Mollenhauer / Care

Playing-in
Oiling a Recorder
Jeopardy
Anti-Condens
Tenon Grease

 

Playing-in

Playing-in a recorder is in part the process of familiarising the instrument with new conditions of moisture and temperature, and in part familiarising the player with the new instrument. Thus it is best play on your new recorder for no longer than 10 or 15 minutes at a time each day. Don’t over-do things in this phase. Concentrate on playing calm phrases without forcing the high register. After each playing session, take the instrument to pieces, clean it and let it dry in the air. Protect it from heat, direct sunlight, or the influence of a central heating. Always store the instrument in pieces to avoid cracks in the joints.

Mollenlhauer Recorder Oil

Oiling the Body

Oiling the Foot

Oiling the Head

Oiling the Lip

Oiling the Beak

Cleaning the Lip (and also the beak)

Recorder Oil

A frequently asked question is how to care for the recorder. Generally this means oiling the recorder. It is good to understand that a recorder needs oil to protect it’s the wood from which it is made. In particular, a recorder must be protected from the negative influence of moisture. For this we use two different types of oil.

There is vegetable oil (almond, linseed, olive, etc.) and mineral oil (sewing-machine oil, for instance). We need mineral oil only for instruments with key-work. This oil never hardens and serves to keep the key mechanism flexible. Due to its chemical composition, vegetable oil cures and hardens as it dries. This special feature can be used to protect the wood perfectly – hardened oil fills the pores of the surface of the wood. On keys, this kind of stabilisation would produce a harmful effect! Never put vegetable oil on key-work!

Linseed oil is a very fast, hardening oil the smell of which is not to everybody’s taste. Sweet almond oil can be used as an alternative. In general, every part of the recorder should be oiled except the inner surfaces formed by the block and the windway.

Start oiling like this: Put some oil on an old cleaning mop. Get your instrument and hold it with the window facing upwards. Insert the oily mop from the head-joint tenon into the recorder’s bore and stop moving it close before the block by turning carefully. It is recommended to practise this procedure with a dry mop and optionally mark the deepest position with a sign on the handle. Then lightly oil the instrument’s external surface. The lip should be oiled carefully with a small paint-brush brush or a pipe-cleaner. Place the instrument on a plate for several hours. Finally, wipe off any oil remaining on the internal and external surfaces of the instrument.

Attention:
Note that linseed oil can self-ignite, especially on mops or rags. Never leave a cleaning mop or an oily rag alone. Although linseed oil seldom ignites under such circumstances it is unpredictable therefore requires special attention.

At Mollenhauer we treat it like this: We put used oily cleaning mops and patches in water. So we put out a fire before it can ignite. This is safer by far. 

For further information please
contact us:
 
Tel: +49(0)661/9467-33
E-Mail: sevice@mollenhauer.com

Mollenhauer 
Anticondens

Anti-Condens

Clogging is the result of condensed water or little drops in the windway. Before commencing playing, the head-joint should be warmed by holding it in your hand for a few minutes. You can also purchase Mollenhauer’s Anti Condens at your music shop which improves the flow of the water out of the windway. Drip some drops of Anti Condens in the windway and blow them out after a while by cupping your hands over the head joint and blowing through the window.

If you have continuing problems with clogging after a period of playing-in the recorder the block may have swollen too high. In this case, please feel free to contact us!

Tel: +49(0)661/9467-0.

Mollenhauer Grease also available in little case