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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000078.txt from 2007/02

From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [DR-L] Old oboes --- was :Age of my English Horn
Date: Sun, 04 Feb 2007 17:50:46 -0500

<<<Also, I am confused by the statement about the bore absorbing
moisture=20
and shrinking. Can anybody help?>>>

Grenadilla wood will actually absorb very little moisture. The
molecular structure is so dense, and the wood contains so much natural
oil that water or any other liquid will hardly penetrate the wood at
all.

According to reports from people who observed this, Hans Moennig used to
demonstrate what he thought was the futility of oiling an oboe or
clarinet. He reportedly had a block of grenadilla that had been soaking
in oil for years. When this subject came up, he would take the block of
wood out of the oil, wipe off the surface, and slice off a segment of it
in order to demonstrate that the oil was only on the surface and had not
penetrated the wood at all.

Also, each time this topic comes up, I post this, and it usually results
in a war of words. But, the fact is that in a hollow tube, if the
material shrinks, the bore will become larger, not smaller. The wood
tends to shrink toward its own center, so the outside of the tube will
become smaller while the inside diameter becomes larger. Somehow it
seems easier to conceptualize that if the material expands, the bore
will become smaller, but the converse seems harder to accept.

I realize that this is counterintuitive, but nevertheless it is true.
Don't take my word for it - ask someone with a degree in mechanical
engineering or materials science.

Ed Lacy
University of Evansville

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