Klarinet Archive - Posting 000200.txt from 2007/10

From: "doctorsprod@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] New Product for Oiling Grenadilla Wood
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:40:25 -0400

Although I have not ventured into the assessing the composition of rosewood
oil it comes from the same family (Dalbergia) as Grenadilla I would think
(not a thing that a true scientist would say) that Grenad-Oil would be
useful on rosewood.

I have heard about over oiling but think that it is in some ways a misnomer
because the wood will only soak up oil (and I am talking about a plant
derived oil - petroleum oils do not behave the same) until they reach an
oil to wood saturation normal for that wood species. Oil on the surface of
the wood only serves to collect dust and grime and is a poor rather than
good sign of clarinet care. My oiling advice is to put a thin even coat of
oil on the wood and let it sit overnight (12-16 hrs) at a comfortable room
temperature and note the next day if all of the oil is absorbed or there
are oily patches still visible on the wood. If oil is visible it should be
wiped off, then left again overnight again and then buffed with a soft
cloth. If all the oil is absorbed then I repeat the process until oil is
present on the wood after the overnight period. In this way the wood tells
me if it has absorbed its quota of oil. Different pieces of your clarinet
may have different oil requirements because they probably came from
different trees so my oiling process is part specific and not just oiling
the whole clarinet. I would also advise cleaning the wood (on the outside -
swabbing does well enough for the bore) with a preparation specific for
oily wood to remove the dirt and grime that have combined with the oil in
the wood and often clogs the pores of the wood necessary for water
transpiration (taking in as well as expiring moisture). Many detergents
are too harsh and will remove too much oil from the wood in the cleaning
process - Murphy's Oil Soap or my own formulation (Doctor's Wood Cleaner)
are used by many technicians when they do a complete overhaul with reoiling
the wood after it is cleaned.

As far as cracking is concerned I believe that no one can predict the
internal stresses present in the wood to say if an instrument will crack or
not. It is known that moisture in the wood exerts tremendous hydraulic
pressures - either from drying or excess moisture that is not removed -
that may aggravate pre-existing stress points. In my view the proper amount
of oil in the wood is a good thing because it buffers the actual amount of
moisture in the wood and if the transpiration system of tubules and pores
is functional the water will evaporate, and as mentioned before plant oils
will hold onto to water very well during drying periods. Temperature and
mechanical shock are two other aggravating forces that may cause the
internal stresses to relieve themselves by a crack in the wood. These
latter forces are somewhat controllable and the prudent individual will
control both the moisture level and the temperature as much as possible
sans an accident dropping the instrument for the mechanical shock (beating
on your clarinet in rage is also not a good thing).

L. Omar Henderson, Ph.D CEO
LBD Corporation - Doctor's Products - www.doctorsprod.com
G-H Corporation - Forte' Instrument Group - www.forteclarinet.com
24 Suffolk Pl. SW
Lilburn, Georgia 30047-5147 U.S.A.
Tel. 1-800-381-0092
FAX 1-770-488-4255

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