Oils for Woodwind Instruments

People ask us all the time what we recommend for instrument oiling, so we have started bottling the exact oils we use in house for you to also use at home.  

Bore Oil:
Our bore oil is made from a sweet almond oil blend.  We like to apply it using the Howarth Oboe Mops (they work for clarinet too, especially the larger one of the set). Bore oil is a natural oil and although it contains antioxidants to minimize rancidity it should be replaced every year.  

Key Oil:
For newer instruments and for pinned mechanisms on oboes we like to use the Medium Weight Key Oil.  It is a synthetic oil that we like because it is clean and doesn't evaporate quickly.  This oil is thin enough to wick into the mechanism when applied lightly to the post and key edges.  

For older instruments we like the Heavy Weight Key Oil.  It takes up some of the space that the wear in the mechanism has created.  It does not wick as well from posts and key edges and should be applied during reassembly.  It is also a synthetic oil.  

Because the key oils are synthetic they do not spoil and do not need to be replaced every year like bore oil does.