Klarinet Archive - Posting 000018.txt from 1994/08

From: ELAINE THOMPSON <eethomp@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: which oil?
Date: Fri, 5 Aug 1994 20:02:07 -0400

On Fri, 5 Aug 1994, Ylo Mets wrote:

> Hello klarinetters!
>
> I am a physicist who has learned to play in youth and practiced
> in amateur bands. During 6 months on this list I have learned
> a lot, but I want more :-)
> I am about to oil my clarinet after a four-year break in playing it.
> I got a bottle of 'bore oil' produced by C.G. Conn, Ltd. Is it the right
> substance? Text on the bottle tells nothing about wooden instruments,
> so I got suspicious.
> Thanks for advice and enlighting discussions.

I've been lurking here for a while now, but I couldn't resist a good
discussion on equipment (what clarinettist can?). I have always used
LeBlank bore oil. Many years ago, a teacher told me that it was a
vegetable based oil, and so better for the wood. I have had no cracks in
any of my instruments, (for over 16 years) so I assume he was right about
it working well. Actually, I think the most important thing about oiling
a clarinet bore is to be REALLY sparing with the oil. Nothing ruins pads
quite like a good soaking with key or bore oil! Also, after a four year
break, I would take the mechanism apart, clean and oil the rods, and paint
a little oil on the springs. Key oil can really gunk up during storage.

I hope you enjoy playing again.
--
Elaine Thompson "Two roads diverged in a wood and I,
eethomp@-----.edu I took the one less travelled by,
Johns Hopkins Univ. And it has made all the difference."
--Robert Frost