On 27 Oct 2008 at 10:40, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I use neatsfoot and have had no problems. > c > I heartily endorse Christopher's opinion.
However, the quality of the neatsfoot is of paramount importance. There is a lot of inferior stuff on the market. I think we should be talking only about pure neatsfoot. It should be a clear liquid even down to quite low temperatures. Personally, I have been using Fiebing's oil. As neatsfoot oil is a saturated animal oil, it does not dry out and mixes well with beeswax on the thread wrappings on various parts of the pipes. It seems to stay where it is put pretty well. I find absolutely no problem and see no reason to change. It has been in use within the piping community over many years. If the chanter seems to be drinking oil I would certainly use olive oil or raw linseed oil in the bore. these will penetrate the pores in the woodeand set to provide a shiny surface which will improve the tone of the wood. For Olive oil I prefer a very light coloured oil and I leave the bottle in sunshine to bleach it. In my youth, olive oil was only obtainable from a chemist and was used as a laxative and to dissolve earwax. You certainly wouldn't cook with it or consume it except in dire need. Some pipers have used Almond Oil. I keep well away from liquid paraffin. It is chemically inert and there is very little chance of it clinging to the wood. I fear that as a solvent it will draw the natural oils out of the wood and may cause damage if used for extensive periods. Similarly, I suspect it will dissolve the beeswax on the thread wrappings, causing them to dry out and wear out. Barry To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
