vasaline

[Grimmell73]

Just rub your cork on the sheep until it's greasy. They're friendly animals. Not that I've tried it myself.

You could go to jail for that.

Depends on where you rub the cork.....

[windman53]

cork grease /vasaline, what is the differences? They are all the same, just with differnt name.

With different name which allow more stories to add into it. You would not believe how much price differenct when they cahnge the name vasaline and give it a special tech name, " Cork grease" .

[clarnibass]

I've seen more corks lose their glue and spin (mainly on clarinets) when people used vaseline or similar as cork grease, enough to decide to recommend against it. I actually prefer some of the more expensive types of cork grease which cost around $3 for a lipstick size tube. BTW that's USA prices. Locally the cheap stuff cost around $3 and the good stuff cost around double that (BTW it is of course a tax deductable expense for a musician).

If you have a decent fit of the corks and play every day, a tube should last at least two years with one clarinet IME. A saxophone only needs it on the neck but there is more surface area, so maybe two saxophones are like one clarinet more or less. A bass clarinet is a little more. So a $3 tube of good cork grease should probably last at least a year if you play four saxophones every day, or two clarinets every day. though I've seen some not finish their lipstick tube of cork grease, playing two saxophones almsot every day, even after three or four years.

If you need to put cork grease every time you assemble your instrument(s) then IMO there is a problem. Either the type of cork grease, or the fit of the corks and/or tenons. At most, I need to put cork grease once a week, and usually significantly less, sometimes not even more than once a month.

Price isn't an issue. It's just that cork grease doesn't do the job very well. It's actually sticky, and does not lubricate sufficiently.

Some cork grease is sticky and I don't like it for that reason. One type that is very stick is Ultimax. My favorite type is Alisyn, which feels a little more like hand cream and isn't so greasy or sticky at all. I also like Doctor Slick, which is a little more greasy but also not sticky.

[adamk]

My mouthpieces fit very well so I rarely use any grease. If I don't play a particular horn for awhile I wil grease it. If I play every (or almost every) day I don't use any.

[bechisbest]

I've been using vasaline forever. It works better than cork grease, and doesn't seem to harm the cork any in my opinion.

Now that is what I wanted,thanks Renman.

[Face Ache Mike]

...It irks me to pay an extortionate amount of money for a tiny tube of cork grease...

I just worked out what it would cost to make a small run of 100% lanolin based, lipstick type cork grease.

250g (50x5g) lanolin = £13.35 = 26.7p each
50x lipstick dispensers = £23.00 = 46p each
Labour at minimum wage of £6 per hour, estimating 50 per hour = 12p each

Total is 84.7p each.

Add the cost of a label if they are going to be marketed and you`ll see that to buy them from a shop at around £1 each is very good value.

Of course, manufacturers will make them in the thousands rather than 50 but this is what it would cost you and I to make them at home.

[Dog Pants]

I've spent the week teaching new kids (8-11 years) clarinet. About 50 of them. I tell all the kids to get mum to buy a stick of lip balm (chap stick). vaseline is just asking to get sticky fingers everywhere. You want grease on the corks and nowhere else. vaseline won't harm the corks but why use something that gets all over your fingers? As if clarinet wasn't hard enough already without greasy, sticky fingers. I don't want anything too runny or wet like some lanolins are. if you've ever used real lanolin as opposed to the drug store (chemist) stuff you'll see that the latter has water etc added.

The proprietary stuff works well but IMO is like shooting a rabbit with an elephant gun. The main point with cork grease is to use a very little very often and clean the tenon regularly where the excess builds up. Also keep an eye on the bridge and C#/G# keys on the upper joint because you'll often get a build up of excess grease here and wonder why the C#/G# is leaking or sticking. On the top tenon of the upper joint, too much grease or too slippery a grease will make any tuning adjustments null and void as the barrel won't stay put. Same with adjustments to lower joint and bell. Cork grease isn't so much about making the joints easy to put together but rather preserving the cork.

[Gordon (NZ)]

Vaseline is indeed a prime suspect for wrecking the structure of the cork (i.e. it's resilience - bounciness) &/or somehow getting to the cork glue and wrecking that. I've seen it many times.

And most cork greases, (and especially the Micro brand in a little red and white square container) cause a build up of a dried-out, gooey mess. This has high viscosity and "claims space" between the cork and the socket, eventually compressing the cork to a state that the joint would not even stay together if it were not for that sticky, gooey mess. Clean the mess off and the joint is loose.

Cork greases often leave a stickiness on both the fingers and the cork. That transfers to a mess in the case, or from the fingers to the keys unless the player is attentive to the issue) As Clarnibass said, it is like a moisturiser on the fingers. And best of all, it is so good that you use about 10 times less than pretty much any other brand.

So which cork grease does not have these issues? Alisyn. (Aerospace Lubricants Incorporated). And Doctor's Products' natural grease is pretty good too.

No, Alisyn is not cheap. Even in bulk it costs dozens of $ per pound. And the small container is pretty crappy. (For a start, the lid breaks off for a start, unless one is pretty careful.)

Try it, and you are unlikely to use another again. But for goodness sake, clean off all that gummy mess before you use it.

http://syntheticlubricants.aerospace...-slide-grease?

[Oric Muso]

Clarnibass comments reflect my own experience. We get to see a lot of instruments from schools etc and you notice that the instruments with cork dropping off the joints also have a tin of Vaseline in the case. It does seem to react with the glue. I doubt it rots the cork but it doesn't seem to protect it as well as a decent cork grease.

When you apply cork grease it really needs rubbing in withthe fingers. If you stick a bit on and don't rub it in, it tends to squish up through the joint as it is assembled and can work it's way on to the pads.

A basic cork grease can be made from tallow, lanolin and wax. Just melt it down in a pot and pour it into some containers to set. Trouble with lanolin is that it stinks and some people are allergic to it. With these being natural products it can go off. It's best kept cool.

[tictactux]

Ugh. The last (well, second to last) thing I want from a cork grease is that it stinks in the case.

I agree with Oric that grease best be rubbed in a bit (smearing with chapstick over the cork doesn't really help as most will simply be shoved away or accumulates in the corner of the tenon).

My preferred brand has a shelf life of at least 10 years (found some old pots in the band's dungeon), has a faint orangey scent and likes to be rubbed in a bit. A 2g pot lasts about 2 years per clarinet.

[bechisbest]

Clarnibass comments reflect my own experience. We get to see a lot of instruments from schools etc and you notice that the instruments with cork dropping off the joints also have a tin of Vaseline in the case. It does seem to react with the glue. I doubt it rots the cork but it doesn't seem to protect it as well as a decent cork grease.

When you apply cork grease it really needs rubbing in withthe fingers. If you stick a bit on and don't rub it in, it tends to squish up through the joint as it is assembled and can work it's way on to the pads.

A basic cork grease can be made from tallow, lanolin and wax. Just melt it down in a pot and pour it into some containers to set. Trouble with lanolin is that it stinks and some people are allergic to it. With these being natural products it can go off. It's best kept cool.

Now I get to read this after I have bought a jar of vasaline nearly as big as my own big head,oh dear dear.

[tictactux]

Now I get to read this after I have bought a jar of vasaline nearly as big as my own big head,oh dear dear.

Maybe the sheep are fond of it...?

[daigle65]

Vaseline is indeed a prime suspect for wrecking the structure of the cork (i.e. it's resilience - bounciness) &/or somehow getting to the cork glue and wrecking that. I've seen it many times......

I would take Gordon's advice.

[bandmommy]

You guys are NOT allowed on my farm!

[Ed Geddes]

I use the stuff Gordan supplies and have had no issues with excess,stickyness or cork breakdown. And 5 mils has lasted me and 5 saxes for 2 years and I've got enough left over for another year.

[Gordon (NZ)]

I use the stuff Gordan supplies and have had no issues with excess,stickyness or cork breakdown. And 5 mils has lasted me and 5 saxes for 2 years and I've got enough left over for another year.

What you buy from me is Alisyn (that I have bought in bulk)

BTW, pure lanoline is a very, very sticky, gooey material to get on the lining of an instrument case, and equally gooey on the fingers, both of which are reasons I have not even tried it on tenon cork. I don't know if it dries out - I don't allow it to - but it is an outstanding lubricant to use when adjusting the diameter of flute tenons. I bought mine from engineers supplies! (Of course it would have been home grown in NZ where we have 43 million sheep, one for every 14 people ) Yes, it stinks!

[Oric Muso]

Now I get to read this after I have bought a jar of vasaline nearly as big as my own big head,oh dear dear.

There are other uses!
I think it was the inventor that thought a teaspoon a day would do him good, which is what he did. He lived in to his 90s - or so I was told.

Vaseline had been recommended for various applications on instruments and I don't think it is good on any of them. I thought of starting a campaign to ban it from instrument cases as I got so sick of seeing it - and the results of its use. The only good thing about it is that it is cheap.

[clarnibass]

Of course it would have been home grown in NZ where we have 43 million sheep, one for every 14 people

I didn't realize NZ has over 600,000,000 people

[bandmommy]

Vasaline is best kept for preventing diaper rash.

[bechisbest]

Vasaline is best kept for preventing diaper rash.

I hope that is down the pike a little,I am still continant for the time being