 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2000-11-15 14:56
There have been plenty of discussions on bore oiling and a recent discussion of what type of key oil to use, but I want to know how often keys should be oiled. Should they be oiled (a) only when they need it, such as when a key isn't moving as freely as it should, (b) periodically or (c) both?
By the way, I recall a while back that Mark C. said he was planning to post Buffet care instructions on this site. Mark, did this ever happen? (I'm too lazy to search for myself.) I'm interested because I never got the instructions with my Buffet bass a couple of years ago.
--Don Poulsen
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-11-15 15:21
I use very light clock oil. With that, I put a drop on each wear point about once a month.
Francois Kloc uses a heavier lubricant - grease out of a container like cork grease comes in. He told me it lasts more or less indefinitely and doesn't interfere with key action.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: ron b.
Date: 2000-11-15 18:01
Don -
A rule of thumb I've heard in many trades, as applied to mechanical devices, is:
* If the parts slide (in this case; springs, corks), grease them.
* If they pivot (pivot and hinge screws), oil them.
Although this is not my original opinion, I agree with it.
I agree with Ken Shaw (above post) too, that clock oit and cork grease work very well for this purpose. Mark Charette's method of using a toothpick to apply oil is a good one. You're less likely to over do it that way. Apply the lubricant to wear point(s) only. More than that is ineffective and, in fact, is messy and attracts undesireable stuff that leads to crud buildup.
It also seems reasonable to me to first clean the parts before applying fresh lubricant.
ron b.
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Author: Pam
Date: 2000-11-15 18:28
I oil my keys once a month.
Very funny Dave S. :-)
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-11-15 23:00
I use key oil on mechanisms that have steels (rods) that hold the key between posts. I use a silicone/teflon lubricant (grease "like" substance) on mechanisms that have pivot screws.
John
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-11-16 01:58
I oil one time per 6 month at most. Dust in the air is absorbed into oil, and this jeopadizes key action if oiled too often. My SANKYO flute repair pro says "Do not oil yourself, I do when you feel it necessary."
I use Flute maker Muramtasu's oil for my clarinet too. Someone told me this is essentially 'gun oil, larger viscosity grade.
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Author: joevacc
Date: 2000-11-16 19:59
John,
Would you mind telling us specifically what silicone/teflon lubricant you use? I am intrigued. Does it adhere to the pivots for a longer period of
time? Have you had any experience with gumming?
Best Regards,
jv
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2000-11-16 23:45
JV,
Not at all. Go to your local sporting goods store and buy some Abu Garcia "Silicote Reel Lube" with PTFE. I haven't had a complaint yet.
John
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-11-17 10:37
I use 'Alisyn' totally synthetic 'heavy duty key oil' made by Aerospace Lubricants Incorporated. It is extra slow to evaporate and leaves no residue when it does. Their cork grease is unsurpassed by the way. You use less, less often, and it does not leave a mess on your fiingers when you apply it. Ferree's sell it so it should be available in repair places. These products are expensive so many places won't stock because they can't rip you off with whopping profits.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-11-17 10:41
For extra noisy pivots metal lathe bed oil is superb. When you think about it all the properties it needs for a lathe bed afre simnilar to what we want (rust prevention, staying put with a load on it, not evaporating, not pouring off the bed, no sticky residue, etc), and it is thick and silencing. Example: Castol Magna BD68.
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2000-11-18 16:28
I find that the Silicote does a very good job. I take the key off the clarinet and place a small amout of the lubricant into the recess that the pivot screw will go into. It won't dry out or lose it's lubricating properties. I've taken apart clarinets I've worked on weeks apart and find that there is minimal loss of the lubricant.
John
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