have seen several topics that mention using “oil” on wooden whistles. What types of oil are used and are the insides oiled as well?
Thanks,
Jim
I use the regular bore oil you can buy for use on other woodwinds…but I know a lot of people prefer almond oil.
Redwolf
ty Red Wolf for the reply … do you use it in the air way or just on the down side of the fipple?
Thanks again,
jim
Hey Jim
I use regular bore oil like Redwolf does. The whistle DOES need to be oiled both inside and out on a regular basis. Use a cotton swab with a long handle or you can buy flute swabs at the music store for a small price. Thats what I use. I just coat it with the oil and seal it up in a plastic ziplock bag along with a piece of cotton for oiling the outside of the whistle.
A new whistle should be oiled inside the bore about every two weeks..or once a week for the really paranoid! Just make sure you have a nice amount of oil on your swab and run in inside the bore of the whistle until you can see you have a nice shiny coating. IMPORTANT! Oil the whistle BEFORE it is played so there is no condesation from breath in it. After you oil it let it sit UNPLAYED for 24 hours so the oil has time to absorb fully. I know, that means you can’t play it for a whole day…so you have to suffer for your art! As the whistle matures you can start to go to once a month and then every couple months with the oiling. I put just a dab of oil on my rag and rub down the outside of my whistle after doing the bore to keep it nice and shiny and in good condition.
ALSO! Make sure you swab your whistle dry after you play it. You’ll need another swab for this. Again, I use a flute swab. I have two, one for oiling and one for drying after playing. They cost me like two bucks each. They are just the right size for a whistle bore.
I don’t know how old your whistle is so you’ll have to follow my advice acordingly. Glenn Schultz has a spot called “The care and feeding of your whistle” on his website. You might want to check that out. I think it is www.thinweasel.com. Or contact our resident wooden whistle master, Paul Busman and he will be a doll and give you the benefit of his advice…at no charge!!!
Hope this is a bit of help to you!
Andrea
Hi Jim,
This
http://members.iinet.net.au/~nickl/wood.html
will keep you busy for a while.
John S
I don’t put oil in the windway, no…just inside the tube, inside the head joint below the fipple and on the outside of the whistle (less important for the health of the instrument, but helps it keep its glossy good looks).
Redwolf
Good replies so far. Just a couple of points to add.
If your whistle has an all wooden head (Grinter, for example) you would oil the windway.
In so far as i can remember to, I use the oil the maker recommends or something very close. That’s almost always almond oil or regular bore oil. It’s the same for flutes as for wooden whistles.
Actually, both Phil Bleazey and Jon Swayne strongly caution against getting oil in the windway of their all-wood whistles. There are good arguments both ways – Grinter favors the stability of the cedar plug, Swayne and Bleazey don’t like the fact that the oil will make condensation more likely. I’ve followed the instructions of each for his own whistles, and haven’t had any problems with condensation or the fipples.
Thanks for correcting and elaborating Chas. I wasn’t aware of that but right now I don’t need to be.
Rule number one though is to follow the maker’s instructions.
I think it is recommended to NOT get oil on the blade either.
I have wooden Syns, and Erle told me to oil the windway as well. I could swear that since I have done that, my moisture problems are less than before the first time I oiled the windway. I haven’t noticed any negative effects. The key for me is just making sure I wipe away excess, carefully.
There again, some makers caution against it, some recommend it. As we all agree, follow the maker’s instructions.
Not only is it a good idea to follow the owner’s instructions; if those instructions seem incomplete, don’t guess, ask. At least most makers will do repairs and adjustments to give you the instrument you wanted but you can’t expect them to rescue an instrument if you went against their advice.
As a whistlemaker and begginner pipemaker (although I don´t make wooden Whistles), my opinion is that you may always need to oil the windway too:
1 -Because the condesnsation problem
2 -If the windway is not oiled it may get too dry, allowing your whistle to break in this thin part
3 -Because the pipes needs to be oiled although they accumulates less humidity by far.
it´s just an opinion, I hope this can help