The secret of oiling a recorder
Over the centuries, generations of initiates and experts have passed on the secret knowledge of how to oil a recorder properly. At first orally. Later, the sages wrote down the life-sustaining steps for recorders on precious materials and stored them in secret areas of their writing rooms and libraries.
This is how it often seems to us when people talk about oiling a recorder. Here we are approaching the most secret knowledge.
No. Certainly not! Oiling is very simple and your recorder needs the oil to give you many years and decades of pleasure.
You need these tools
The maintenance work can be carried out at the kitchen table, for example.
In 90% of cases, it is best to use a vegetable oil. It should be free from harmful substances, as the beak, which is next to your mouth, is also oiled. Sweet almond oil and linseed oil are best suited for this. You will learn more about the differences later.
Wooden or plastic cleaning rods with a piece of kitchen paper threaded into the eyelet are particularly useful here. We put a few drops of oil on this paper and use it to apply the oil. Small brushes or paintbrushes are other practical aids for applying the oil.
An old towel as a base to work on and place the instrument on, a plate to place it on so that the oil can soak in and a few sheets of kitchen paper to wipe off any excess oil. This sets up the perfect oiling workstation.
To oil or not to oil - a crucial question for recorder players. However, recorder manufacturers do not necessarily provide clear instructions for recorder players who want to do something good for their recorder.
The care instructions from different manufacturers still differ so greatly that there are sometimes downright contradictory statements on this topic.
But the matter is actually quite simple: wooden recorders are usually not varnished, especially on the surfaces where they are exposed to moisture when played.
This mainly affects the surfaces of the inner bore, the labium surface and edge as well as the sides and above the window. The windway (windway roof and block) is of course particularly affected by the moisture generated during playing, but we will have to look at this separately, as we will see.
How does the wood react when it is repeatedly soaked?
Originally, the surface was smooth and water-repellent - the fine pores of the wood were tightly sealed by its natural fat content or by treatment with oil or paraffin wax.
However, as a result of the moisture and supported by frequent wiping (which is not wrong), the wood surface gradually leaches out more and more: The stabilising and water-repellent substances are dissolved out, the surface becomes rough, "waddy" and takes on a visible grey sheen. It is easy to imagine what such a condition of the wood means for the sound of the recorder when you realise how important smooth, clean surfaces are for the sound quality!
Experience also shows that some recorders sent to us because of sound defects needed nothing more than a proper "oiling"!
By its very nature, every piece of wood is differently equipped - every recorder is subjected to different levels of stress: Therefore, no rule can be given as to how often a recorder should be oiled. Softer woods need more oil, harder woods less. Keen players will also need to oil more than less keen players. In short, it is important that we are attentive and keep a close eye on our instrument. Then it is not difficult to recognise when the recorder needs oiling.
Once the surfaces have become as leached as described above, the wood is literally crying out to be oiled - you shouldn't let it get that far. As a rule, a recorder should be oiled about twice a year. More important than such figures is that you regularly check the "oil level" of your recorder and react accordingly. Then it is time to prepare a place for oiling and to care for the instrument
What to oil with?
We distinguish between two types of oil:
- Vegetable oils (linseed oil, olive oil, almond oil, etc.)
- mineral oils (sewing machine oil etc.)
Mineral oils are only required for instruments with key mechanisms. They do not harden and thus keep the keys functional. Vegetable oils, on the other hand, harden at different rates due to their chemical composition. They are ideal for protecting the wood, as they anchor themselves in the wood when hardening and form a solid, protective film. In the case of a key mechanism, however, this hardening would be downright fatal: the key would not move a millimetre afterwards. Therefore, never apply vegetable oils to key mechanisms!!! The traditional oil for woodwind instruments is linseed oil, which also plays an important role in other areas of wood care (e.g. furniture making). However, some people find its odour sensitive. I therefore recommend sweet almond oil as an alternative for oiling at home.
As a general rule, all parts of the recorder apart from the block and windway are oiled. At this point, we must remember the function of oiling in the first place: oil makes the wooden surface water-repellent, i.e. water does not penetrate, but rolls off in small droplets. This is good for all parts of the recorder - except the windway and the block! In the windway (especially on the surface of the block), even the smallest droplets of water are disturbing (hoarseness!). The surface of the block must therefore be as free of grease as possible.
We use anti-condensation as a remedy against "hoarseness" of the recorder, which dissolves possible grease residues in the wood and prevents the formation of droplets of water. If some oil does accidentally get onto the block, this is usually not a problem. Smaller amounts of oil will wash out again as you continue to play. In the worst case, the recorder may tend to be a little hoarse for a few days - treatment with Antikondens will help. In worse cases, the team at our workshop will find a solution.
Oiling instrument parts with keys
If there are keys on any of the instrument parts, it is important that the moving connections of the keys and the pads do not come into contact with the vegetable oils under any circumstances. The pad, which should reliably seal the tone hole, is made of leather with a felt filling. The pads are designed to imitate fingertips, and these are flexible. If the leather and felt become saturated with the vegetable oils and these then harden in the pad, the pad's ability to seal is over. The pad must be replaced.
Secondly, the hardening vegetable oil can adversely affect the mechanical mobility of the key. Only mineral oils may be used on keys.
What is the safest way to oil a piece with keys?
A quick and easy way to protect the keys during oiling is to wrap them carefully in cling film. Each key only needs a small amount. Cover the flap pads and all parts of the flap mechanism as completely as possible. It is important that no vegetable oil touches the flap mechanism and dries there. This would result in the keys no longer moving once the oil has hardened. Or only very slowly and unreliably. If this has happened to you, simply contact us. Our workshop team will make sure that the keys "work" again.
Inner bore
of the foot piece
We start with the inner bore of the foot joint. If it has no keys, it is the simplest part of the recorder.
Proceed as follows: Take the foot joint, a plate, the flute oil and the wiper stick with the piece of kitchen paper drawn into it. The paper strip should not be too long so that it fits through the hole. It is best to pull the wiper through the hole while turning it. Then the paper is behind the wiper and fits better through the hole.
Testonce without oil whether your paper strip is the right size and does not get stuck in the recorder.
If this works,put a few drops of oil on kitchen paper and pull the wiper through the inner hole. It is best to insert the wiper into the pivot heart and then pull it through the hole while turning it . If you have put too much oil on the paper, it will wipe off on the heart surface, which is where we need the oil.
Look through the base piece and check whether all areas of the inner bore are wet with oil. If not, repeat the wiping process.
Heart surface
of the foot piece
The bottom surface of the tenon frog in the base piece should also be lightly oiled. It has probably already received some oil when oiling the inner bore.
Take the small brush and spread the oil evenly over the base. You do not usually need to oil the side surfaces as they are already well protected by the cork grease.
Tone holes
of the foot piece
Now it's time to use the small cosmetic brush. Dip its tip into the oil and oil the walls of the tone holes.
Once you have oiled all the tone holes, place the foot piece on its plate. Ideally with the tenon heart facing downwards. Most footjoints stand best like this and have unvarnished areas in these places - if your recorder is varnished.
For unvarnished instruments, you can now rub the outer mould with a slightly oily cloth.
Inner bore
of the middle joint
Also start with the inner bore of the middle joint. If no keys are attached to the middle joint, this is quite straightforward.
Proceed as follows: Take the middle joint, a plate, the flute oil and the wiper rod with the piece of kitchen paper drawn into it. The paper strip should not be too long so that it fits through the hole. It is best to pull the wiper through the inner hole while turning it. Then the paper is behind the cleaning rod and fits better through the hole.
Test once without oil whether your paper strip is the right size and does not get jammed in the recorder.
If this works, put a few drops of oil on kitchen paper and pull the wiper through the inner hole. It is best to insert the wiper into the other side of the bore and then pull it through the bore while turning it.
Look through the middle joint and check whether all areas of the inner bore are wetted with oil. If not, repeat the wiping process.
Tenon ends
of the middle joint
The parts of a recorder are usually connected by tenons. These are inserted into extensions in the headjoint and footjoint.
These joints are precise and dimensionally accurate. Nevertheless, condensed moisture from breathing that runs along the inner bore can penetrate into the small gaps between the tenons and the bottom of the heart. For this reason, the end faces of the tenons should also be oiled a little.
Tone holes
of the middle joint
Now it's time to use the small cosmetic brush. Dip its tip into the oil and oil the walls of the tone holes.
Once you have oiled all the tone holes, place the middle joint on its plate. It is best to do this with the wide side facing downwards so that excess oil runs off easily. Most middle joints will stand securely enough if you don't bump into the plate.
For non-lacquered instruments, you can now rub the outer mould with a slightly oily cloth.
Inner bore
Oiling the flute head requires special care: Hold the instrument with the windway facing upwards so that no oil can flow towards the block. Now insert the well-oiled wiper from below into the inner bore of the recorder and push it with slight turns until just before the block. It is advisable to carry out a few wiping exercises beforehand with a dry wiper and, if necessary, to make a mark on the wiper rod so that the wiper does not reach the front of the block.
Oiling the labium
The labium should be well oiled from the front and back with a small paintbrush or pipe cleaner. Remember: this is the most sensitive part of the recorder, which is also responsible for the sound. It is precisely this part of the instrument that needs care and protection from moisture! The concern that the labium could be damaged during oiling is unjustified if care is taken. It is much riskier for our instrument not to oil the labium! Of course, we also make sure that no oil gets onto the block.
Oil the beak
The beak should also be lightly oiled. Of course - as with all parts of the instrument - after you have cleaned it of any dirt. When oiling the beak, the outer, bevelled part of the block will of course also get its share of oil: but it can't do any damage here on the outside. This treatment brings out the grain of the wood particularly well.
For unvarnished instruments, you can now rub the outer mould with a slightly oily cloth.
Wiping lacquered surfaces
The oil hardens particularly quickly on the smooth varnish surface and is then very difficult to remove. Should it happen to you that your recorder has got sticky traces of oil on the surface - don't worry. We can also solve this problem in our workshop. However, it is better to carefully wipe off the varnished pieces.
The resting phase - soaking up the oil
Up to now you have worked with concentration and conscientiousness for the good of your recorder. Now the wood and oil are working for you. You can leave the parts of the recorder unattended for several hours so that the oil can soak into the open pores of the wood in peace.
This is the moment when it becomes clear whether the recorder needed the oil at all: if the amount of oil applied is still thick on the surface of the wood, this is an indication that the wood has not absorbed any oil - and therefore did not need any. However, the application did not damage the instrument. However, we now know that we can take our time with the next oiling. A good visual indicator of the "oil level" of the wood is a slight grey tinge to the grain. If you discover such spots on your instrument, then your recorder is saying: I need oil please!
If, on the other hand, the oil has already been completely absorbed in a short time, then we can plan to oil the recorder again in the next few weeks. In any case, all oil that has not yet been absorbed is carefully wiped away with a clean cloth. carefully wiped away with a clean cloth. This dry wiping must not be forgotten, as excess oil hardens into an ugly, sticky film that is very difficult to remove! This is especially true for the tone holes: no oil residue should be left here as it would harden and change the tuning!
When can we continue?
When can we start playing again? It is best to leave the instrument to rest for approx. 24 hours. During this time, the oil can penetrate further and - depending on the type of oil - harden. If you want to play your recorder sooner - then play it. It will not harm the instrument. It is better to oil your recorder a little every now and then than to organise a big oiling campaign only once a year and perhaps end up not oiling it enough.
Caution: If you rub your recorder dry, you should bear in mind that uncured oil residue may stick to the wiper or cloth (see hazard warning).
Caution - spontaneous combustion
Very important when using linseed oil! Please note that linseed oil is self-igniting (especially in cloths!) Never leave cloths or the wiper you have used lying around unattended. We flute makers handle it like this: We dip the alto wiper or cloth in water - i.e. we extinguish it before it catches fire, or seal the oil-contaminated tools airtight in a jar. In this way, we nip the fire in the bud by cutting off the oxygen supply. Only when the oil has completely hardened (the oil rag or wiper has then set properly) is the danger averted. Only then should you throw the oil rags in the rubbish. You can reuse the oil brush or wiper if you thoroughly remove all oil residues with plenty of washing-up liquid and hot water.
My recommendation is to use kitchen paper to wipe it off. This can be safely disposed of in the toilet.
Tip 2: I think sweet almond oil is the better choice at home and in private areas.
