 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Robyn0915
Date: 2005-10-30 17:44
I ran out of "special oil" my old teacher once gave me to lubricate the keys. I went to a local hardware store and found "All in ONE" oil, but I am afraid it may damage the wood of my clarinet so I was just wondering if it would be okay to use the almond oil on the keys as well.
Thank you.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-10-30 17:53
NEVER use vegetable based oils on keywork!
"All in ONE" is alright for mechanism - but only apply ONE drop with a screwdriver tip or needle between key barrels and pillars if oiling the keys while they're on the body, and wipe any excess that might run or drip where you don't want it to) with a cotton bud or tissue paper.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2005-10-30 17:57)
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2005-10-30 19:04
First, vegetable oils, including almond oil, eventually polymerize to the consistency of half-set paint, unless serious steps are taken to stop this happening. This is the last type of goo that you want in the precision pivots of musical instruments.
Second, almost daily, many (most?) technicians encounter an instrument where some pivots have jammed because of a gummy residue in the pivot.
This occurs because an inappropriate lubricant has been used, either a vegetable oil, or an oil which has gooey additives which remain after the lubricant has evaporated.
These additives are present in many mineral oils, especially if the oil's intended purpose is in a hostile environment such as a vehicle engine, where there are extremes of temperature, high pressures, corrosive products of combustion, moisture condensation, etc, and where the parts likely to be contacted by the oil are often only of steel.
These additives are not needed for keys of musical instrument keys, where the needs are to be rust inhibiting (hence moisture resisting), low-stress lubrication, resistance to 'migration', mechanism silencing, slow to evaporate, NO RESIDUE as the lubricant gradually evaporates, and no additives such as sulfur which is corrosive to silver and copper based metals.
A local "3-in-one" oil has additives intended as a furniture polish, and this "oil" definitely eventually leaves a gooey residue. I have not heard of "all-in-one" but a Google suggests a range of products go under this name.
I suggest you keep to lubricants which have been selected particularly for these properties. The most appropriate lubricants today seem to be the totally synthetic ones such as those supplied under the names Alisyn, Hetman, and Doctors Products.
Alisyn: See sponsor http://www.musicmedic.com/catalog/categories/cat_23.html
Doctors products: See sponsor
http://www.doctorsprod.com/
Many instrument shops do not stock these quality products because there is more money to be made form selling inferior, much-lower-cost alternatives, including those with big instrument-maker names on the container.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2005-10-31 03:04
(Disclaimer - I sell a Mil Spec NASA synthetic key oil)
As mentioned, vegetable oils should not be used on keywork because they gum up. Petroleum oils with or without additatives will eventually evaporate and leave a residue or "varnish" containing metal filings which are very abrasive to the mechanisms and should be thoroughly cleaned away before fresh lubricant is added.
Most key oils on the market - even those sold by major instrument manufacturers - are mineral oil based. Mineral oil over time will cause the wood around post to rot and disintegrate. Many technicians still use oils suggested by their mentors which include the famous Nye clock oils. Many years ago this oil contained sperm whale oil which has many good qualities (and the basis for synthetic oil technology) but was reformulated within the last 15 years and whale oil was removed and replaced with petroleum products (good for the whales but not as good for the mechanisms). These clock oils will eventually evaporate and the newer formulations will leave a varnish behind.
Synthetic oils have superior lubricating properties compared to petroleum products and superior heat and cold tolerance without changing viscosity. Synthetics designed for cars have properties, as listed by Gordon, which are not suitable for musical instruments. Some synthetics will also evaporate and do not interact well with plastics or other non metal parts associated with instrument mechanisms which is not the ideal condition either. Quality synthetics for musical instrument use should not evaporate, have rust and corrosion inhibitors, slow to migrate, not change viscosity with temperature, and not damage wood. They also come in various viscosities suitable for tight new instruments and older instruments with more "slop" to the parts.
As mentioned there are several good synthetics on the market and should be used rather than petroleum based or mineral oil lubricants for your instruments.
L. Omar Henderson
Post Edited (2005-10-31 03:13)
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Author: Mike Clarinet
Date: 2005-10-31 11:37
What about using a light lubricating oil intended for sewing machines or electric razors? I am asking for an opinion, not making a suggestion. I use sewing machine oil on model railway locomotive mechanisms, applied from the tip of a pin, and it works very well. I suspect that this is a very light grade mineral oil. I have not used in on my clarinets.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2005-10-31 12:32
(Disclaimer - I sell Mil. Spec. NASA Synthetic key oils)
Light lubricating machine oil is also usually mineral oil based and has the problems of evaporation, leaving a sludge and varnish and will also migrate because of the low viscosity.
I will leave the oiling recommendations to the technical experts but many people over oil their instruments and use too much oil when they do it. Unless the applicator has a needle tip delivering a tiny drop of oil it is wise to pour a little bit of oil onto a clean saucer and take a tiny tipped screwdriver or a toothpick to pick up the oil and by inverting deliver a tiny drop to the mechanism or articulation point needed. Oiling containers that have a dropper tip deliver an oil droplet much too large for the job which will often leak out onto the wood especially around the posts. Good synthetic oils do not evaporate or migrate so oiling should be infrequent. At a good check up by an experienced technician they will often disassemble parts of the instrument and clean and oil it.
L. Omar Henderson
Post Edited (2005-10-31 12:32)
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2005-10-31 12:38
Omar:
Is whale oil a good lubricant for clarinet keywork? Are there any issues with using it on a clarinet?
I believe you implied that without coming right out & saying it. I ask because I have an applicator of whale oil that I had purchased from a clock-repair friend quite a few years ago for the purpose of oiling my clocks. I never thought to use in on my clarinets.
Thanks,
Matt
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2005-10-31 12:45
Whale oil? As the maritime mammals? <shudders>
I usually oil my clockworks with silicone oil.
--
Ben
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2005-10-31 13:18
Sperm whale oil must be processed, filtered, and diluted but was used for many years in prepared form by clock repair persons. Sperm whale oil has some amazing characteristics and was thoroughly studied as a model for creating the molecular structure for many of the synthetic oils. It does not change viscosity with heat and cold, has some superior lubricating properties, and does not readily evaporate. I do not know what whales needed it for but was a highly valuable byproduct from harvesting whales. Many of the features of whale oil are seen in the new generation of synthetic lubricants - without the need to kill whales to get it!
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-10-31 21:33
Why, the whales used it to lubricate their blow holes, of course. I do believe, seriously, it was stored somewhere in their heads and had something to do with depth perception. Think they called it "spermaceti".
Discovery of oil in Pennsylvania killed the industry.
Bob Draznik
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2005-11-01 06:03
> I do believe, seriously, it was stored somewhere in their heads and had
> something to do with depth perception. Think they called it "spermaceti".
If I got that right, it was used to fill a void in their heads. It the cavity were bone the head would've been too heavy to lift out of the water in order to breathe. If it were empty, water pressure in the depth would have crushed the skull. The temperature and pressure stability of that oil made watercruising very reliable (eg no expansion in warm water) aso.
Ain't nature fascinating? (no, I don't want to go into a creationism debate, please)
--
Ben
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