Howdy!
Since I’ve been using the oil for a few months and the wax for maybe a month I thought I’d post a kind of mini-review of the Doctor’s Products line of woodwind care products.
First off, there’s his bore oil. He claims it’s made of natural oils and antioxidants. I don’t doubt it. It has a nice smell, and an acceptable taste (when inadvertently tasted on the mouthpiece of a wooden whistle). It’s relatively non-greasy, for oil, and is quite easy to apply. Of course, since I’ve not really had trouble with timber cracks, knock on cocus, I can’t tell you if it’s better than linseed or almond oil. It sure as HECK smells better than linseed, though. It’s slightly thinner than almond, though, so it’s easier to get an even coat on the bore. Thumbs up! I’ve used it on pink ivory, red lancewood, cocus, and blackwood, and have liked the way it handled. He claims it’s pad-friendly (for keyed instruments): I have used it on one keyed instrument and haven’t noticed any deterioration of the pads.
Next, there are two things I found buried on his site that I thought I might try. If you look on the second page of his accessories pages, you’ll find his Woodwind Cleaner and Woodwind Wax.
Let me just say I think they’re a must for timber-instrument players. He claims the wax can be used to polish up silver/metal keywork as well, and I don’t doubt it, but my chief goal was to use it on timber. I guess I’ve been frustrated by the fact that when I oil a timber instrument, it looks nice until I pick it up, then my mouth and fingers leave marks. Not a huge deal, but when you spend time on maintenance, I guess you’d like to have something to show for it. Well, here’s what I did. I used the cleaner (which seems like a really mild soap) on instruments made from pink ivory, red lancewood, and blackwood. I figured I’d save the cocus for last. Then, after letting everything dry, I used the woodwind wax as directed. Nice, I thought: you get a really nice shine. Hmm, but it still got fingerprints. So, I polished again, using a little more than recommended by the Doctor, and let the things sit overnight.
Wow! Nice! You know how your car feels after you wash it really well, and then put some NuFinish or whatever on it? That’s how the instruments feel. And they look nice, shiny and sleek. The best part is that, as far as I can tell, what I think is the most important claim he makes about the wax seems to be true: he says that although it repels water, it does allow the wood to breathe. I can say that with my Abell high D, for example (a pink ivory instrument), water beads up on the blade and top of the head a little when I play. Quick shake, and it’s gone. But when I oiled the outside again with the Doctor’sProducts bore oil, it didn’t sheet off like it was being repelled, but instead behaved like it did before I waxed. And even with medium-to-heavy play, the finish is intact.
After the good experiences with the other timbers, I decided to let loose on my cocus R&R. I cleaned it thoroughly with the wood cleaner (amazing how much junk came off, and how nice the cocus looks once cleaned) and waxed it up. Wow, looks like a new flute! Amazing stuff.
I just wanted to share all of this with you because I think this stuff is good and quite reasonably priced. I’ve made two separate orders with the guy, and each has shipped within a day or two. Last time I email-chatted with Mark Hoza, he told me he was having Doctor’s Products bore oil shipped over in a tanker [OK, poetic license on my part] to ship with his Kything instruments.
So, my endorsement. This coming from a blackwood-woodwind player with . . . now let me think . . . about 16 years of experience playing instruments prone to cracking and about 16 years of hearing various opinions regarding TO OIL or NOT TO OIL. I actually learned about these things from a Highland-piper-friend who recommends this stuff as bagpipe oil.
Stuart