I've been trying to find a good oil that won't rot inside my flute (although I don't know anyone or know of anyone who had that happen, probably an urban myth) and I would prefer something cheap. Does anyone know if cold pressed, filtered olive oil will do the trick?
I just go to the music shop and ask for their bore oil. It is the same oil they use for clarinets and other wooden instruments. It has worked pretty fine for me.
I've been using sweet almond oil for over 20 years. I don't like bore oil.
The Bore Doctor says, and I agree:
Many bore oils are clear and colorless light mineral oil (baby oil) which is not what instrument makers use to impregnate the wood during manufacture. They clog the pores of the wood and hinder moisture transfer- so why use it?
Olive oil will do fine also - but you shouldn't slather the instrument with oil either.
I have tried Almond oil, Walnut oil and BD. BD is the lightest finest fastest penetrating of the three. Walnut is very thick in comparison. Almond thinner, but BD by far the thinnest. The Dr, says that these 2 are both OK. I do recall Olive oil being acceptable as well. But If you have a fine valuable instrument then why not use the best?.
I was talking with an instrument repairmen and he said he'd been using olive oil for some 35 years and have never run into a problem. I decided to go with the olive oil and I cracked open some vitamin E tablets and poured in the contents as a preservative. It seems to be soaking in alright. Not as fast as the synthetic Alisyn stuff, but it's going in.
Obviously no end to the uses olive oil can be put to. Apart from the well-known culinary uses it's good for skin and hair, I often shave with it (that idea goes back to the Greeks and Romans), and in my cycling days I used it for oiling the chain. There must be several hundred other uses that I can't think of at the moment.
Back in the '60s', when most olive oil still had to be bought in the chemist, I remember Cathal McConnell having just oiled his flute, in the bar of a folk festival, and there were rings of oil all over the table where he had stood his bottle, and the rest of the band were gently chiding him for having overdone it a bit.
Oh, and apparently the 'virgin' appellation has nothing to do with sex, or experience, it refers to the acidity, or lack of it, in the oil. I only learnt that quite recently.
"I cracked open some vitamin E tablets and poured in the contents as a preservative." -- that's the idea. In Ireland you can get thin almond oil at the pharmacies. It's a lot cheaper than BD's oil.
Yep, but I recomend it anyhow. I recently re-oiled a 100yr old cocus wood instrument, Over the course of 2 weeks I oiled it with BD several times a days. It eventually was done and Id only used about 10 euros worth of oil. Previously I would have used Almond oil, and I still will but for initial deep soaking where I oil from both sides and want a really good penetration I will use BD again. It is considerably thinner than any almond oil I have used. It is expensive but it does the job well and its price is relatively expensive only. compared to the value of the instrument it is insignificant.
Yeah, the olive oil takes a while to soak in if I put in on and just leave it until the sheen soaks in. It also has a deep yellow colour that I'm sure will affect the appearance of the wood. Just hope it has an enriching quality. I tried warming the oil too. Seems to be penetrating well. The wood is soaking it up with great alacrity.
Thanks lonannas. Good to know. I think my may have overdone it the other day and whenever I take a peak at it oil seems to keep seeping out. I'll just let it sit and dry for a while Should take care of it, i hope.
If you are putting a layer of oil on, then some time later wiping it off, can it be too much ? Other than using more oil or making a mess, is a thick layer worse than a thin layer ? I am asuming key pads are not present or protected.
yep, iif you oil too quickly, especially from only one side you can crack the instrument from the internal stress resulting ! If you oil and wipe off, your oil is too thick to do the best job anyhow, or its already full. ,If you have a thickish oil, it can just sit on the surface and not penetrate, . So a super thin oil, gradually , from both sides is probably the best way.
I was advised that too much oil isn't a problem as the flute won't absorb more than it can; this from a maker. I always assumed that, oil being thicker than water, it won't penetrate faster than the wood can expand to accommodate it; i.e., as Ionannas says, it will "just sit on the surface and not penetrate"... or am I missing something here? But Ionannas' advice is still good, too much oil is wasteful and messy.
As said, never a problem with walnut oil, it has done the job for many years without a problem, all types of woods, and it is a brilliant oil for cooking with or for salad dressings... There's usually a fresh bottle of it around the house... Avoid the 'industrial' oils, as I understand some are processed in such a way that they can pick up some lead. Somehow 'edible' oil just seems like a better choice for something I'm going to put my lips to regularly... Almond & walnut also being wood related oils, that too seems right in my mind...
I have been tending towards what from the comment above seems to be the 'Cathal McConnell' approach but with almond oil (which oil the maker was said was OK when I bought the flute). On the basis that if I am putting it on until it glistens wet then extra thickness won't make any difference but a thin patch where it all soaks in might be just where the water would go. Does tend to take the grease off the thread though.
I also understood that excessive oiling wasn't a problem other than that the instrument will start to feel greasy. I oiled mine twice or so the other day and just let it sit and occasionally came by and rubbed the oil in until it was all gone. Hope that doesn't come back to bite me.
Well the advice I have received is to be wary of oiling excessively from one side only as this can create stress fractures where one side expands with the oil and the other side does not. It all depends I suppose on the condition of the wood. Water is an essential component of wood. If a piece has dried out excessively as a result of climate; air conditioning/ central heating then we oil to slow down the rehydration of the wood. The idea behind oiling slowly;y is to allow the change to be gradual and not shock the wood. I know there are many approaches and IMO its probably wise to err on the side of caution.
What about switching between oils. I've been using olive, but if i wanted to try almond or walnut, could the oils react? I've heard of that happening and causing a cloudy appearance on the wood of the instrument for a while until it clears up (don't know how long that would take).
"Bring wood and oil!"
"Bring wood and oil!"
I've been trying to find a good oil that won't rot inside my flute (although I don't know anyone or know of anyone who had that happen, probably an urban myth) and I would prefer something cheap. Does anyone know if cold pressed, filtered olive oil will do the trick?
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by ThomasT.
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
http://www.doctorsprod.com/store/DP_aboutUs.asp
http://www.doctorsprod.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=13
If you are based in the states you can get a small bottle for 5 bucks. Europe has a minimum order.
I recall him saying almond oil and walnut oil are also suitable.
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
http://www.recorderhomepage.net/wood.html
Explains the theory.
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm
plenty of reading onj the subject
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I just go to the music shop and ask for their bore oil. It is the same oil they use for clarinets and other wooden instruments. It has worked pretty fine for me.
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by pipersgrip
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I've been using sweet almond oil for over 20 years. I don't like bore oil.
The Bore Doctor says, and I agree:
Many bore oils are clear and colorless light mineral oil (baby oil) which is not what instrument makers use to impregnate the wood during manufacture. They clog the pores of the wood and hinder moisture transfer- so why use it?
Olive oil will do fine also - but you shouldn't slather the instrument with oil either.
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by David Levine
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I have tried Almond oil, Walnut oil and BD. BD is the lightest finest fastest penetrating of the three. Walnut is very thick in comparison. Almond thinner, but BD by far the thinnest. The Dr, says that these 2 are both OK. I do recall Olive oil being acceptable as well. But If you have a fine valuable instrument then why not use the best?.
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
BD = ?
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by fuzzygreen
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
Bore Doctor.
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I was talking with an instrument repairmen and he said he'd been using olive oil for some 35 years and have never run into a problem. I decided to go with the olive oil and I cracked open some vitamin E tablets and poured in the contents as a preservative. It seems to be soaking in alright. Not as fast as the synthetic Alisyn stuff, but it's going in.
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by ThomasT.
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
Obviously no end to the uses olive oil can be put to. Apart from the well-known culinary uses it's good for skin and hair, I often shave with it (that idea goes back to the Greeks and Romans), and in my cycling days I used it for oiling the chain. There must be several hundred other uses that I can't think of at the moment.
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
Back in the '60s', when most olive oil still had to be bought in the chemist, I remember Cathal McConnell having just oiled his flute, in the bar of a folk festival, and there were rings of oil all over the table where he had stood his bottle, and the rest of the band were gently chiding him for having overdone it a bit.
Oh, and apparently the 'virgin' appellation has nothing to do with sex, or experience, it refers to the acidity, or lack of it, in the oil. I only learnt that quite recently.
# Posted on April 11th 2009 by Guernsey Pete
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
"I cracked open some vitamin E tablets and poured in the contents as a preservative." -- that's the idea. In Ireland you can get thin almond oil at the pharmacies. It's a lot cheaper than BD's oil.
# Posted on April 12th 2009 by David Levine
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
Yep, but I recomend it anyhow. I recently re-oiled a 100yr old cocus wood instrument, Over the course of 2 weeks I oiled it with BD several times a days. It eventually was done and Id only used about 10 euros worth of oil. Previously I would have used Almond oil, and I still will but for initial deep soaking where I oil from both sides and want a really good penetration I will use BD again. It is considerably thinner than any almond oil I have used. It is expensive but it does the job well and its price is relatively expensive only. compared to the value of the instrument it is insignificant.
Warming oil will facilitate better penetration.
# Posted on April 12th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
"Warming oil will facilitate better penetration."
Of course it will.
Oy, did I just take that the wrong way!
# Posted on April 12th 2009 by DrSilverSpear
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
LOL...
# Posted on April 12th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
Yeah, the olive oil takes a while to soak in if I put in on and just leave it until the sheen soaks in. It also has a deep yellow colour that I'm sure will affect the appearance of the wood. Just hope it has an enriching quality. I tried warming the oil too. Seems to be penetrating well. The wood is soaking it up with great alacrity.
# Posted on April 12th 2009 by ThomasT.
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I have always used, and cook with it too, walnut oil. I've never had a problem ~ wipe on, wipe off...
# Posted on April 12th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
tomas, oil both inside and outside to prevent stress. dont oil too much in one go. take it easy over a few days.
# Posted on April 12th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
Enjoying the continuing double entendre potentialities of this thread. Hey, I never said I wasn't juvenile.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by DrSilverSpear
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
Thanks lonannas. Good to know. I think my may have overdone it the other day and whenever I take a peak at it oil seems to keep seeping out. I'll just let it sit and dry for a while Should take care of it, i hope.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by ThomasT.
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
If you are putting a layer of oil on, then some time later wiping it off, can it be too much ? Other than using more oil or making a mess, is a thick layer worse than a thin layer ? I am asuming key pads are not present or protected.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by David50
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
yep, iif you oil too quickly, especially from only one side you can crack the instrument from the internal stress resulting ! If you oil and wipe off, your oil is too thick to do the best job anyhow, or its already full. ,If you have a thickish oil, it can just sit on the surface and not penetrate, . So a super thin oil, gradually , from both sides is probably the best way.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I was advised that too much oil isn't a problem as the flute won't absorb more than it can; this from a maker. I always assumed that, oil being thicker than water, it won't penetrate faster than the wood can expand to accommodate it; i.e., as Ionannas says, it will "just sit on the surface and not penetrate"... or am I missing something here? But Ionannas' advice is still good, too much oil is wasteful and messy.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by Hammurabi Breathnach
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
As said, never a problem with walnut oil, it has done the job for many years without a problem, all types of woods, and it is a brilliant oil for cooking with or for salad dressings... There's usually a fresh bottle of it around the house... Avoid the 'industrial' oils, as I understand some are processed in such a way that they can pick up some lead. Somehow 'edible' oil just seems like a better choice for something I'm going to put my lips to regularly... Almond & walnut also being wood related oils, that too seems right in my mind...
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I have been tending towards what from the comment above seems to be the 'Cathal McConnell' approach but with almond oil (which oil the maker was said was OK when I bought the flute). On the basis that if I am putting it on until it glistens wet then extra thickness won't make any difference but a thin patch where it all soaks in might be just where the water would go. Does tend to take the grease off the thread though.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by David50
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I also understood that excessive oiling wasn't a problem other than that the instrument will start to feel greasy. I oiled mine twice or so the other day and just let it sit and occasionally came by and rubbed the oil in until it was all gone. Hope that doesn't come back to bite me.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by ThomasT.
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
Well the advice I have received is to be wary of oiling excessively from one side only as this can create stress fractures where one side expands with the oil and the other side does not. It all depends I suppose on the condition of the wood. Water is an essential component of wood. If a piece has dried out excessively as a result of climate; air conditioning/ central heating then we oil to slow down the rehydration of the wood. The idea behind oiling slowly;y is to allow the change to be gradual and not shock the wood. I know there are many approaches and IMO its probably wise to err on the side of caution.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
What about switching between oils. I've been using olive, but if i wanted to try almond or walnut, could the oils react? I've heard of that happening and causing a cloudy appearance on the wood of the instrument for a while until it clears up (don't know how long that would take).
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by ThomasT.
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I've switched between almond oil and bore oil with no ill effect. I've also over-oiled on occasion, again no horror-stories to report.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by Hammurabi Breathnach
Re: "Bring wood and oil!"
I am oiling both sides, as instructed.
# Posted on April 13th 2009 by David50