About oils and waxes some answers mebe?

Irish Flute
1

Hi all: I do some work with woods and also make fragrances so here is some information on oils and waxes that may be of use.

  1. Linseed, Tung, Walnut, and some other seed oils do dry over time at varying rates, they are usually the best for slowing evaporation of water from wood, though no oil will completely stops this process. They will leave a residue and over time may need to be cleaned off. They will also oxidize over time and sometimes smell ( just bought a CB large hole std that smells a bit like old fish – this is linseed oil )
  2. Jojoba is actually a liquid wax, thus is does not dry out unless cold, and is very resistant to oxidation, also waxes generally do a better job of slowing evaporation than oils due to the chemical structure of wax molecules. Bees wax, carnuba, etc. are very good and can be heated and mixed with jojoba to create a soft paste wax which might be the best for a bore inside. I do use a bees wax mix on the outside. Waxes in general do not oxidize much and will not have an odor.
  3. Petroleum oils such as mineral oil and vaseline etc. do not dry, do not oxidize, and generally do not do much to prevent water loss.
  4. Parefin will prevent water loss as will most waxes…
    I am going to try to get the right mix of bees wax and jojoba to get a nice bore oil that I can start using.
    I also play shakuhachi — bamboo, talk about cracking! on which I use a paste wax ( my recipe ) on all surfaces inside and out. No cracks so far in Omaha NE, I also keep them in a cabinet with a wet sponge.
    Maybe this will heap answer some questions.
    PS. Also found that a good glycerine natural soap works best on the tuning slide, easy to move when you want to and does not move when you do not want it to.
2

Thanx for that info.

I’ve been using Jojoba for a while now and making my own cork grease with that combo of jojoba and beeswax.

Works just fine. Nice on skin too. :slight_smile:

3

How much of that do you think is due to the oil/wax and how much due to keeping in a cabinet with a wet sponge?

In my nearly 15-year experiment now of never oiling my wooden flutes or wooden whistles, I have no cracks either but I keep the flutes in a container at between 45 and 55 percent humidity. I also have a bamboo flute made by Chris Dawson (similar to the Olwell bamboo flutes) that I’ve had for maybe 10 years now, unlike the wooden flutes it doesn’t get humidifed and I’ve never oiled it. No cracks. I have a few wooden whistles that don’t get put in the humidified container, never oiled, no cracks. But note that I also have a set of uilleann pipes so I try to keep the room with my instruments humid in winter; I have a humidity meter and if it starts getting below 45 I put a humidifier on.

4

Humidity stability is by far and away more important than oils or waxes. Many people do not oil their shakuhachi, but most try to keep the humidity stable. Bamboo cracks more easily due to its structure. 45 to 55 % humidity is fine as long as it and temperature are relatively stable. Certain oils and waxes slow dessication or hydration, so keep moisture content more stable.