Oboe Oiling Procedure

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Two items are needed to oil the bore of your oboe.
1. Bore oil. (Do not use a petroleum based oil.)
2. Turkey Feather. I use real tail turkey feathers, usually about 14-16 inches long.

 

Hold the upper joint of the oboe in one hand with the keys facing up. DO NOT put oil in the bore of an oboe with the keys facing down, because the oil will go straight into the tone holes. Put 4-5 drops of bore oil into the bore at the center tenon. Place the feather in the bore and slide the feather back and forth to distribute the oil evenly throughout the inside of the bore. Pull the feather out and sight down the bore to see if the oil is distributed evenly or if you need more oil. If you are using a brand new feather you may need to repeat this step because the feather will soak up most of the oil the first time through. Once the inside bore is nicely coated you must also oil the outside. To oil the outside, use the residual oil from the feather by rubbing the feather on the outside of the wood. Since the feather is so small on the very end, you can very carefully rub the feather under the keys and around the pads to get as much of the outside covered as possible. When an oboe is correctly oiled it should look like there is an even, thin layer of oil. There should not be oil running off the oboe or standing inside the bore. Use this same procedure for the lower joint and the bell. I suggest oiling your oboe at night after you have finished playing for the day. Once the oil has been applied, lay the oboe out on your desk or other sturdy surface. Do not place the oboe back in its case at this point. The next morning if the oil is gone, then your oboe needed it and it would be safe to do the oiling procedure again soon. If the oil is still on the oboe the next morning, then your oboe didn’t need the oil and you could wait a couple months until applying oil again. With a paper towel lightly wipe away excess oil from body and swab the inside bore. I also take cigarette papers and place them under all the pads to remove any oil that is on the pads and tone holes. Oil attracts dust so it is best to clean all excess oil from the body and pads.

Click here to see Jason demonstrate this oiling procedure.

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