Newbie question about Linseed Oils

kumquattery · Post by **kumquattery** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:53 pm

Hi all, more Newbie questions

So I went to an enormous art store looking for various types of linseed oil. They had nothing described as "raw" linseed oil, but had "cold pressed", "refined" (alkali extracted), "thickened", linseed oils as well as linseed oil for the stand (easel?).

The only one of these that seems to be raw linseed oil is the "cold pressed" one (appparently the hardware store sells heat-pressed raw linseed oil). The problem (for me, anyway) is that the cold pressed linseed oil is quite expensive at $15 a bottle.

Does anyone out there have experience figuring out which linseed oil is right for keeping up wooden flutes?

Thanks in advance,
kumquattery

bradhurley · Post by **bradhurley** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:20 pm

A good alternative is to go to a health-food store and get flaxseed oil, which is the same thing as linseed oil but it's food-grade. You have to keep it in the fridge. A small bottle should last you a year or more.

johnkerr · Post by **johnkerr** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:39 am

Depending on where you live, you may not even need to go to a health food store to buy flaxseed oil. I get mine at Whole Foods, which is a nationwide chain of organic grocery stores. I believe it doesn't need to be refrigerated until after you open the bottle, so it will probably be found on the shelf with the other cooking oils rather than in the refigerator case. Another alternative to flaxseed/linseed oil that a lot of flute players use is almond oil. I keep hearing that you need to get it with Vitamin E added to keep it from going rancid, but I've never worried about that when buying oils of any kind and you know I've never had any oil go rancid on me. But I guess it's a consideration. Really, almost any food grade oil will work - I know at least one flute player who uses olive oil. You might want to vary your choice of oil depending on what you're having for dinner the night of the session, in deference to those sitting downstream from you. If you have the almond-crusted flounder, go with the almond oil, but for the garlicky pasta dish choose olive oil. Big Mac? I guess the generic Wesson oil would work. Wouldn't want to mix and match...

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:48 am

Not popular on the message board, but where I used to work we used boiled linseed oil, bought by the gallon at ACE hardwear, for all the instruments.

Loren

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:53 am

johnkerr wrote:Wouldn't want to mix and match...

Do hose-clamps need a specific type of oil?

bradhurley · Post by **bradhurley** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 8:08 am

GaryKelly wrote:
johnkerr wrote:Wouldn't want to mix and match...
Do hose-clamps need a specific type of oil?

Yes: 3-in-1 is highly recommended for hose clamps, with a bit of Vitamin C oil to ensure that fresh citrus smell.

Craig Stuntz · Post by **Craig Stuntz** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 8:21 am

johnkerr wrote:I keep hearing that you need to get it with Vitamin E added to keep it from going rancid, but I've never worried about that when buying oils of any kind and you know I've never had any oil go rancid on me. But I guess it's a consideration.

Many (but not all) food oils already have anti-rancidity ingredients added, I think. I've had food oil go rancid before, but thankfully have never had it happen on an instrument.

dow · Post by **dow** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 9:59 am

bradhurley wrote:
GaryKelly wrote:
johnkerr wrote:Wouldn't want to mix and match...
Do hose-clamps need a specific type of oil?
Yes: 3-in-1 is highly recommended for hose clamps, with a bit of Vitamin C oil to ensure that fresh citrus smell.

Well, maybe. It really depends on what type of sports car the hose clamps came from originally.

bradhurley · Post by **bradhurley** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 10:13 am

dow wrote: Well, maybe. It really depends on what type of sports car the hose clamps came from originally.

f

Actually for hose clamps from sports cars, Marvel Mystery Oil is recommended. 3-in-one is for household hoseclamps only.

dow · Post by **dow** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:28 am

Of course! Marvel Mystery Oil. I'd completely forgotten about that stuff.

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:54 am

dow wrote:Of course! Marvel Mystery Oil. I'd completely forgotten about that stuff.

Hmm, come to think of it, I'm not certain some of that didn't get mixed into the vH "secret oil concoction" as well, the boss was quite fond of MMO......

Loren

johnkerr · Post by **johnkerr** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:36 pm

Loren wrote:Not popular on the message board, but where I used to work we used boiled linseed oil, bought by the gallon at ACE hardwear, for all the instruments.
Loren

When I first got my Olwell flute back in 1992, Patrick wasn't as specific in his oiling instructions as he is now. He said to use linseed oil, so I went to the hardware store and bought a gallon jug labelled "linseed oil" and started using it. A year or so later, I was around when he warned someone else about the difference between raw and boiled linseed oil, and to only use the raw kind because the other would build up on the inside of the flute like furniture varnish, sealing it off and ruining your flute. Until then, I wasn't even aware there were different kinds of linseed oil! So I went home and looked at my gallon jug, and sure enough it was the banned boiled kind. I immediately quit using it (hiding my shame from Patrick and all others, until now), but fortunately there had been no adverse effects on the flute. Probably that was because even then I didn't oil all that often. (Now I hardly ever do - usually only when I get so frustrated by a bump in my playing that I'll try anything, so why not oil the flute and see if that helps?) I guess daily applications of the boiled oil might build up severely after a year or so, but if you only put it on every couple of months it would take years before adverse effects would start showing up.

regor · Post by **regor** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:13 pm

Sorry for the stupid question, but what's wrong with Bore Oils? Why do/would makers of Bore Oils for flute waste their time and perhaps money producing/packaging something that isn't as good as a simple inexpensive home brew (e.g. walnut oil + Vitamine C)?

bradhurley · Post by **bradhurley** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:32 pm

regor wrote:Sorry for the stupid question, but what's wrong with Bore Oils? Why do/would makers of Bore Oils for flute waste their time and perhaps money producing/packaging something that isn't as good as a simple inexpensive home brew (e.g. walnut oil + Vitamine C)?

You might want to do a search for "oil" and "oiling" on the forum as the topics of oils and the frequency of oiling have been discussed here in depth quite a bit. My understanding (which may be wrong, I haven't been paying much attention) is that bore oils contain mineral oils that may be harmful to wood over many years of use. On the other hand, some flute makers recommend bore oil for their flutes, so the jury's probably still out on that question.

The best advice seems to be to follow the maker's advice for the type of oil to use on your flute. If you didn't buy from a maker, I'd use either flaxseed oil or almond oil, which are readily available.

I have it easy in this regard, as the maker of my flute told me "don't oil it." So I don't. Even when I had flutes in the past that I oiled, I didn't oil them more than once or twice a year. I've never had any cracks or other problems.

dow · Post by **dow** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:42 pm

bradhurley wrote:...I have it easy in this regard, as the maker of my flute told me "don't oil it." So I don't. Even when I had flutes in the past that I oiled, I didn't oil them more than once or twice a year. I've never had any cracks or other problems.

Just out of curiosity Brad, who made your flute, and what's it made out of?

Thanks.