Caring for your wooden oboe - essential tips for keeping your instrument in good condition.

How to care for your oboe - a beginners guide

Essential tips for keeping your instrument in good condition.

• Before opening the case, place it on a flat, stable surface. Hold the top and bottom joints firmly, line the sockets up and with a slight twisting motion push the joints together.  Be aware of any link keys across the joints, and ensure that they are not fouling. Repeat with the bell.  If the joint feels tight, apply some grease sparingly to the cork joint.  Wipe hands before playing. (Also, see Troubleshooting Note 2)

Note: Old dirty grease should always be cleaned off with a rag before applying new grease.

• If you lay the instrument on a table, always ensure that it rests on the right hand mechanism in order not to damage the delicate left hand low B/Bb mechanism.
• Avoid playing a new instrument for lengthy periods. Short sessions of around 15 minutes, several times a day are preferable.  The more the keys are activated the better however, as this will help to avoid key seizures. (See Troubleshooting Note 1)
• Always mop out the inside after playing.  Use silk cloths or a pull-through, never feathers which deposit grease and dirt inside the instrument.  Always disassemble the joints!
• Carefully wipe the keywork with a soft cloth before returning the instrument to its case, in order to prevent tarnish and acid corrosion from the moisture in your fingers.
• Try to avoid sudden changes in temperature and humidity, especially in winter.  Blowing warm moist air through an oboe that has been in a cold place can have serious consequences.

N.B. DO NOT alter the regulation on adjusting screws without fully understanding their use. Most oboes have only two screws (three if the 3rd octave is fitted) intended for self-regulation. These are for adjustment of venting for high notes.

Troubleshooting.

1. The most common problem with a new oboe is probably sticking keys.  As wood is hygroscopic, it will expand and contract as humidity levels change. This is especially apparent if the instrument is kept in a dry atmosphere. This causes the pillars which support the keys to move very slightly, and sometimes pinch the keys and prevent them from moving up and down. This is particularly common with the horizontally mounted keys such as the F vent and Eb keys. If the problem does not rectify itself after introducing some humidity into the environment, (consider keeping a special humidifier in the case) easing the keys should only be attempted by a skilled technician.
   
   
2. In order to prevent movement between the joints, it is necessary for the tenon joints to have very close tolerances. On models without metal tenon liners, a slight shrinkage in the wood can cause the tenon to become too tight to fit together. This can be simply remedied by lightly sanding the wood either side of the cork joint with a thin strip of abrasive cloth or paper.
   N.B Take care not to sand the cork, and keep checking the joints as it is important that they are not loose!
   
3. Difficulty in obtaining low notes is often the result of adjusting screws bedding into the cork cushions between keys and compromising airtightness. A new instrument will often need re-regulating during its early life. This should only be carried out by a skilled technician, unless you fully understand the use and regulation of adjusting screws.
   
   
4. Because of the complex and delicate mechanism of an oboe, a bent key can render the instrument unplayable.  The low B/Bb and C#/Eb mechanisms are the most vunerable, even a jolt inside the case can seize these keys.  This is work for a skilled technician only.
   
   
5. Problems in obtaining high notes (high C# and above) can invariably be remedied by adjusting the venting on the left hand first finger plate and the right hand mid finger plate.  

Oiling.

Constant periods of exposure to warm moist air followed by drying out will cause stress to the wood and occasional applications of oil are necessary to keep the wood in prime condition.  As a rule, it will be obvious when the instrument needs oiling.  If the inside of the bore looks and feels dry, a light application of oil will be beneficial.  The oil should be as light as possible and of vegetable origin.  E.g. Almond or raw linseed oil (never boiled linseed oil).  The oil should be smeared onto a mop kept for the purpose and twirled inside the bore.  Never apply enough oil to drip into the tone holes - a little is often the secret.  For the first six months, apply oil once a month (more often in very dry conditions), thereafter six-monthly applications should keep the wood in good condition.

Likewise, the mechanism will benefit from a six-monthly oiling.  This should be a light mineral oil applied sparingly to each key joint.  Special oil applicators can be purchased to do this job very cleanly and efficiently.  After applying the oil, operating all the mechanisms for a short time will draw the oil into the keys.