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CLEANING AND MAINTAINING THE OBOE
CLEANING AND MAINTAINING THE OBOE
Swabbing Out the Oboe
The oboe should be swabbed out after each time it’s played. Swabbing helps to prevent the residue build-up (there is some residue in the condensation from the breath), which can lead to reoccurring water in the tone holes. Water in the tone holes can create an audible gurgling sound that affects the response and changes the pitch of the affected notes.
Swabbing also helps to prevent cracking in wooden oboes by reducing the moisture in the bore of the instrument, helping to equalize the humidity with the outside of the bore. Too much humidity inside the bore will cause expansion more than on the outside wood, leading to a crack on the surface of the oboe.
Swabs are most commonly either cotton or silk. Some oboists feel cotton swabs leave too much residue in the instrument, and others that silk swabs don’t absorb enough moisture.
Swabs also can be small enough to pull-through the instrument while it is assembled, or non-pull through, so necessitating taking the oboe apart to clean. It can be safer, if more awkward, to use a non-pull-through swab because pull-through swabs can easily develop some kind of knot and get stuck in the narrow end of the top joint. If the swab gets stuck, don’t continue to try to pull through the small end! Instead, use a swab extractor (see below) to pull the swab back out the larger end of the joint.
A feather may be used to spread the moisture evenly around the inside of the bore, especially during the warming up process, helping to inhibit the creation of water “trails” to tone holes. The feather can be used at the end of practice as well, but it does not soak up moisture as well as a swab. Beware of bits of the feather coming off and remaining in the bore.
Problems with Disassembly and Getting the Reed Out
If there is trouble pulling the reed out of the instrument, wiggle the staple back and forth to compress the cork against the side of the well while pulling the reed upward. If the reed seems too slippery to hold on to, use a piece of fabric to gain traction when grabbing the cork. More than one person has slipped their hands off the cork when trying to remove a reed and crushed the reed in the process.
Use cork grease on the reed cork to make it easier to remove, or fine sandpaper to thin the cork. If a reed cork is too thin and loose in the reed well, wrapping it with plumbers tape or cigarette paper, or even dental floss can work in a pinch.
If the instrument has swelled too tightly together to easily take it apart, it is best to leave it together for a while after playing to let the instrument dry out and unswell. Trying to force it apart may bend long rods when grabbing the instrument too tightly. The tenon corks may need to be sanded.
Cleaning Water Out of Tone Holes
If an oboe gurgles on a particular pitch, or in a particular register, it is likely that there is water in a tone hole or octave vent. To find the water, which is most likely somewhere in the top joint, look at the first open hole below the fingering of the gurgling note. There can also be water in the 1st or 2nd octave vent, which can cause notes to gurgle or come out down the octave, particularly in notes using the first octave key.
To clean out the water, use ungummed cigarette paper as it has no residue that will get left on the keys. OCB is a good brand of ungummed cigarette paper, sold online from double reed stores.
Take the oboe apart and put a piece of cigarette paper under the key with water. Then cover all the finger keys and the end while blowing through the instrument and opening and closing the key with water. It may be necessary to use several pieces of cigarette paper, and swab as well to completely eliminate the water.
If water is recurrently plaguing one of the octave keys, most professional oboists learn how to clean the octave vent using an octave vent remover and denatured alcohol (paint thinner).
Perhaps the most reliable way to avoid water condensing in the metal octave vents in the first place, is to cover the top joint at the octave keys with the hand when resting. Keeping this part of the top joint feeling warm to the touch keeps water from condensing in the octave vents, and helps prevent cracking between the trill keys as well.
Often oboists use bore oil or almond oil, not only to help prevent cracking, but also to keep the water moving down through the instrument. Rather than bore oil, some oboists use a silicon spray in the bore of the instrument, the tone holes, and on the octave vents.
Sticky keys
Putting paper money or cigarette paper under the sticking key, closing the key, and pulling out the money or paper can help temporarily to get rid of the stickiness. 600 wet/dry sandpaper can also work in the same manner, but there is danger that sanding too much could make the cork pad uneven and cause a leak. Taking the key off and gently sanding the whole pad evenly works better. If the ring on the pad where it meets the tone hole rim is deep because of age, that may be the reason for the pad sticking, though it can also be a spring that is too tight.
Generally a sticky pad should be replaced as soon as possible.
Oiling the Keys and Bore
Key Oil
The mechanism of the oboe should be oiled with key oil occasionally to keep the keys from binding or sticking. A needle oiler allows the greatest precision. It is used to place a drop of oil at each joint of the keys. Be careful not to get oil on the pads as that may cause them to stick.
If a key is moving sluggishly, unscrew the rod and remove it gently with fingers or a pair of smooth pliers. Clean any stickiness off the rod, and in the key with rubbing alcohol on a cloth and a pipe cleaner. Once clean, apply key oil to the rod and replace in the oboe. A spring hook or screwdriver will be needed to replace the needle springs once the rod is replaced.
Bore oil
Many oboists oil the bore of a wooden oboe, using a few drops of bore oil on a feather which is then spread around the inside of the top and bottom joint before playing. This keeps the bore from drying out and is thought to help prevent cracking.
Oiling the bore should also help water flow through the instrument rather than accumulating in tone holes.
Crack Prevention (for Wooden Instruments)
New instruments are particularly prone to cracking since they have not yet been played much, but any oboe can crack at any time. Cracking will generally occur where the wood is the most narrow, usually between two tone holes drilled close together in the top joint such as the two trill key tone holes.
If an oboe cracks, it is important to have an oboe professional, or better a repairperson evaluate it. Most cracks, though just on the surface, need to be repaired right away to keep them from getting longer and wider. If a crack goes through a tone hole, it will cause the pad to seal improperly, leading to leaking and response problems. If the response of the low notes becomes difficult, and the cause is not an adjustment or a leaking pad, then it may be because of a crack. A visual inspection is usually enough to locate the crack, and a magnifying glass can help distinguish between the sharp line of a crack and a more blurry grain of the wood.
There are currently several ways to repair cracks. With pins, oil or super glue, each more appropriate for different crack situations. If there is a crack running through a tone hole, generally it is better to put in a tone hole insert for better suction.
Rarely a crack goes through all the way to the bore. Generally in those cases the instrument is not easily salvageable.
These are precautions to take to keep a wooden instrument from cracking:
Avoid large temperature changes.
A cold wooden oboe should never be played, as the inside will expand with the warm, wet breath, forcing the cold outside to crack. Always warm the outside of a cold oboe with the hands and body to room temperature before playing. If the performance space is below 65 degrees, it may be prudent to not to play to avoid the risk of cracking. Many professional orchestra contracts have a temperature clause specifying a required temperature range for performance.
Avoid large humidity changes.
If performing in a very dry room, the difference in humidity inside and outside the instrument when playing can cause a crack. If this situation is unavoidable, swab out the oboe every few minutes to keep the inside of the bore as dry as possible. Keep a humidifier, orange peels, or Dampits in the case (not in the bore of the instrument) to keep the oboe well humidified when not being played.
Recent developments include 2-way humidity control (keeping the humidity neither too low or two high) by companies like Boveda. Some players try to control humidity levels for their reeds as well, storing reeds in plastic bags or a humidified case. Care needs to be taken to keep the reeds from molding.
Equipment for Cleaning and Maintaining the Oboe and it's Reed
A small plastic or glass container is used to soak the reed.
Un-gummed Cigarette paper is useful for removing water from under keys and can also help with sticky keys.
Pipe cleaners can be used to clean the inside of the reed. Cut a piece somewhat longer than the whole reed, clean off loose pieces, moisten, and push through a soaked reed, tube end first. ”Real,” rather than craft pipecleaners, work the best.
Cork grease or Vaseline should be used on the oboe tenon corks and the cork of the reed regularly to facilitate easy assembly.
Jewelers screwdrivers are useful for screwing loose rods and screws back in. Rods will work their way loose after a lot of playing, particularly if the rod is dirty or if the instrument is designed badly. Know the difference between rods and adjusting screws. Rods and, in some cases, screws, hold the keys on the oboe, while adjustment screws are perpendicular to the keys, and set in tubes.
A soft brush is good for dusting under the keys. Dirt or dust, combined with key oil, can gum up the mechanism. Be careful to not unhook any needle springs while using the brush.
A soft cloth or lens cleaning cloth can be used to wipe off the keys after playing. A silver polishing cloth is not recommended, as it may create build-up.
600 Sandpaper, wet/dry (very fine), can be used to clean off the cork of the reed or to clean off dirty cork pads.
Instrument Stands are useful for holding an instrument when doubling. There are specific ones for oboe and English horn. There are varying weights of bases, which are more or less sturdy.
Swab extractor A swab extractor is very useful, and avoids the damage caused by trying to get a stuck swab out other ways.
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