Oiling Keys

Irish Flute
1

Hi - I’ve a blackwood flute with block mounted keys. I see lots of posts on oiling the flute - that’s ok.

I was wondering about oiling the keys - apologies if that was mentioned elsewhere. I’m going to take off the keys and really give the silver work a good clean / oil the flute without the keys to give it a good cleaning.

I was wondering about putting a little oil onto the keys/silver pin holding it to the block - what is typically used there (if anything)?
I think that almond oil will just absorb into the block/around the pin or will make things greasy so was wondering what would be best (aka what do the manufacturers/Pros use?)

Thanks,

Neil

2

Whenever I have oiled a keyed flute I usually set the pins and keys aside. When you take them off take care to keep the pins with the right key. I ran into a bit of a puzzle when I started doing this since pins and blocks are ever so slightly different. If your keys need a polish be very careful not to get any polish on the pads. I have sometimes used the treated silver care cloths that are impregnated with some polish, but not enough to drip on anything.

You also do need to wipe down the channels. If oil that is not absorbed ends up pooling and gooing up the walls the keys may end up sticking a bit.

My favorite flute is pin mounted. That takes an extra bit of care since removing the keys is complicated. In this case I wrap the key pad and cup with saran wrap or a similar cling film to protect them and oil around them.

3

Thanks for the reply & your thoughts.

I’ve been very careful about the keys and pins and kept them together. I’m using a polishing cloth to just give them a little clean (bit of silver tarnish).

If I read between the lines there is no oil to be put on the areas where the pins/blocks/keys meet - I was wondering if anything could be put there to keep the keys moving smoothly. If anything I’m reading that the main thing is to make sure nothing (residue from silver polishing cloth, oil in channels etc) in fact is left after the cleaning.
So the answer seems to be - use nothing and make sure there’s no oil/residue on pins/blocks/keys.

Thanks,

Neil