[Leon]

I have a wooden mouthpiece I am quite fond of, but have a question about maintaining it. I know it is supposed to be kept dry, and I take care to keep the table and rails dry, but it dries on its own very quickly, which tells me it might need to be oiled. For example, if I play the piece on one song, and flute on the next, by the time I return to the mouthpiece it is dry. My question concerns oiling the piece. How much oil, and doesn't the oil keep it wet? Should I lightly oil it, and then wipe off the moisture? Any tips much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[click]

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?571-care-for-wood-mouthpiece

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?133242-Oiling-wooden-mouthpiece-help!

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?131852-Taking-care-of-a-wooden-mouthpiece

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/archive/index.php/t-219265.html

 

[Pete Thomas]

I have a wooden mouthpiece I am quite fond of, but have a question about maintaining it. I know it is supposed to be kept dry, and I take care to keep the table and rails dry, but it dries on its own very quickly, which tells me it might need to be oiled. For example, if I play the piece on one song, and flute on the next, by the time I return to the mouthpiece it is dry. My question concerns oiling the piece. How much oil, and doesn't the oil keep it wet? Should I lightly oil it, and then wipe off the moisture? Any tips much appreciated. Thanks.

Is it vintage or new? What brand? This info would be useful.

If you are using it in extremely dry conditions (due to aircon or just outside weather conditions) then that could be a problem. This is why people who play harpsichord use humidifiers. (Or just keep a bowl of water underneath it for a cheap option)

If it's new, e.g. Brancher, I would contact them and ask what is best. They will know the best type of oil if that is necessary or the best process to use. It could be the best solution is to just stop it drying out so quickly while on the stand, so just hanging a damp piece of cloth could be the best solution.

If it's a vintage mouthpiece I'd recommend a combination of the above. I would go with very light applocation of raw linseed oil plus some simple humidifier such as a dampcloth draped over it while out on the stand.

 

[Leon]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. The piece is cocobolo wood, pretty hard. By the way, I did do a search but only under the word "wood" in this section. Nothing came up. Thanks again.

 

[milandro]

the search engine doesn't work this way. The best way to search is through the Google Custom Search integrated in the forum.

There are a few areas where you can find this special box. I have always used this one in the middle at the top of the page

https://www.saxontheweb.net

if I type wooden mouthpiece I get 2210 hits and there are lots and lots of threads on maintenance

as for drying and oiling the effectivity of these practices on clarinets is debatable for cracking prevention but for a mouthpiece you may want to prevent warping (although it is next to impossible to prevent a certain change of shapen from dry to wet during playing.
So, it is probably a good idea to dry after use and to oil every now and again, yet mouthpieces have been know to warp or change their shape, regardless of the care that is taken.

Wood as a mouthpiece material was used prior to plastics because there was nothing else but frankly speaking it has to be one of the worst materials to make a mouthpiece with

From http://www.lambersonmouthpieces.com

Fred says "People often ask me about the different materials and how they affect the sound. The material from which mouthpieces are made affects the sound, color, volume and brightness. The harder materials are louder and they project much more, metal especially. Rubber has warmth, acetal has strength and brilliance. Wood has it's own unique sound, it is louder than rubber."

"Whenever you buy a wood mouthpiece you take a gamble since they are susceptable to warping and cracking. Although cracking is extremely rare, warping occurs every time you play. Some pieces may become unplayable after a few of hours of playing. My own bari piece needed 3 major refacings before it got settled in and now it's unstoppable."

G'luck!

About half the wood mouthpieces I work on are significantly unstable. I call one unstable when I take a break from refacing one for several hours, or overnight, and when I go back to it the facing has changed.

 

[click]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. The piece is cocobolo wood, pretty hard. By the way, I did do a search but only under the word "wood" in this section. Nothing came up. Thanks again.

I hope that my suggestions were not taken as a complaint about a failure to search.

Personally, I think that asking questions and getting a discussion going are a good thing in themselves.

When I do not know anything about a subject (most of them are that way) I often do some searching and post results.

I do not intend this to be a suggestion that others should search, but only as a way of moving the discussion along.

 

[milandro]

My intention too, I am never slapping people on the wrist and always offer my best insight and knowledge

but there is nothing to prevent asking questions in another already open thread ( which is why I patiently explain how to use the search function) and OP is aware of the and I commend him or her for trying to find a thread open on this matter.


Obviously was only the search function intricacies which prevented that.

Once you follow up an open thread it will be in the “ last active threads “ anyway (as when you open a new thread) and all the people who have subscribed to the old thread and are still around will get an alert ( which means that that you will reach more interested people), a new thread will be in just a matter of days an old thread and you can only find it with a search

Again on wooden mouthpieces, Theo Wanne came up with “ stable wood” mouthpieces. They are impregnated with resin ( a bit like some clarinets).

Frankly speaking I don’t understand the idea because an impregnated wooden mouthpiece is then virtually synthetic mouthpiece (unless one believes that the vibration of the material do anything to the sound). A bit like those bamboo mouthpieces encapsulated in clear plastic .


Besides, stable wood is no guarantee that nothing will ever happen

 

[Leon]

No problem here - thanks again for the replies.