Klarinet Archive - Posting 000460.txt from 2002/01

From: "Gene Nibbelin" <gnibbelin@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Orange Peels
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 23:18:14 -0500

Teri -

The volatile substance in orange peels is in the orange colored outer
coating. Try the experiment if you think the substance is not there. Take
a reasonable sized piece of peel and fold it with the outside of the peel
facing outward. Then squeeze the peel into a flame and see the resulting
tiny droplets "explode".

Those of you, who eat a lot of oranges, needn't worry about exploding,
except, possibly, if you are eating the orange, peel and all.

Whatever process is used to make lemon oil furniture polish, I am sure that
this highly volatile substance would evaporate very early in the process.

The reason for my initial posting was to mention the fact that orange peels
contain a highly volatile substance that could harm instruments. Someone
mentioned tarnishing.

If I needed to humidify my horns, I would use a Dampit, well wrung out, and
maybe with some of the holes filled in with glue.

Regards,

Gene Nibbelin

-----Original Message-----
From: CmdrHerel@-----.com]
Subject: Re: [kl] Orange Peels

In a message dated 1/16/02 6:12:10 PM Eastern Standard Time,
el2@-----.edu writes:

<< <<<Going back to my high school chemistry teacher who showed us the
highly
combustible/explosive liquid contained in orange peels by squeezing a piece
of peel into a Bunsen burner flame. He said that it was many more times
explosive that gasoline.>>>

Now, everyone just calm down, relax, don't get excited. I have put orange
peels (and sometimes grapefruit peels) in the cases with my instruments
many, many times during the past 40 years or so, and I'm happy to report
that not one of them has ever exploded! >>

I have been eating oranges for over thirty years, and I have also not
exploded! (Temper excluded).

Lemon oil is a recommended finish for fine wood, so I would truly question
how orange would be so damaging. I usually don't hold either my furniture
or
my clarinets (or myself) over a bunson burner. I also don't rub the orange
peels up and down the wood of my clarinets... I wrap the peels in a few
thickness of paper towel instead and put them where they don't touch the
horns.

Teri

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