Help - How to prevent wood clarinet from splitting ?
Darron
I recently bought a wood clarinet (Selmer Signet 100) and was wondering what
I should do on a regular basis to prevent the wood from splitting. In the
short time since I purchased (second hand) this clarinet, it seems to me
that the grain of the wood in places is more pronounced (looks like a
hairline crack is developing, but I cant tell for sure) - I haven't applied
any oil or cream to it yet.
In April, I am moving back to UK (from Singapore) - the climate change from
HOT AND HUMID to COLD and DRY is also a little worrying.
Help !
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Darron
toby
Many say they never oil their clarinet, or only after X number of
years--some (like myself) oil the instrument regularly. I live in a
similarly humid climate (Japan) and know from experience with bamboo
shakuhachi flutes that the change to a dry climate can be devastating. There
is a big difference in porosity between bamboo and grenadilla wood, however,
and I have read that bore oil penetrates only the very surface of the wood.
The change in temperature is not worrisome as long as it is gradual, and my
clarinets have experienced some very abrupt temperature changes rather
regularly without damage.
I do think that the change in humidity is something to be concerned about,
however, and my advice (sure to be contradicted by other members of this NG)
would be to use wood bore oil on your instrument. Use or construct an swab
soaked in the oil and pull it through the bore of the instrument. Make sure
you have laid down an even coat by sighting through the bore. Oil can be
applied to the exterior of the instrument but this should be done carefully
so as not to get any on the pads. If you do happen to get oil on the pad it
should be carefully wiped with alcohol. Oiled pads get brittle and sometimes
stick. I usually apply the oil to the outside with a rag and use a cotton
bud (Q tip) to apply it around the pads and inside the ring key tone holes.
Depending on the wood, the instrument might absorb the oil very quickly
(within an hour or less) or it might just sit on the wood. My practice is to
oil the wood until it is not completely absorbed within 24 hours, then wipe
off the excess--sometimes if I have not oiled an instrument for a long time
I find it takes three light applications of oil until this happens. I oil on
average once a year, both my 75-year old Buffet clarinet and 100-year old 8
key flute and have never had a problem.
The UK is not a particularly dry climate, but many people recommend a bit of
orange peel or one of the commercially available humidifiers be put in the
case when you are using the instrument in areas of particularly low
humidity.
The wood grain that you see is probably not a problem--the wood grain
sometimes gets more prominent with age or moulding, but this should not
affect the playability of the instrument. If you are afraid of cracking you
should easily be able to see the wood separating with a magnifying glass.
Those are my recommendations; if others on the NG disagree they should post
their opinions for Darron to read.
Hope this helps,
Toby
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Darron wrote in message <798s8f$tj8$1...@mawar.singnet.com.sg>...
Trevor Barnes
February 1983 edition of "Clarinet and Saxophone" - in summary ‘Do not oil
the wood, dry it instead’
The full article is as follows:-
OILING THE WOOD
Ted Planas
The subject of oiling the body of woodwind instruments is something that
crops up with monotonous regularity. I have heard many differing opinions
(often stated as ‘fact’), and have seen many differing practices, but as far
as my experience goes, there seems too little, if any, change in the
percentage of cracked instruments.
When I was a student I was told by some people that I should anoint my
clarinet with linseed oil. Those who told me this were mainly my fellow
students (amongst whom myth and legend flourished), and some salesmen in the
leading musical instrument shops. There seemed to be very few hard facts
regarding the use of oil, and in one case, oiling or the lack of oiling was
used as an evasion of responsibility by one particular dealer, who claimed
that lack of oiling inevitably led to cracking, and in another instance
declaring that too much oil had been used, which induced cracking. With
little evidence and many conflicting opinions I found it difficult to decide
what to do. I had my own opinions and some ideas of course - but these were
not fact. So, since my student days I have been trying to find out as much
as possible about the behaviour of the wooden bodies of clarinets, oboes,
bassoons, and flutes, especially since I have used many of the woods to make
new instruments and parts for existing instruments (new barrels, wooden
mouthpieces, new joints, new bells, sundry extension joints and basset
clarinets). I have quite openly asked various manufacturers their opinions,
experiences, their practice and methods. Many have been very helpful indeed,
some indifferent, one or two quite evasive.
Wooden clarinets (and oboes) are nowadays almost all made from African
blackwood (in France it is known as Ebene - not to be confused with ebony -
in Germany and America it is known as Grenadilla). The botanical name is
Dalbergia Melanoxylon. In the recent past cocus wood has been used,
especially for wooden flutes. The botanical name of cocus is Byra Ebenus.
Rosewood has also been used, and in fact a variety of rosewood is still used
for French bassoons. One French maker also uses it for contra-alto and
contra-bass clarinets. There are over 70 varieties of rosewood but only the
heaviest and most dense are used for woodwind instruments. All rosewoods
belong to the Dalbergia family of woods - so African blackwood is really the
darkest and most dense of the rosewoods. The most important (to woodwind
instrument makers) of the rosewoods are Cocobalo (Dalbergia Retusa), also
known as palisander, used for contra-bass clarinets; Rio violet wood, or
Brazil rosewood (Dalbergia Latifolia) used for French bassoons, sometimes
also referred to as palisander, which causes a certain amount of confusion
(other varieties of Brazil rosewood are known as Kingwood); Tulip wood
(Dalbergia Oliveri) (this wood is also used for xylophone keys).
These rosewoods are very dense. Dalbergia Retusa is nearly as heavy as
Blackwood, and Violet wood is not far behind. For those interested, the
weights (per cubic foot?) are as follows:
Blackwood 75 - 89 lbs.
Palisander 70 - 86 lbs.
Brazil Rosewood 63 - 76 lbs.
Tulip wood 60 - 66 lbs.
Cocus 65 - 70 lbs.
So none of these woods float in water, all will sink! In the early part of
the last century and before that time, Boxwood was used for the smaller
instruments (flutes, oboes and clarinets), usually the Turkish variety
(botanical name Buxus Sembervireus —weight 54-60 lbs.). Various fruitwoods
have also been used for early instruments and some other (lighter)
hardwoods. To this day German bassoons are made of Maple (Acer, many
varieties - 37 lbs).
But one further technical fact: all the important hardwoods except one are
heart-wood, that is, the centre of the trunk which does not nourish the
tree, only supports it. The sapwood is the fresh living part (on the outside
of the trunk, directly beneath the bark) which carries the nutrients from
root and leaf. Every year the innermost layer of sapwood becomes inactive
and hardens, getting more dense, and
becomes heartwood. A new layer of sapwood grows on the outside.
All the Dalbergias (Blackwood and Rosewoods) and Cocus are heartwood - but
Boxwood is all sapwood, the innermost layers never become inactive.
Therefore all the wood is capable of carrying moisture through its grain
relatively easily, especially compared with dense resinous heartwood.
So, at last, I have come to the oiling part. If you have a boxwood
instrument, antique or new, oil it with one of the oxidising vegetable oils
such as linseed oil (boiled or raw) and almond oil. The wood will absorb
some of the oil (it does not penetrate very far) but if the oil is rubbed in
well and the excess is wiped off, it will oxidise (harden) reasonably
quickly in about 2 or 3 days and form a very good surface finish - almost a
varnish. (In fact, before the advent of modern plastic-based paints, the
gloss in gloss paint was boiled linseed oil). If this treatment is repeated
from time to time (more frequently when the instrument is new) it will
certainly help to reduce the absorption of water. However, boxwood is very’
good at absorbing water - the instrument maker Mahillon remarked that it was
more suitable as a hygrometer than as a musical instrument.
The heavier woods do absorb moisture, but more slowly. But the amount of oil
they absorb is negligible, especially Blackwood, even if it is bone dry.
Under a pressure of several atmospheres over a period of 4 days, dry
blackwood (5 years seasoned, and oven dried as well) was penetrated by warm
linseed oil less than 0.02 mm into the end grain. This test I supervised
myself, having availed myself of the use of a very robust pressure vessel at
an engineering works. After the period of pressure I sectioned the wood to
find out the results.
I have also noted when working on the bodies of instruments old and new, how
little is the penetration of stain, oil, and other chemicals. Even the
lightest of cuts on the surface reveals clear wood! The only liquid that
penetrates blackwood is water, but of course that is how the tree lived,
with water carrying all the nutrients through the woody trunk, roots and
branches.
So I reckon I have confirmed what I suspected for a long time. It is rather
a waste of time to oil a finished instrument. At best, if done slowly and
meticulously, it produces a very nice surface finish on the wood (very
cosmetic), and at worst it can be counter-productive, by forming a gummy
deposit in the tone holes and on pads, and in some instances if the
instrument is played before the oil has dried, the water which condenses
from the breath gets under the wet oil and is retained instead of repelled.
(Any one who has had rain fall on wet oil paint will know what happens!).
With any (and every) instrument that I make (or any part of the body,
barrel, bell etc.) I always recommend the player not to oil the wood - I
have already done so in the latter part of the seasoning process (the last
four months), and a good soaking in it too. I do not oil the wood of any of
my own instruments - and I have over 40.
I have lost count of the number of cracks repairs I have done, a fair
percentage on new instruments but also a lot on well-used instruments, some
that have been in continuous use for 30 years without cracking. It was
during the very hot and dry summer of 1971 (1 think) that I had over 35
crack repairs in 2 weeks.
Most cracking is due to distortion caused by uneven expansion of the wood.
One of the major causes of uneven expansion is uneven absorption of water,
for example the inside of the instrument (the bore absorbs water while the
outside remains relatively dry). Blackwood absorbs moisture slowly, so even
if it becomes sopping wet, if it is wiped dry fairly quickly no harm is
done. But if part of the wood is allowed to remain wet and another part is
still dry, trouble will follow. Even if the instrument does not crack, it
will distort and so lose the accuracy of the bore.
So, dry the instrument thoroughly after playing, paying particular attention
to the sockets and tenons, and blot out all waterlogged tone holes. On new
instruments it helps if the top keys are propped open to allow any remaining
moisture to evaporate quickly (a couple of matchsticks will do the trick -
don’t forget to remove them before playing).
The water you put into the instrument when playing is not very dangerous -
it is the water you leave in that can cause the trouble.
There is no course of action that will absolutely guarantee that wood will
not split or crack. Wood is a variable material, and on the whole the best
makers go to a lot of trouble to throw out dubious wood and to season the
good wood properly. Drying out properly after playing, using a cotton
pull-through (mops are not very effective), avoiding extremes of
temperatures, and humidity, is the safest course of action. This should
allow the wood to stabilise gradually to an even moisture content.
Finally, a lot of various unguents offered to players for their instruments
are fairly useless. ‘Bore oil’ is often only dilute linseed or almond
oil —sometimes very dilute. ‘Key oil’ is another dubious concoction and some
of the special greases are very, very ordinary.
Linseed and almond oil are available at hardware stores, art shops, and
chemists. ‘Key oil’ - well, best is motor oil, Shell, Esso, Duckhams etc.
For greases tallow with a little scent or after-shave is very good.
I could have said all the above in one sentence ‘Do not oil the wood, dry it
instead’, but that would have sounded like just another opinion, which can
never be a substitute for fact.
toby
Thanks for this very informative and authoritative article. It certainly
makes the case against oiling, or at least palliates the anxiety about not
oiling. Mr. Planas clearly knows what he is talking about, but unfortunately
he most probably will not be available to comment, and there are several
points that leave me confused:
When I oil my wooden instruments I leave a thin glossy film of oil on the
inside and outside. Within several hours at the most, this oil is mostly
gone. Sometimes I repeat this procedure 3 or 4 times before oil remains in
any quantity on the surface of the wood after 12 hours. If this oil is not
absorbed ("...less than.02 mm into the end grain...") then where does it go?
Also, linseed oil is much thicker than the wood bore oils that I have seen
and used, especially kukui nut oil, which is extremely thin.
Mr. Planas states that "Most cracking is due to distortion caused by uneven
expansion of the wood. One of the major causes of uneven expansion is uneven
absorption of water, for example the inside of the instrument (the bore
absorbs water while the outside remains relatively dry)." Aside from the
fact that " ...in some instances if the instrument is played before the oil
has dried, the water which condenses from the breath gets under the wet oil
and is retained instead of repelled..." It seems that a coat of oil which
has had time to dry would repel the water and prevent it from being absorbed
into the wood, thus lessening its expansion and the chance of cracking due
to uneven expansion as explained above.
Perhaps it is true that if the instrument is well dried after use the major
potential cause of cracks is eliminated. I would be happy if I was convinced
that I didn't have to oil my instruments. But I still can't understand where
Mr. Planas gets off recommending against oiling, especially since he admits
that the wood he uses in instrument making is soaked in oil for a period of
four months.
Does someone else see something that I don't?
Best,
Toby
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Trevor Barnes wrote in message <799fb5$le5$1...@news6.svr.pol.co.uk>...
LeliaLoban
>Thanks for this very informative and authoritative article. It certainly
>makes the case against oiling, or at least palliates the anxiety about not
People interested in this thread might want to take a look in the
www.sneezy.org mailing list archives, where a parallel thread about this
article has been going on. People who sound as if they know what they're
talking about have argued both sides of the issue. My own decision is to
continue oiling on a New Year's and 4th of July schedule, since my wooden
clarinets all old ones, do seem to suck up oil quickly, and have never cracked.
(BTW, as the webmaster there pointed out in declining to post the article on
sneezy, posting the article here in its entirety violated the author's
copyright, unless the poster had the author's permission.)
Lelia
Please delete NOSPAM from my address to reply by e-mail.
sdf
Darron wrote in message <798s8f$tj8$1...@mawar.singnet.com.sg>...
>Hi,
>
>I recently bought a wood clarinet (Selmer Signet 100) and was wondering
what
>I should do on a regular basis to prevent the wood from splitting.
Just swab the clarinet every other day with a bore oil or PURE almond oil
(not the type you cook with). Any oil you use should be unscented and low
viscosity, so it absorbs well. Also, try moistening a sponge and keeping it
in the case (put the sponge ina plastic baggy with punched holes) This will
regulate the humidity.
Only oil the clarinet for 2 weeks, but keep the makeshift humidifier around.
S.B.
Music Student, Toronto, Ontario
Anton Hermann Schulz
Hallo,
under normal circumstances the wood clarinet should not spitting. If you
remove the moisture after playing the clarinet and -like S. B. mentioned
above- "oil" the clarinet from time to time I belive there is no risk of
damageing your instrument. Please use a special "clarinet oil" which is
free of acid. Please put allways the clarinet in its case with the keys
upside to prevent that the pads get oily. If that happens, they get hard
and you will have problems. Hard pads must be exchanged with new ones.
It shoult be also mentioned to keep off strange temperature differences
from your clarinet especially before or after you have played your
instrument.
I play my clarinet (also a wood instrument) for more than 20 years an
have had no problems in that way.
I whish you much fun.
--
Anton Hermnann Schulz
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