding silicon grease for the tenons. Any tips?

Pierre

Hi Pierre, (I love speaking english to french people)

Actually I play a lot (really a lot) of traditionnal woodwinds. And I don't use almond oil only for instruments. So I buy it in 1l bottles, thanks to a pharmacist friend, for something like 15 euros

I don't have to go to french pharmacies... And I don't drive, so I can't go to hypermarkets easily from Paris.

For the tenons, I always used sax (or clarinet) cork grease. It's more and more expensive, but it works well... I don't think it's silicon, though.

Where are you in France?

Erica · Post by **Erica** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:30 pm

CB recommends either raw linseed or almond with the water impurities decanted...I am leaning towards raw linseed (I'm pretty sure I can smell it on my flute) but cannot find it anywhere....I make natural herbal products, so I'm pretty familiar with almond oil (and it's tendency to go rancid...blech.)

If you use raw linseed, where do you find it? I went to our local corporate art/craft places and they don't have it.

Erica

Erica · Post by **Erica** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:41 pm

So, since some of you are using walnut and other oils, is it OK to use any kind of raw, unrefined oil? I actually buy unrefined, cold pressed olive oil by the 5 gallons. Would that work?

Erica

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:44 pm

Both cold-pressed linseed oil and boiled linseed oil polymerize; the boiled version does it much faster than the cold-pressed version.

If you don't particularly like the smell of linseed oil, there are also commercial bore oils which behave similarly but do not have the slight color and smell of linseed oil.

--James

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:48 pm

Finding unrefined raw linseed oil has become a bit of an issue... I think that may be why Casey started recommending almond.

Olive is a bit iffy.

If an oil goes rancid over time adding vitamin E to it before using it should help.

Casey Burns · Post by **Casey Burns** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:54 pm

Erica,

You can get the correct linseed oil, sold as "refined linseed oil" by mail order from www.danielsmith.com in Seattle. This is a purified raw oil which is what I use for all of my flutes. I do not recommend almond oils, even with vitamin E added as these go rancid to varying degrees. Or scented oils (I am allergic to some scents such as patchouli). Linseed oil does not need vitamin E added to it. Commercial bore oils are also fine to use - go to a regular music store for this.

I recommend oiling after every 5-10 hours of playing, gradually less with time. This seems to be adequate. I see little difference between flutes that are oiled on this regimen or hardly at all.

NEVER use boiled linseed oil of the paint store variety. It has all sorts of driers added, some of them toxic. Leaving the oily rags around is begging for a fire. I used this for oiling the timber framing in my ghouse, and once almost burned the house down after a lunch break! In 25 years, I have never had oily rags with the raw linseed oil even heat up.

Back to the salt mines, er, I mean, my lathe....

Casey

ChrisA · Post by **ChrisA** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:54 pm

Almond oil (with vitamin E so it doesn't go rancid on you!), cold pressed linseed oil, and pure tung oil are the only oils that I know of that do the hardening thing. Olive oil, walnut oil, etc, etc., don't. 'boiled' linseed oil and tung oil 'finishes' are full of heavy metals and very, very bad. Linseed oil seems preferred over tung oil for some reason; both probably need to be ordered on the internet. So, because of the hardening, these are the only oils I know of that condition your flute over time.

Any kind of oil will create a moisture barrier and smooth the inside of your bore. So, you could probably use most any oil - walnut is popular - for some of the effects the oil provides.

Enough people have allergies to peanuts that peanut oil would probably be a bad idea, especially if you ever wanted to resell the flute.

Oh, well, certain oils should really be avoided. Clove oil, peppermint oil, jalepeno seed oil...

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:58 pm

Any drying oil has the potential to be a fire hazard.

For safety, as well as for economy, I recommend keeping your oil-impregnated swab or cloth first in a ziplock bag (with the air pressed out), then store the bag in an airtight metal tin with the lid securely in place.

This will help prevent the danger of a spontaneous fire; it will also make your oil last much longer. This is not a small concern as good quality bore oil or cold-pressed linseed oil can quickly get expensive.

By the way, if you're having trouble finding cold-pressed linseed oil, try an art supply store; they will usually have it. Health-food stores are another good bet.

--James

Casey Burns · Post by **Casey Burns** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:00 pm

(I really have to do something about that avatar. Casey)

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:05 pm

Now that you mention it, I personally have been mildly intrigued by that avatar. Not to the point of keeping me up nights or anything, but .... ?

Erica · Post by **Erica** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:06 pm

Thanks! I found some bore oil and will use that until I can order some raw linseed. Somehow, all the art supply stores and health food stores don't carry it here....i've been on the phone for a good while now :roll:

bradhurley · Post by **bradhurley** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:06 pm

peeplj wrote:
By the way, if you're having trouble finding cold-pressed linseed oil, try an art supply store; they will usually have it. Health-food stores are another good bet.

In healthfood stores it is called "flaxseed oil" and is used as a dietary supplement to provide Omega 3 fatty acids. Flax and lin are one and the same plant.

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:15 pm

Thanks, Brad. I'd been wondering that very thing.
And if that's the case, you may also be able to get flaxseed oil from your local tack shop or horse-supply store. People pour it on their horses' feed to, among other things, fatten them up and improve their coats. And if you really want to be a purist the feed store will sell you the seed and you can press your own oil (as if we all don't have better things to do).

Alas, there's no need for flaxseed on my farm.

fluti31415 · Post by **fluti31415** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:18 pm

peeplj wrote:Both cold-pressed linseed oil and boiled linseed oil polymerize; the boiled version does it much faster than the cold-pressed version.

AH -- thanks for that explanation!

bradhurley · Post by **bradhurley** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:21 pm

Flax is a beautiful plant: lovely blue flowers. I used to grow it in my garden.

Hey, and while we're on the topic of oiling, this has been stated elsewhere but it's worth saying again because it's so important:

If you have a cocus flute, or a flute with a cocus headjoint, be warned that you may have an allergic reaction to your flute after oiling the headjoint! Oiling appears to bring out cocus's natural oils that may lead to a severe and in some cases life-threatening allergic reaction in some people. I know of several people who bought cocus flutes and never had trouble with them until they oiled them (one had to go to the emergency room after that).