Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2011-03-02 17:27
My first teacher was one who did not believe in sealing the vents, and I have never done so, although when I have sent my oboe off for maintenance, it usually comes back with the vents sealed in with beeswax.
I can't imagine shellacking them, as Chris P. suggests, because they have to be removed every so often, in my experience. If that's your pleasure, however, a light coat of clear nail polish would probably work, too.
I read on one site (the old SUNY-Freedonia oboe site -- it has changed since then) where the professor stated that, in some cases, the octave vents might have to be cleaned out DAILY!
I've never done it quite that often, and in fact, if the vents are fouling that often, it would seem to me that there might be some other issue needing to be dealt with.
But keeping the octave vents clean and free is a major component of keeping the oboe playing well, so in my estimation, the simpler one can make the procedure, the better.
Susan
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