G’day guys,
Are there any types of polish or varnish that should not be applied to chanters due to having a harmful affect on the wood or a tendency to wear off or crack etc?
I have a chanter that I need to apply polish to and don’t want to put any old polish on it for fear of ruining it.
Cheers.
Better ask the maker, if the maker is known/alive. Some polishes may attack or react with the old finish, others will fail to adhere, etc. I’d say MOST do-it-yourself finishes are risky or inappropriate.
If you must use something, probably a wax-based polish (NOT “furniture wax” in a spray bottle or containing solvents or silicone) is maybe the best choice.
Also note that methanol-based finishes are attached by alcohol, and wax can be attacked by moisture.
Another possibility is one or two drops of raw linseed oil, which can restore the shine without building up a coating, if done sparingly. But really, better ask the maker.
For woods that support it like ebony, the natural patina from use is probably the best and most durable finish.
Bill
If you go the linseed oil route, make sure that it’s RAW linseed oil; most of the stuff sold in hardware stores is so-called “boiled” linseed oil, which has all sorts of nasty chemical dryers in it.
No E
Aviod boiled linseed oil. It will polmerize and glue things together.
I have some car wax (turtle wax possibly, I am too lazy to hunt it up to make sure) that I use on my ebony chanter. The blackwood is already shiny and hasn’t needed anything on it.
Erm…avoid shoe polish?
Don’t stick that stuff on yer face either…
As a 1960s Clarinet player, I came in contact with “Woodwind Bore Oil”.
This oil was recommened, to prevent cracks in the wood of the clarinet, by preventing the wood from absorbing moisture. In the case of long term storage, or exposure to hot, dry environments, the oil prevented the wood from drying out I found out later, that alot of the commercial formulas, which are usualy based on Almond oil, had/have additional Petroleum Distillates which attack the resin in the Hardwood. The rationale for this petroleum additive, is mainly for rapid oil penetration into the wood (this is due to the oil being “thinned out”), and as a preservative for the oil, to increase its shelf life.
In 1973, I became aware of use of “Sweet Oil” in the Northumbrian Piping scene, for oiling the leather pads on the chanter keys.
Sweet Oil can be both clarified Olive oil, and clarified Almond oil, it is available in small bottles, at a price, from the Chemist / Pharmacy.
The process of clarification is where the oil is heated to just below its burn point and as the solids in the oil rise to the top of the oil, they are skimmed off, leaving a “clear”, very tranparent oil. This clarified oil does have a long shelf life, as the solids are what “goes rancid” in the oil.
I have bought clarified Almond oil in cheap, large bottles, from Indian grocers along University Avenue in Berkeley, California. My friend Ted Anderson (the"reed guru") prefers Cold Pressed Walnut oil with some vitamin E added to prevent oxidation (a large part of being rancid). The Walnut oil drys out quickly and leaves a “skin” of sorts on top of the wood. Oiling the wood does protect it, but too much oil (of any kind), in a sort period of application, is bad for resinous Hardwood. So sayth Ted, and I believe him, as he has read more books and articles on this subject, so I HAVE limited my oiling to twice a year, on average.
A further note about petroleum additives in Leather preparations, which I avoid, such as “Lexol”. This stuff made all my stitches drop out of my large, Tayloresque Bellows. I had to redo the sewing, very costly… Neatsfoot Oil “Compound”, which is “cut” with 10 weight motor oil. Neatsfoot is derived from cow hooves, and is better in its “pure” form. Long lists of Mink oil, Lanolin, Glycerin, and etc. Read the labels and don’t use the petroleum compounds on your leather, so sayth Sean (Amen).
I prefer an light oil finish on my Hardwood, versus French polish, which is attacked by the acidic oil on all our skins, and requires frequent wiping off, to maintain it. There’s Shellac, which I have used on some of my soft, fruit wood (non UP) chanters, to prevent scratches, etc.
My advice is OIL all the way!
Don’t let your chanters crrrrrack! Sean Folsom
IIRC the bore-oiling topic has come up a few times. Sean, I believe you are in the minority in believing that oiling bores (of ABW or ebony) of dry-blown pipes is a good thing. Maybe it is, but most seem not to recommend it.
Bill
Thanks for the input guys.
All the best.
Yes Bill, I know the reasons for not oiling the bores, but believe me, you gotta try the climate in the Los Angeles area of California, when the DRY Santa Ana winds blow off the desert, then tell me what you think!
As for other climes, it couldn’t hurt to do the bore oiling once in a long while, could it? Oiling the surface of the wood isn’t bad either…A What?
Sorry- I’m- not -in- Dublin-just-now! You Lucky Piper! Sean
Sean Wrote
Neatsfoot is derived from cow hooves, and is better in its “pure” form.
Neats Foot Oil can be purified by decanting into a glass bottle and leaving in the sun. The action of UV will separate the constiuents leaving a nice clear liqiud on top which can then be poured off carefully. The process can then be repeated. It takes several months but produces a very slippery and pure oil.
Interesting notes on neatsfoot:
Q. I’ve heard the term Neatsfoot oil. What is it? Where does it come from?
A. Neat is an archaic name for hooved animals (i.e. cows, pigs, sheep). Neatsfoot oil is oil rendered from the feet of cattle or hooved animals. In the slaughterhouse, the feet would be cut off the animal, split, put into a large vat and boiled. The oils that rose to the top would be skimmed off and sold as “Neatsfoot Oil.” Today, thanks to the US military, there is no actual Neatsfoot oil in Neatsfoot Oil! Let me explain. Back in the 1930’s the US Army wrote a Military Specification (Mil Spec) that defined the properties of Neatsfoot Oil. Oil merchants bidding for government contracts quickly discovered other, less expensive, oils would meet this Mil Spec. Today, Neatsfoot Oil is any oil, regardless of where it comes from, that meets this US Government Mil Spec. Neatsfoot Oil now is mostly derived from pigs. Lard is pressed and the resulting liquid, which can be supplemented with mineral oil and/or reclaimed motor oil, is sold as “Neatsfoot Oil”. Neatsfoot oil is widely used in the equestrian industry (saddles and tack) but has a tendency to be quite greasy making it unsuitable for leather upholstery.
from this website:
http://www.properautocare.com/leclcoex.html
Sweet almond oil is the way to go if you feel like you have to oil your chanter (inside or out). No long term buildup of any kind. Pretty much everything else is iffy. I’ve used it on an 1840’s simple system boxwood flute for over 15 years without any buildup or change and it looks and sounds beautiful. Unless you live in a particularly extreme environment, I’d lean away from oiling your dry-blown bore much. Especially if you use anything other than sweet almond oil.
Dionys
Has anyone tried mineral oil? Its used for wooden bowls and butcher blocks, as well as wooden kitchen counters. Its not toxic. It has to be re-applied for food-grade items, but those are in contact with water, so I don’t think its quite the same environment. Just curious.
djm
Pat Hennelly would come across vintage chanters, including in ebony, from other eras. After the keys were off, he’d dunk it in a solution of ??? for a day or two. This was to be done only once in a while (over decades maybe).
Sean Folsom is an expert at all of the maintenance work that he attempts (or so it seems) and his results speak for themselves. Public performance at outdoor festivals in any climate (think sunshine in California and all that high desert) is the extreme for our business. Just like in the cable TV poker shows, all manners of play seem to get folks to the final table!
I used a few drops of mineral oil (the kind they sell at IKEA for wooden kitchen items) to lubricate a sticky reg key. It worked very well for that.
No E