Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2024-03-01 13:20
I can't actually see why an old stock but un-played clarinet should differ from a "new stock" one, in this regard. As far as I know, all manufacturers are treating the wood of their clarinets with an impregnation of some kind or other (presumably an oil of their choice, or perhaps a mixture of oil with some other ingredients). I can hardly believe this impregnation degrading to the point of not fulfilling its function, just by aging (at least not in the time scale of this case).
Another thing is that all wooden objects acclimatize to the ambient humidity of their surrounding, thus swelling at high humidity and shrinking at low humidity (that's when rings may become loose, etc) - regardless of oiling or other protective treatments. Also, what basically causes cracks are sudden changes in the humidity level in the wood itself, usually going from dry to wet faster than the wood is capable adapting itself to.
A cautious approach to breaking in clarinets could thus be to either avoid it completely during the dry winter season (thus postponing it to the more humid spring and summer), or at least to do it slower than usual during winter. But as said, at least I can't see any reason doing it slower with an 10-20 year old clarinet that hasn't ever been played, than a new one.
When it comes to oiling or not, a simple approach would be to just follow the recommendation from the manufacturer - at the time when this particular clarinet was manufactured. If it's a Buffet, they are at least not currently considering post-factory oiling as necessary - but don't know what they said 20-25 years ago.
If it's a German or Austrian made clarinet, all such makers that I know about are consistently recommending oiling, on a regular basis. So, at least in this case, I would definitely recommend an oiling already before blowing your very first tone. For a completely un-played such instrument I wouldn't actually expect it absorbing any oil at all, but just as a precaution - and by observing how long it would take a thin oil film becoming absorbed (or not at all), I would also get an idea about how long I could wait until the next oiling session.
Post Edited (2024-03-02 11:19)
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