Something interesting about oiling woodwinds....

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Thu Aug 22, 2002 3:33 pm

For those interested in such matters, here's a link to something that was recently on Woodie-L :

http://www.naylors-woodwind-repair.com/Grenadilla.htm

Loren

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Thu Aug 22, 2002 8:25 pm

Hmmm....So you got me wondering...almond oil, or what?
Tony

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Thu Aug 22, 2002 9:20 pm

For $100 an ounce I'll sell you "Loren's Super Secret Revitalizing Woodwind Tonic and Cure All Exlier Oil", but ya gotta Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!!!

Loren

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Thu Aug 22, 2002 9:25 pm

Or, if you don't trust me for some silly reason, I guess you could look here: http://www.naylors-woodwind-repair.com/Products.htm

Appears the author of the article has whipped up his own brew for sale.

JohnPalmer · Post by **JohnPalmer** » Thu Aug 22, 2002 9:31 pm

Wood is totally amazing. And old wood is good wood. Just ask someone with an old violin, mandolin, or guitar.

Thanks for the site, Loren.

JP

JohnPalmer · Post by **JohnPalmer** » Thu Aug 22, 2002 9:34 pm

Gee, two posts came between the last one I read and mine. Now mine seems silly. How slick! -JP

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 5:30 am

Dang!! Lots of interesting info. Thanks Loren.
FWIW, I use a homebrew oil on my whistles too. 5:1 light olive oil to almond oil, with a couple of drops of Vitamin E oil to prevent it becoming rancid. Cheap and very effective. I've also experimented with sealing the bore to prevent moisture being absorbed in the first place, and the results seem to be excellent. People usually start out with the best intentions of caring for a wooden whistle properly, but in time they get sloppy. They rush out of a long session without taking the time to swab out the whistle,put the wet whistle into a sealed case and the moisture sits there for days. Sealing the bore may not be theoretically the best idea, but it sure beats a cracked whistle!

chas · Post by **chas** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 6:02 am

Lemme make sure I'm not doing anything too egregious. I oil the bores about once a month initially, then every few months after that. Swab them out after playing, and store them in a homemade humidor (tupperware with a cigar humidifier, about 60% humidity).

I do have a few questions: should I oil the outsides? I was under the impression that only the bore needs to be oiled, maybe around the finger holes, but saw a thread on the flute board mentioning oiling the outer surface too. Oil the embouchure hole of a flute, but not the blade of a whistle, right? I've read in some places that blackwood doesn't need to be oiled, other places say it does. Opinions? How'bout antiques that obviously haven't been oiled in awhile?

TIA, Charlie

ysgwd · Post by **ysgwd** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 7:55 am

Some oils become gummy after drying, like linseed (flax), and all the polyunsaturated oils (canola, safflower, sunflower, corn etc.) (which I stopped putting on my food after I noticed how a missed drip on the bottle hardened like glue!) I assume this is why olive and almond oil are good--they do not gum up. I assume gumming oils are bad because they would seal out all moisture rather than sealing in good moisture after a few applications.

The vitamin E oil is essential especially if you don't want to put up with the smell of rancid oil.

I was wondering about coconut oil. It is a saturated oil, so it hardens if it isn't warm enough, but it doesn't gum up; rather, it just becomes like grease, and friction warms it up enough to liquify it. I suspect any oil that becomes a grease when cold enough isn't good because it won't be absorbed and it might block good moisture absorption, but I was wondering about coconut oil because it seems to be the best for moisturizing and conditioning dry skin. It is a stable oil, naturally resistant to rancidity if it hasn't been over-heated. I won't try it as a bore oil unless someone knows it is acceptable.
Lisa

computer-mom · Post by **computer-mom** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 10:25 am

As a former clarinet player, I would recommend going to a music store that sells band instruments and picking up a small bottle of bore oil. That's what I'll do if I ever get a wooden whistle.

DanD · Post by **DanD** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 10:45 am

The woodenflute list has a lot of information on oiling - almond oil with a little vitamin E or a mineral based oil seem to be the preferences - but there is a huge diversity of opinons! Dave Copley recomends unscented mineral oil from the drugstore for his flutes - this is the main ingredient in most commercial bore oils.
Chas -
When I oil my flute, I always end up with enough oily fingerprints, smudges, etc. on the outside that I go ahead and oil the whole thing. (Neatness is not one of my virtues

) But for a better answer, contact the maker - they'll let you know if oiling is compatible with any finish they may have applied.

StevePower · Post by **StevePower** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 5:31 pm

I use Liquid Parafin to oil the wooden (and delrin) flutes in the shop. Got the tip from Desi Seery. it's cheap, easily obtainable (I get it from the pharmacy right across the street) and it's handy should I get constipated ( - it's a laxative). Bore oil is good too, but more expensive and harder to come by.

Steve

fluter_d · Post by **fluter_d** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 5:43 pm

At the time when I got my first flute (10? years ago), Hammy recommended I use raw linseed oil. So I did. But that flute now has a nasty, olive-green coating on its inside - which, I hasten to add, hasn't harmed the flute or its sound at all, but looks, smells, and feels (because, yes, it does flake off... yummy!:P). I also had some problems because if the oil gets on a tuning slide and then solidifies, it's INCREDIBLY hard to loosen... So I now use almond oil! It smells (and tastes - the problems with playing flute

) better than linseed, and doesn't harder. And it's easier to get around here...
Deirdre