I've been pondering for a few days whether it's worth oiling the top on my cheap and cheerful Turkish student oud.
The top is (I believe) spruce, and entirely untreated which would lend itself well to oiling.
I understand that the oil would need to be reapplied periodically which I have no problem doing, but the question is, what sort of oil should I go
with?
I have some teak oil in the shed from a previous project, but whether this will work properly I'm not certain.
As I understand it, teak oil will cause a darkening on spruce unless it's sealed in some way (it's been suggested that a light cost of shellac would
do the trick).
To be honest, I wouldn't mind the wood darkening a little, but it could really do with being treated in some way.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.spyros mesogeia - 2-10-2014 at 07:20 AM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoudalally - 2-10-2014 at 07:33 AM
..ok
Can you expand a little?
Is that a no to treating it at all, or no to teak oil?spyros mesogeia - 2-10-2014 at 07:58 AM
My dear friend,
the soundboard is the most important part of the oud....don't put anything [oil etc]
You will destroy it....
Just play the instrument and make sure to treat it like a baby...no dryness ,no extreme temperatures and no high humidity...
Exactly as a baby :-)
Best
SDr. Oud - 2-10-2014 at 10:13 AM
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, PUT ANY OIL ON THE FACE!
The face can be sealed by a light coating of egg white - strain out the yolk and lumpy stuff, brush or smear it all over the face, then wipe off the
excess.
If there is a finish on the face, remove it, then seal with egg white. If it gets dirty, wipe with a soft cloth with alcohol, then re-seal with egg
white.
shellac finish: remove it by wiping it with 0000 steel wool and denatured alcohol
Varnish rub off with mineral spirits
Lacquer: lacquer thinner
Synthetic epoxies: good luck, oh well.......Lysander - 2-10-2014 at 10:26 AM
I thought the same thing when I got my Turkish oud, but I soon learned not to tamper with it. The top is completely unfinished... but that's the way
the luthier intended. Any oiling/finishing will change the sound. Arabic ouds DO have a finished top but they have a different sound to them and
different lower tunings. Don't experiment with oiling or different tunings other than that which the Turkish oud came with [some people say it's OK to
tune it down to Arabic but I won't even go there]. It's an organic precision instrument, and when it left the shop it was the 'finished article'. hussamd - 2-10-2014 at 11:27 AM
Seriously egg white? Would that leave a smell? Having bought a turkish oud I did also get the urge to finish it with something but I researched it
and got to your conclusions above as not to touch it. It just looked like it needed something jdowning - 2-10-2014 at 12:39 PM
No - egg white does not leave a smell. For lots more information about egg white (or egg white distillate - not the same) as a possible soundboard
finish do a Forum search.
Traditionally Turkish oud sound boards are always left without any finish whatsoever - not even egg white. It is said that the old Turkish master
luthiers would never allow anyone but themselves to handle a sound board during construction for fear of even the slightest oil contamination of the
wood that they believed would be detrimental to the sound of the completed instrument.
To minimise staining of a finish free sound board wear clean clothing (sleeves not bare arms) that contact the soundboard edge and wash hands before
playing. It is sometimes possible to clean up some local surface grime using a draughtsman's soft pencil eraser.hussamd - 2-10-2014 at 02:04 PM
I learned something today. Thanks oudalally - 2-15-2014 at 03:59 AM
Thankyou too all of you!!
I've avoided making a potentially terrible mistake!!!
I shall leave it with no finish, and just restring it I think.
Ebony pegs arrived yesterday so hopefully I can restring and change the pegs this afternoon.bulerias1981 - 2-15-2014 at 09:20 AM
Actually, I don't recommend for anyone to do this unless they know what they're doing, but I actually put a light coat of mineral oil on the
soundboard of all my ouds.Lysander - 2-15-2014 at 09:57 AM
Actually, I don't recommend for anyone to do this unless they know what they're doing, but I actually put a light coat of mineral oil on the
soundboard of all my ouds.
A challenger appears. Dr. Oud - 2-16-2014 at 06:04 AM
....Ebony pegs arrived yesterday so hopefully I can restring and change the pegs this afternoon.
Changing pegs may require re-fitting. Each peg is fitted to its own hole and they should not be mixed up, but always put back in the same place. Why
change pegs anyway? Turklish ouds usually have good pegs, but any peg can become difficult to turn after drying out or due to humidity changes. If
this is the case, you might try conditioning the old pegs with some peg compound. Any music store with violins will have it,. Hill is a good brand, it
looks like brown lipstick and is simply applied around each end of the peg where it contacts the pegbox wall. If you must change the pegs and they
don't fit (very likely) you should have a repair technician who knows how to fit pegs install them.hussamd - 2-16-2014 at 12:56 PM
Actually, I don't recommend for anyone to do this unless they know what they're doing, but I actually put a light coat of mineral oil on the
soundboard of all my ouds.
