Klarinet Archive - Posting 000403.txt from 2003/09

From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: [kl] RE: pads turning brown, oiling, etc.
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 16:27:33 -0400

<<<I regualrly oil the bore of my clarinets with the correct bore
oil.=3D20 (Once a month).>>>

Why? I've been playing clarinets and oboes since 1949, and have never
oiled one, and don't plan to. I've never had one to crack. Currently,
I have a Buffet which I bought in 1971, and it has never been oiled.

Grenadilla wood is already so oily and dense that oil won't penetrate it
anyway. When you oil it, you are essentially just putting oil on the
surface. I suspect that it is this oil that is causing your pads to
turn brown.

I also play bassoon, and a technician once oiled one of them. This was
a Heckel that was made in 1923, and as of 1989, it had never had any
maintenance to speak of. However, the softer maple wood of the bassoon
will absorb some oil. Bassoon repair people have to be careful not to
let too much oil get into the pores of the wood, because if they do, it
will be seeping out in tiny droplets for years to come, and the pads
will suffer as a result.

Ed Lacy
University of Evansville

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is supported by Woodwind.Org, http://www.woodwind.org/