G’Day all,
I am seeking the advice of any whistle players/makers out there who have wooden whistles, and what steps they take in caring for the headjoints on there instruments (eg. oil?). I have had several experienced players tell me that they occasionally pour oil down the bore of there headjoints and leave it to drip dry. Would this lead to any fouling problems, cheers Brad.
Swab out the head after playing and store the whistle outside of it’s case until it’s had a chance to thoroughly dry. Note that in humid weather, this might take a long time.
Regular oiling helps, but pouring oil in sounds like overkill. Oil the whistle when it’s had a couple of days to really dry, otherwise you’ll just be sealing moisture into the wood. Apply the oil in a thin film so that it looks a little wet: anything more than that is just sitting there.
Caring for wooden whistles is not as tough as people seem to want to make it.
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What’s the procedure to oil the headjoint (internal oiling, I mean), taking into account that, as far as I know, you can’t oil the fipple nor the tuning slide?
Thanks,
Martin
I have to agree with Paul, sounds like overkill. I just use a small cloth patch on a stick to spread a light coating of oil inside the bore. I try to stay away from the blade, especially on timbers that would absorb a lot of the oil. That could swell the edge a bit and effect the tone.
Feadoggie
For my Sweetheart whistles, which use no metal parts at all and are quite different than those made by Paul and others with metal slides, I swab out the head joint and then swab in some oil. On those types, I oil the fipple, window, and windway with the rest of the instrument. I’ve had no problems oiling the fipple for fifteen-plus years.
Oil won’t hurt a synthetic fipple plug, but it won’t help it either. I do oil the blade, but just a VERY thin film, and not very often.
Wipe the oil off of tuning sides: it’ll gum them up and attract dust and grit which could wear the slide out.
I should add that my Sweets are rosewood, which needs little oil.
So, I should oil the headjoint the same way than the body, with the oiling/drying method, bearing in mind to dry it well?
I’d oil them both the same way, but don’t dry them really thoroughly. Leave a very thin visible film of the oil on there. With time, you’ll find that the whistle will not absorb as much oil and you won’t really need to oil it very often at all.
Thanks for your help! 
After learning about LeBlanc bore oil from Terry McGee. I have been using it on my wooden whistles and Irish flutes. The results have been excellent and I don’t have to fuss with almond oil, vitamin E etc.
This is a synthetic oil that seals the bore. I use raw silk patches that provide a polishing effect and do not bunch up and cause jams.
I keep the oiling patches in a glass jar. This reduces waste.
Now the bores on my whistles have a mirror polish that rejects moisture and protects against cracking. Best, Cyril.
I have five Abell whistles, four of them in blackwood and one in mopane, that I’ve had for many years – three of them since the mid 1980s when I first met Chris Abell, and the other two since the early-mid 1990s. I haven’t oiled any of them and they’re all in fine shape, no cracks, no problems, they look and play as well as they did when they were new. I think I oiled the first three of them a few times at the beginning, but definitely haven’t oiled them at all in the last 12 years or so.
In my experience, swabbing out the moisture after playing is more important than oiling, at least for woods like grenadilla (blackwood), as well as avoiding sudden changes in humidity or temperature.
That is what I wanted to hear 
Now, my wooden whistle is made of Cooktown Ironwood, I don’t know if I can apply your experience to this kind of wood, do you know?
I always swab out the moisture after playing, even with my plastic whistles, and I leave them out of their pouches/cases for awhile to be sure the condensation is gone.
Thanks everyone,
Martin
[quote="bradhurley
In my experience, swabbing out the moisture after playing is more important than oiling, at least for woods like grenadilla (blackwood), as well as avoiding sudden changes in humidity or temperature.[/quote]
Exactly! The entire issue to address is to avoid sudden changes in temperature and humidity. I forgot to mention that any oiling I have done was for the most part performed during the break-in process. After break-in, I generally oil a flute or whistle about once a year. The idea is to maintain stability in the wood.
No idea. As a general rule, it’s best to follow the maker’s advice. Some makers tell you to oil, others don’t bother, but if the maker has a warranty you’re probably best off following his or her instructions on oiling to ensure that any problems are covered. Or, like me, you can take your chances!
Thanks guys,
Bothrops, in my experience Cooktown Ironwood is every bit as stable as Blackwood (Grenadilla), so after the initial breaking in stage you should be right. I’d still give the outside wood of the whistle a rub of oil every now and then though, if for no other reason then to keep it pretty .
Thanks, Brad!
Anyways, I’ll follow your advice, and I’ll try to oil it quite often at least for the first weeks. After that, maybe I’ll opt to oil it once per month or every now and then.
Cheers,
Martin