Oiling a Wooden Clarinet or Oboe - A Discussion
There are many opinions 'out and about' regarding the advantages or necessity of oiling the bore of wooden instruments, particularly clarinets and oboes. Some proponents are adamant that oiling must be done routinely or accept an increased risk of cracking in the wood. Others say never to oil as the wood will not absorb the oil applied. I have not noticed many contributors who try explain the contradictory advice. This is my brief summary attempt to address this. (for a more detailed discussion about care please see my blog entry Owning and Caring for a Wooden Clarinet, date of entry 27th Nov, 2015)
The coating of African Blackwood (Grenadilla), the material from which the bodies of most wooden clarinets and oboes are constructed, has been a practice of players for many years. When Grenadilla was first adopted for instrument construction oil was applied as a sealant to keep the wood from suffering the effects of moisture absorption through playing and to maintain, as much as possible, a stability in the wood to resist changes in both temperature and humidity levels. Since even this most dense wood is still a natural product it has a grain which is subject to opening up under stress.
- A light oiling, usually with almond or linseed oil was common practice on wooden instruments manufactured up until the late 1970's / early 1980's, and this was as effective a preventative treatment as was then available.
The use of a small quantity of oil, carefully applied with a pull through swab or pheasant feather, was observed to reduce moisture absorption and lessen the occurrence of 'cracks' - the opening up of the grain.
It is good to bear in mind the following caveat:
Do not oil apply in excess as the oil can run and will eat away at pad surfaces and attract lint which will affect the pad seating and keywork mechanism function.
Beginning around the early 1980's manufacturers began to use newly available technology to help stabilise their wood stocks. Pressure treatment and impregnation of the their 'billets' (the blocks of wood from which joints are cut) became common practice. Once wood has been treated in this way it has a much greater inherent stability and any oils that are applied are far less likely to be able to be absorbed and provide any useful additional protection to the wood of the instrument.
- It is not generally necessary to use bore oil on modern era instruments (post approx 1980), as their wood has usually been pressure treated prior to manufacture.
Indeed, if oil is used it may have a detrimental effect as a result of not being able to be absorbed by the wood - see the caveat above.
In extreme circumstances an instrument of any age could be completely stripped of keywork and subjected to an 'oil bath' for an extended period of time to attempt to complete rejuvenate a tired looking body and provide a new start. This is best done by an experienced repairer who will also remove all excess oil following the treatment, polish the body and return the keywork afterwards.
Everyone interested in this topic must judge for themselves whether it is oiling is likely to provide a beneficial additional 'belt and braces' protection.
- These days, for the purpose of most players, I believe that it is fair to say that oiling is unnecessary.
Rest assured that should a 'crack' occur in most cases it can be successful sealed and stabilised by an experienced repairer and your confidence in your beloved instrument will likely be regained in a very short time.
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The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.
Thomas Dryer-Beers
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