 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Old Oboe
Date: 2009-08-18 14:54
Last night our community band was slightly rained on. I play a RIEC with a plastic top tube because I know outdoor conditions can be less than beneficial for the oboe. Even though I used a tissue to dry off the oboe during the concert (and it never turned into all out rain), I now have tiny lighter brown water spots on my bell. Does anyone have suggestions on how to remove them? I have some furniture polish with dark stain in it or I could try the old mayonnaise treatment. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Linda
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-08-18 15:48
Use some bore oil on a cloth, and rub the water spots and surrounding areas to blend it in with the rest of the wood.
Have a word with your MD and explain to them that future outdoor concerts should be played in venues with a cover rather than being completely uncovered as rain doesn't do woodwind instruments any good.
I played my d'amore outdoors recently and it started raining slightly (but still enough to cause worry), but all the adjusting screws that were tempered a nice deep blue have now all dulled down and gone grey.
Have you got an all plastic oboe you can use for outdoor concerts?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Old Oboe
Date: 2009-08-18 16:52
Thanks Chris. I don't have an all plastic oboe, but looking for a used one may be my next priority! The band in question has virtually no funding (small donations from passing the hat) and a pavilion is out of the question for now. I may tell the MD that if it really looks like rain the oboe will abstain! Thanks again!
Linda
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Author: Ian White
Date: 2009-08-18 17:18
Never mind the water spots on the bell - it's the water that gets onto the pivot screws, rods, adjusting screws and springs that can be the main problem. Water can easily get drawn in by capillary action & unnoticed start corroding them. It is only weeks later that you might notice problems with keys not operating & springs & screws rusting - by then it can be an expensive job to sort it out. An instrument that is regularly serviced with fresh oil on the rods is less likely to suffer from this.
I agree with Chris that the MD needs to be spoken to. If he expects the band to play in the rain ALL woodwind players, even saxes, flutes & those with plastic instruments, should tell him the band must provide the instruments & also pay for the maintenance or just make do with the brass players.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-08-19 00:32
Your MD should be in contact with the venues you're playing at to see what their wet weather plans are, and the venues themselves should really provide the shelter for all bands that play there.
Fortunately the Selmer Signets have stainless steel screws and springs, so the plastic bodied ones are reasonably weather-proof in that there's nothing to go rusty on them if they do get wet.
But it's the cold that affects them, so the long keys (top joint trill keys and 2nd 8ve key and the lower joint feather and kidney keys) will need a fair amount of end play between their pillars so they don't bind up when the plastic contracts - and the 8ve vents will most likely get blocked with condensation.
I wasn't at all happy last November when I did several outdoor performances in Portsmouth's historic dockyard for the Christmas festival and my bari sax got rained on (as did the other saxes in the 4tet, and the other players weren't too chuffed either) - the pads got wet along with the springs, and the key felts absorbed a lot of water. So every night I left the bari out on it's stand in the warm so it could dry out, propping open all the closed keys so air could get through the entire instrument.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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