When do you need to oil your chanters(abw,cocobolo,boxw etc), do you oil your drone/regs too?What oil?
(Too much almond oil onetime turns kinda “resincombound” by time and stuck woodcells, heard from one oboerestorer. He said that parafin oil and “boneoil” works better .)
It’s not like you’re breathing condensation down it like a flute or oboe… Do you need to oil at all?
You don’t NEED it but last week my pipemaker said to me:
“it wouldn’t harm that set if you oiled the wood now and then mate”
I heard linseedoil, but i think all non sticky stuff works.
Just a little bit is enough, no need to drench the wood in oil..
Then again.., i never do it.. 
My set looks like it’s from an excavation and i’m proud of it! 
Sweet almond (with vitamin E to stop it going rancid) always worked well on the flutes. From a health shop.
Never oiled my Roberts abw. set (8yrs now) too, Dunne recommend to use fine steelwool+Danish oil ,finally wax for boxwood chanter if needed to keep it clean better.
Check with a local music shop that caters to school band instruments. The should have bottles of bore oil for woodwinds. I think Honer makes a line if it. That would be safe for pipes and leave no residue,
Marc
I’ve seen pictures of musicial instruments conditioned with walnut oil. The walnuts were placed in a cloth and lightly tapped with a mallet. The oil soaked into the cloth and the cloth was used (after removing pieces of walnuts) to rub the wood. Only 1 or 2 walnuts were needed to do a clarinet.
I use Neets Foot Oil (it’s made from cows’ hoofs). I find it great. It’s very light and not at all sticky. If I rub it on, it usually takes 5-10 minutes to soak in. Once or twice I’ve poured a few drops onto a square of kitchen towel and then wrapped the chanter (minus the c-top and reed) in the kitchen towel and left it over night.
I usually oil the chanter once a month during winter (Canadian winters are very cold and dry) and perhaps just one or twice for the whole summer.
I wonder if a little Badger Healling Balm I use on these hands when I play is okay on the wood. Ingredients say “pure olive oil, natural beeswax, castor oil, aloe vera extract, and essential oil of sweet birch.” I try to wipe off any excess before I play, and let it soak in the skin. My hands get abused, esp in the dry winter, from working around construction related stuff like cement, etc.
That’s the only one I’d worry about. Make sure that neither you nor your pipes are pregnant. 
Tung oil is a natural finish that will enhance the colour and grain of the wood, penetrate, waterproof, will not break down over time and allows wood to continue its aging process and to develop its patina. Any sign of wear disappears when a thin coat of oil is rubbed in. The maintenance coats, rather than cause a build-up, actually improve the patina as they protect and preserve the wood.
All the best,
CJ
Tung oil is also carcinogenic.
djm
Are you sure??
Pure Tung Oil is recommended for wood finishing of kitchen tables, chopping blocks, counter tops, wood floors or refinishing wood floors and similar uses. Its non-toxic nature makes it particularly appropriate for children’s toys and furniture. It gives good protection to wood paneling and molding.
Pure Tung Oil’s matte finish will do nicely on certain pieces of furniture, but if a glossy finish is preferred you will need to buff and wax the finish, or use polymerized tung oil or a formulated tung oil based product.
We have found tung oil to be a valuable helper in the workshop. It adheres very well to metal, and a light coat rubbed onto tool steel is an effective rust inhibitor. Wooden handles will also benefit from the occasional coat.
FDA: Pure Tung Oil is approved for food contact by the FDA. View document.
from this website:
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html
The last thing a piper needs is to have his or her chanter develop grainoma… 
Tung oil is also used on some high-end guitars and bases.
Sorry. Didn’t mean to be alarmist. I first ran into warnings about tung oil in articles when I was researching interior finishes for untreated log homes. Here’s a few articles that came up:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=6297709
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=2838237
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=6097583
djm
Whatever you do, DON’T use linseed oil!
Say Joe, you and your dog REALLY should approach target and offer to be their mascots in commercials and stuff…
Truth be known, my wife and I have joked around about it. However, Squeegee would eat the film crew… not a good thing I am thinking… we have him on a strict diet.
I occasionally oil my ebony pipes with lemon furniture oil. The blackwood ones always look shiny and oily, so I never have oiled them.
Lemon pipes, yummy!
I have wondered about using cocoa butter. I use that on my bodhran skin though.
Chocolate bodhrans, also yummy!
… yes, but make certain they are solid chocolate, and not hollow.