Klarinet Archive - Posting 000718.txt from 2000/06

From: "David B. Niethamer" <dnietham@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Key oil.
Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 23:50:08 -0400

on 6/17/00 5:40 PM, Patricia Smith wrote:

>I found, also, that I had to oil my keys more frequently, about every two
>weeks, sometimes even more often, while living out West in San Diego - the
>dry air made them click even more, and the moisture in the oil evaporated
>more quickly. Of course, it was important to clean off the solids from the
>oil before re-applying.

Patty's post brings up an interesting point. You need to use oil that is
made for exposure to air, and that will not separate and evaporate,
leaving gummy residue behind in the rods and posts, and literally
"gumming up the works." The legendary repair tech Hans Moennig
recommended Nye Clock Oil - clock oil is better than watch oil, which is
designed for an enclosed environment.

I don't know how motor oil fits into that picture, though I did go to a
repair tech for a while who used straight 30W motor oil.

Bill Hausmann wrote:

>10W30 may not be the FASTEST oil for the mechanism, but it IS the QUIETEST.
> If your action is a little loose, thick oil is just the thing.

My colleague in the RSO, Principal Bassoonist Jonathan Friedman, once
cured a rattling lower key set by using axle grease in the larger posts
at the bottom of the instrument. It's evidently a common practice among
bassoon repair techs for the larger and therefore potentially noisier
keys.

David

David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/

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