 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bandfreak
Date: 2008-08-05 12:54
I know roughly what it is and what it is supposed to do, but I've heard mixed reviews. A few years back when I first bought my Buffet Festival I went to the Buffet website to learn how to properly break in my instument and also how to care for it properly. I read there not to ever use bore oil on Buffet clarinets. I used bore oil on my previous clarinet and it seemed to work, but that was an older E-12 clarinet that I left in the sun when I was younger and more ignorant. Of course now I would rather shoot myself in the foot then leave my clarinet out. Is bore oil needed for proper care of ones clarinet, or is it useless.
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Author: Fishamble
Date: 2008-08-05 14:08
I'm sure that others will know about the specific recommendations for Buffets, but I was thinking about oiling just yesterday and came across this link when researching (it's definitely advocating oiling):
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/HandyHints/oilingbore.htm
Just some information on one side of the debate, that I found convincing. But my Patricola came with a recommendation from the makers to oil the bore, so I didn't need convincing.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2008-08-05 14:54
> I went to the Buffet website ... I read there not to ever use bore oil on Buffet clarinets.
Hey, no fair, I've got a bottle of Buffet bore oil at home...!
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-08-05 21:00
If you decide to oil your bore, be sure not to use mineral-type oils. Most "bore oil" is mineral oil; unless you shop carefully, you will end up using a product which is bad for the wood.
To be safe, use either "Bore Doctor" or "Grenadoil" from the Doctor's Products web site at http://www.doctorsprod.com
There are other oils which will do the same job, but I use Grenadoil on my older horns (Buffet and Evette) with no problems.
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Ryder
Date: 2008-08-05 21:26
There is no deffinative research that says that bore oil, or as that so-called "expert" village guy says, "boar's oil," actually does prevent cracking. If you do fell the need to use bore oil, i would second the suggestion of using the Doctor's Products. In the two years I've owned my current Bb I've only oiled it once, and I've never oiled the outside. Never have i had any problems with any clarinet cracking, at least nothing related to bore oil or climate.
____________________
Ryder Naymik
San Antonio, Texas
"We pracice the way we want to perform, that way when we perform it's just like we practiced"
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Author: sbrodt54
Date: 2008-08-05 22:28
There has been a lot of discussion on this board and other forums on whether oiling the clarinet bore is good or bad or not necessary. Just because you might not be aware of research in this area doesn’t mean it has not happened or doesn’t still continue. I hand out a 12 page paper to every clarinet customer or repair customer that was written by Larry Naylor who was doing a lot of the same research in Denver that I was conducting in my shop here in the east. He wrote down in fairly plain terms everything that he found during those years and it makes for excellent reading, I do not think it ever got posted on line but I’ll check on that.
The work he’s done has been detailed in this paper and since it seems to reflect everything I uncovered here in my shop, I feel it’s probably accurate and respectable. The article, “Grenadilla Wood and the Environment” appeared in the Woodwind Quarterly issue 6 in 1994 and was edited by Scott Hirsh, if I can find it on line I’ll post that as well. It advocates oiling the bore but not to keep the clarinet from ever cracking but to TRY to keep it from cracking. Keeping the humidity stable is also a huge part of maintaining your clarinet and depending on what part of the country you’re living in, that could be a minor inconvenience or a major one.
Please use the doctor’s product such as bore doctor, I have used it here on customer’s clarinets and it works very well.
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Author: sbrodt54
Date: 2008-08-05 23:29
I found that one and it's similar to the original but not quite the same. Thanks for looking!
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-08-06 02:07
There have been a lot of threads on this. Do a search on "bore oil" and "oil immersion".
I have tried a similar process to the oil immersion, outlined my Gary Naylor, on my Buffet Festvals. I used the "Bore Doctor" for this. I am happy with the results and I think it did improve the response of the instruments to a slight degree.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-08-06 07:26
>> If you decide to oil your bore, be sure not to use mineral-type
>> oils. Most "bore oil" is mineral oil; unless you shop carefully,
>> you will end up using a product which is bad for the wood.
I also use the oil from the Doctor. I simply choose to believe Omar Hendreson that his oil is better and that other oils (such as mieral oil) might not be good (plus I really like the smell of the Doctor's bore oil!). But I've never actually seen real evidence that other oils are damaging. I also follow the "to be safe" rule and I guess it is a good marketing idea for sellers.
I use bore oil on a clarinet if it looks very dry or if it's very dirty then after washing it (which makes it look very dry). I only oiled my own clarinet once so far and it made no difference in sound, response, etc.
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Author: William
Date: 2008-08-07 14:29
This just received from Buffet:
"We do not recommend oiling the wood of the clarinet.
You definitely need to oil the keys. Check with a competent
repair technician for details.
Enjoy your new bass clarinet. If you have any further
questions please get in touch with us."
Sincerely,
Bruce Marking
Woodwind Technician
Buffet Crampon USA
Post Edited (2008-08-07 14:31)
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2008-08-07 17:00
Bruce Marking wrote:
>"We do not recommend oiling the wood of the clarinet".<
This applies for "NEW" Buffet clarinets only! For some reason all of this is twisted in to non oiling issue which is total BS. When wood is dry it needs oiling.
Francois Kloc wrote:
>"I am agree with you when you say that you are not sure if oiling is a good things unless you have a really dried out instruments. Like I already said a new piece a wood doesn't need oil, when I say new piece a wood I mean from 1 to 6 years. Of course it depends where you are living and it is where I said that sometime the wood need some oil. If you notice that the inside is dried out you should put some oil. You have an easy way to check this, take you instrument and take out the barrel, then look at the tenon part you will see the thickness of the wood from outside to inside in one time, if the outside is dry it can be only the fact that some water staying and the acide you have on that give a kind of clear brown look, this doesn't need oil it is not dried out. If the center looks clear brown and that when you pass your nail and you feel that is rough, you should put some oil or have somebody do it. When I put oil on instrument I use a feather and I just put the top of the feather on my oil solution and I do one pass. Then I wait for two or three hours to see if the wood soak the oil, and if the color change. And I do this process until the wood look dark brown and shinny. I never put tones of oil because I don't want the oil go into the undercutting to not rune the pads and facilitate dirt when I swab the instrument. Francois Kloc."<
Vytas Krass
Clarinet Repair
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
Post Edited (2008-08-07 17:29)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-08-07 19:57
I'm with Vytas on this. We have heard previously that Buffet's admonition was strictly for new wood clarinets. Wood clarinets are exposed to more moisture than finished furniture. Furniture that is finished with oils rather than, say, polyurethane needs to be "oiled" periodically to help stabilize its moisture content.
Allowing any wood product that has an oil finish to dry out is an invitation to cracking. This applies to wood clarinets as well as furniture. Even if you do periodically oil the bore of your clarinet,however, there is no guarantee it won't crack. And there is no guarantee a clarinet will crack if you never oil it. You can't fool Mother Nature.
There are probably reasons involving the warranty for Buffet's attitude on their new clarinets.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2008-08-07 22:39
In my opinion the time when a clarinet needs oiling most often is when it is new. Wood that has never before been exposed to sudden changes in moisture content and humidity is perhaps at its most vulnerable then.
In particular the barrel and top of top joint where the hot, moist breath impinges. I would pay special attention to the end grain of tenon and sockets and give this a regular thin coating in the early years.
Almond oil seems to be as good as anything for this and is quite cheap too.
I have followed this approach for over 50 years and so far have never had a cracked joint ( touch grenadilla wood!).
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-08-08 11:59
I use almond oil interchangeably with Doc's product. If you squeeze the contents of vitamin E capsules in the almond oil it extends its life. But why bother when Doc's is "ready made" and specific for clarinets. "They" say Jackie Kennedy used almond oil for her complexion.
Bob Draznik
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2008-08-08 13:09
(Disclaimer-I make Bore Doctor - plant derived oil mixture and Grenad-Oil - genuine Grenadilla oil)
Almond oil has been used in the past as a wood preservative but turns rancid very easily without added antioxidants. Vitamin E does extend the useful life somewhat but is not the best antioxidant to use. And, IMO Almond oil is not the only or the best plant derived oil to use. The oil used to impregnate clarinet body wood at the factory is not Almond oil but a mixture of plant derived oils that do not readily turn rancid and oxidize. Several people selling high end products supply almond oil, but one reason for this is that it will not darken the vivid colors of some of the exotic woods used like other combinations of plant derived oils. Do not get me wrong - Almond oil is not bad for wood but IMO just not the only or best choice. My own experimental results do indicate that clear mineral oil does harm wood structure over time (at least in accererated approximations of timed experiments).
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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