Author: johnt
Date: 2008-04-27 15:14
Zac,
This is what I do & it works. A $7 USD can of Woodwind-All would be worth a try or you can use a can of Favor (available at any supermarket), which essentially accomplishes the same thing. Don't spray directly into bore. Spray a swab then draw that through the bore a few times. Also, for getting water out of octave holes, get an octave hole insert remover tool from any of several woodwind shops. They range in price from $35 to $50. It looks like you are probably near Nielsen's in the Chicago area. They have excellent quality products & reasonable prices. After removing the octave key, use the tool to remove the inserts, one at a time, from the oboe. Squirt a pipe cleaner with Woodwind-All or Favor & ream the hole. Avoid touching the back side of the oboe bore with the end of the pipe cleaner. While you are doing this, let the metal insert soak in alcohol. Vodka works well, or for about a buck, use a 91% solution of isopropyl alcohol, available at an apothecary. Take an old tooth brush, dip it in the alcohol & scrub both sides of the insert. Blow through it. One last dip in the alcohol & reinsert. Cinch it down with the insert remover tool. Repeat with the other octave hole. That should fix the octave holes. You can do the same thing with the other top tube tone holes. Go to your local Wally World & buy a #5/1.90 mm crochet hook. Remove the needle springs from the three fingered holes & the small ones just below the half hole key & middle finger key. Leave the G# spring attached to the banana key. Unscrew & remove the long rod that holds the keys. Do the pipe cleaner trick in all the holes. You might have to do this a few times, depending on how much gunk you get out of the holes. Oil the rod. You can use automotive gear oil or automatic transmission fluid. I do & so does the most respected oboe repairman in the U. S., John Symer. Clean each pad with a piece of cigarette paper soaked in alcohol. Spray pad with the Woodwind-All or Favor. Reinstall the keys & hook the springs into their slots using the crochet hook. Key/rod/needle spring in that order, one key at a time. When you finish the half hole, you are done. The oboe should play now, about 90% or so better than when you started this process. Believe me, all this is eminently doable & indeed should be done about every 3 to 4 months. Moving parts must be tended to, especially those that come in contact on a daily basis with saliva spray. I might add that the advice to take your oboe to a competent repair person once a year has merit. Unless you repair oboes for a living, replacing pads is probably not a job for the amateur. Remember too, that swabs are washable by hand. A few drops of Woolite in about a quart of water works well for this. Rinse well & hang smoothed out to dry. A silk swab takes about an hour or so to air dry; the cotton, of course, longer.
Good luck.
Best,
john
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