 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2015-12-09 04:20
I have recently witnessed an amateur player lubricate his keys simply by spraying the whole instrument with WD40, then wiping the excess off with kitchen paper. He was proud of the fact that it only took a few seconds, while I take many minutes using the real stuff. Thank goodness it was a common cheap plastic clarinet........!
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2015-12-09 07:38
WD-40, along with caulking, should require a license to purchase! They both cause a lot of damage in the wrong hands.
The best thing for keys is something thick, like good 10W-40 motor oil or STP. Ridenour recommends an oil additive called "No Smoke", or something like that. The thin "key oil" usually sold just evaporates or oozes out.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-12-09 13:19
Hetman's comes in heavy and medium weight in a needle applicator bottle. One eight dollar bottle will last you longer than you're ability to remember when it was you last bought a bottle. WORTH IT!
Oil keys regularly, once a month or so to prevent metal on metal contact from wearing down the mechanism.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2015-12-09 17:04
Disclaimer (I sell NASA spec. key oils in 3 weights)
Spraying anything lubricant on a clarinet is the wrong thing to do. Only a tiny drop of oil, such as coming from a needle tip oiler, should be used on points of articulation or apertures along a rod. If you do not have a needle tip oil dispenser a trick is to dip a toothpick horizontally in oil and invert it to vertical and a tiny drop will form a the tip which can be applied to the appropriate place.
It depends on the amount of playing and the fit of the parts on the clarinet but every couple months with minimal amounts of oil is appropriate. Many students, if they oil at all, will over oil and some oils will rot the wood at the posts if too much oil is used.
The NASA spec. key oils were designed for the vacuum of space and do not evaporate like petroleum based oils, they form molecular bonds to the metal, have antirust additives, and do not change viscosity with temperature.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-12-09 17:40
I'm assuming the point wasn't the actual lubricant but the application method. Maybe the amateur player in Alan's tale would be better off if one of the alternative oils were available in a spray?
Karl
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Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2015-12-09 19:02
Petroleum products are not good for wood and overspray is inevitable.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: knotty
Date: 2015-12-09 19:38
But if he's doing a good job of wiping off the WD, that would take more time than putting a tiny drop on each key. I hope his clarinet is a CSO. (clarinet shaped object) commonly sold on that auction site.
~ Musical Progress: None ~
Post Edited (2015-12-09 19:39)
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-12-09 19:46
I had my tongue firmly in my cheek, as I'm sure Alan did as well. Why would any thinking person actually do this (except to attract attention)?
Karl
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2015-12-09 21:33
>> Why would any thinking person actually do this (except to attract attention)? <<
To attract dust and other dirt
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2015-12-09 23:10
Thanks for all your comments to my post. The actual oil that I use is 80W90 auto gearbox oil. This was recommended in Stephen Howard's Clarinet Manual. And no, Karl, it doesn't come in a spray bottle.
Cheers
Alan
tiaroa@shaw.ca
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-12-10 00:17
Spraying a clarinet with WD-40? That guy either started out as a percussionist, or should be coaxed into becoming one.
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Author: 2cekce ★2017
Date: 2015-12-10 01:14
I was instructed to use Hetman medium key oil by a reputable repair person I hope that's ok, I wouldn't want to ruin my babies with crappy stuff
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Author: dubrosa22
Date: 2015-12-10 01:27
WD-40 is not really an oil lubricant but a water displacer (WD) made of lithium grease and silicone and wears very quickly. Besides the very messy application WD-40 is not a long-term lubricant for keywork.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2015-12-10 01:43
The clarinet doesn't have long rods in tubes as saxophones and flutes have, making lubrication less critical. For saxophones and flutes, light synthetic oil is better than automobile lubricants and will help fast passages.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-12-10 02:15
Boosey and Hawkes 1010 clarinets have long rods in tubes. But I still find the lubrication critical at pivots too. Metal on metal contact will wear a pivot down even faster than a rod.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: dubrosa22
Date: 2015-12-10 03:48
Yes, the B&H 1010s have long rods in the upper and lower joints.
Cleaning up my 1010s keywork reminded me of stripping down a sax.
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2015-12-10 04:36
Speaking of oil, a question for The Doctor. Do you still have handles available for your oiling rig? It is featured in a photo on your home page, but I have not been able to find it listed on your site. I lost mine in a California wild fire (along with my house), would like to order one, and have not been able to get a response from your "contact us" link. Thanks.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2015-12-10 09:13
>> WD-40 is not really an oil lubricant but a water displacer (WD) made of lithium grease and silicone and wears very quickly. <<
It's also sometimes good (depending on material) as a cutting fluid and decent as a release oil.
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Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2015-12-11 18:18
Answer - The Oiling Rigs will reappear in the new year. I have not been able until now to get some parts. I am whipping the webmaster over contact glitch. Sorry
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2015-12-11 19:15
Thank you Doctor. The family treasures and mouthpiece collection I can get along without. But, I got all my clarinets and the rest of my clarinet repair supplies out successfully. I will be sitting over my computer waiting to fill out my order form. It's a bummer when they finally let you go home and you find nothing but a foundation and a forest of tree skeletons. If it weren't for the music, I'd be going crazy. (Well, after a full career as a chemistry and physics teacher, I do substitute at our local high school for the fun of it too and, being in the mountains, they do manage to keep me pretty busy. Today, I get to teach English. Earlier this week, I was teaching P.E., but I did get some chemistry classes in between. It's fun subbing when they trust you enough to let you actually teach rather than just doing "busy work".)
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2015-12-12 18:16
Do not oil here:
In several bass clarinets, the register switching mechanism (above the the LH thumb) is a delicate balance between levers with springs of different strengths. I have found that a clean 'dry' mechanism (no oil) operates more reliably than with oil, especially if the oil thickens (e.g. with dirt).
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-12-12 18:29
I've used gearbox oil for point screws and rods on soprano clarinets as well as saxes with no problems. I do use a much lighter Telus oil in automatic 8ve and speaker mechanisms where speed of the mechanism is of utmost importance as well as reducing metal on metal contact and the noise that creates. On oboes I use gearbox oil for point screws and Telus oil in the key barrels.
I'm not a fan of B&H 1010 rod screws for the simple fact they've been narrowed except for the last few millimetres at either end which are left the full diameter as most of them are difficult to straighten what with the narrow section often being eccentric with the ends and also the threads on B&H rod screws are usually eccentric too - remove the side or trill keys and you'll often see them wobble around as the screw is being turned. Same with some Peter Eaton clarinets, so he's taken another leaf out of B&H's book in using rod screws with eccentric threads.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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