I thought it might be better to start an actual thread on the subject. Here is a quote from Naylor's woodwind repair, who I consider the authority on the subject:
If you value your instrument and wish to keep it in good condition for as long as possible, I suggest that you use my organic bore oil to stabilize the wood and protect the bore from saliva damage. Ultimately, the frequency of oiling is determined by the rate of absorption by the wood. Initially, an instrument may absorb a noticeable amount of organic bore oil. If the instrument is to be hand oiled only, one could oil several times in the first week or two. Eventually, the instrument should be oiled once every four to six weeks depending on many factors including, for example, relative humidity, hours of use per week, and the quality of the player's saliva. Since there are many things a musician should know before starting an oiling routine, I provide a detailed handout covering oiling procedures with the return of an immersion processed instrument and with orders for organic bore oil. Using organic oil is necessary for the good health of the instrument, but equally important is knowing how to apply the oil safely and how to determine the frequency of oiling.
More from Naylor:
One of my first experiments was on a very old, neglected, ring-system English horn with a severely warped upper joint and damaged bore. I prepared the wood and hand-oiled the body inside and out for three weeks. When the wood had saturated itself with vegetable oil, I wiped the body down and examined the instrument. I noted the bore had noticeably improved. However, I was very surprised to find that the warped upper joint was completely straight. Repairs on this English horn and other early instruments seemed to indicate that I was on the right track:
Organic vegetable oils interact with wood (fibers).
Organic oil can stress-relieve the wood — even straighten a warped body!
Organic oil processing tightened loose tenon to socket fit, and improved key fit.
In dry climates, technicians typically must refit keys and tenon rings on new instruments. Because I didn't have the knowledge to save my original grenadilla clarinet, when I bought a new Buffet R13, I decided to oil it rather than do the usual refit.
I hand-oiled the bore, tenon shoulders and end grain for three weeks. At first, the wood absorbed vegetable oil so rapidly that I had to oil four times a day for two days. Ultimately, oiling frequency tapered off to once every three days. Once the wood had saturated itself with oil, I began break-in. Because of that initial oiling, I did not have to refit any keys or shrink rings for many years. I also noticed that the wood would sweat a little oil on its outside even though I did not oil the outside of the instrument These results indicated that:
Organic oils help maintain dimensional integrity.
Oil slowly diffused through instrument walls from the bore to the outside.
If you value your instrument and wish to keep it in good condition for as long as possible, I suggest that you use my organic bore oil to stabilize the wood and protect the bore from saliva damage. Ultimately, the frequency of oiling is determined by the rate of absorption by the wood. Initially, an instrument may absorb a noticeable amount of organic bore oil. If the instrument is to be hand oiled only, one could oil several times in the first week or two. Eventually, the instrument should be oiled once every four to six weeks depending on many factors including, for example, relative humidity, hours of use per week, and the quality of the player's saliva. Since there are many things a musician should know before starting an oiling routine, I provide a detailed handout covering oiling procedures with the return of an immersion processed instrument and with orders for organic bore oil. Using organic oil is necessary for the good health of the instrument, but equally important is knowing how to apply the oil safely and how to determine the frequency of oiling.
More from Naylor:
One of my first experiments was on a very old, neglected, ring-system English horn with a severely warped upper joint and damaged bore. I prepared the wood and hand-oiled the body inside and out for three weeks. When the wood had saturated itself with vegetable oil, I wiped the body down and examined the instrument. I noted the bore had noticeably improved. However, I was very surprised to find that the warped upper joint was completely straight. Repairs on this English horn and other early instruments seemed to indicate that I was on the right track:
Organic vegetable oils interact with wood (fibers).
Organic oil can stress-relieve the wood — even straighten a warped body!
Organic oil processing tightened loose tenon to socket fit, and improved key fit.
In dry climates, technicians typically must refit keys and tenon rings on new instruments. Because I didn't have the knowledge to save my original grenadilla clarinet, when I bought a new Buffet R13, I decided to oil it rather than do the usual refit.
I hand-oiled the bore, tenon shoulders and end grain for three weeks. At first, the wood absorbed vegetable oil so rapidly that I had to oil four times a day for two days. Ultimately, oiling frequency tapered off to once every three days. Once the wood had saturated itself with oil, I began break-in. Because of that initial oiling, I did not have to refit any keys or shrink rings for many years. I also noticed that the wood would sweat a little oil on its outside even though I did not oil the outside of the instrument These results indicated that:
Organic oils help maintain dimensional integrity.
Oil slowly diffused through instrument walls from the bore to the outside.
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