Author: fuzzystradjazz
Date: 2009-06-14 18:20
Stupid question here, and I know it is sorta covered in other posts, but not to my specific circumstances; and perhaps it will still help Noverbuf come up with a satisfactory answer...
Here it is:
I've owned my favorite Leblanc clarinet for about 22 years, and I bought it used (IT was around 10 years old when I bought it).
In the time I've owned the clarinet, I have never oiled it once - not inside, not outside. I keep it hydrated as mentioned earlier, and I live in a specified "high desert".
Some of the clarinets I have restored were red/brown when I started the hydration of them - very very dry and shrunken. However, each one has turned out to be a beautiful, black, tight instrument; beautiful grain, normal texture, etc., and wonderful sound - simply from water in a sponge hydration.
What is oil supposed to do that water is not accomplishing for me? I don't see any deficiencies using just water; but perhaps it is my ignorance that doesn't allow me to see the differences. Does the arid climate I live in have something do with it? Do older clarinets have less need of such treatment, and can they perhaps simply handle more abuse? (Afterall, I could see that if a clarinet made it through 30 years, that it must not have too many natural stresses, etc.) Is the oil primarily for "younger" clarinets? If so, isn't this just delaying an eventual failure? Etc. All these questions come to mind - and no answers really exist - not even on the manufacturer websites. Or...does the oil simply help the wood retain the proper humidity so the fluxuations in humidty are less severe?
Please let me restate my question a little differently:
I'm not looking for an answer on whether or not to oil...my question primarily pertains to WHAT oil is supposed to accomplish - given the results I've had without oil...what would be different if I had oiled throughout all these years?
In Kind Regards,
Fuzzy
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