Ok, I had a piccolo that was in storage for about 2 years, and I thought it worked, at a football game, i realized the G and Bb were stuck, my director didnt have oil, so he used 3 in 1 oil. It nearly killed me to watch.
It worked, and i was able to play, but did this somehow damage my piccolo?
3-in-1 oil is not ideal, but it shouldn't do any permanent harm. The real danger is applying too much oil so that it soaks into the pads. If that happens, the only real fix is have the pads replaced. It would be a good idea though to take it into a flute repair shop to get a clean, oil, and adjust (COA). If the keys were sticking, then there is probably old oil residue and the only way to properly take care of it is a COA. With a COA, all the keys are removed, the steel shafts are cleaned and re-oiled to prevent the problem from happening again. Also, it's checked for leaks and adjusted for good working order. If any pads are damaged, the repair tech can take care of those at the same time.
Depends upon the shop and how much extra work is needed. Generally starts around $50 for minimal work. Really good pro flute shops may charge $200 and up.
If applying 3 in 1 loosens up a pivot, then it is almost certain that that pivot has jammed because of gummy deposits in the pivot.
These gummy deposits are almost certainly the long term result of using an unsuitable oil (such as 3 in 1) which contains additives that are left behind after any solvents in the formulation have evaporated, and the lubricant has gradually evaporated.
This is why most enlightened technicians do not use automotive lubricants, which typically contain special-purpose additives to deal with the hostile environment in motor vehicle engines.
It is also why many enlightened technicians now use totally synthetic oils, which offer better lubrication, less 'migration' to the wrong places, higher resistance to rust, are slower to evaporate, and leave no gummy deposit when they do eventually evaporate.
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