Re: How do ya oil 'em?


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Posted by Ken Herrick on October 27, 2001 at 17:58:50:

In Reply to: How do ya oil 'em? posted by Nick on October 27, 2001 at 13:10:12:

The preferred method is to remove the valve bearing plate and valve to make certain the valve and casing are perfectly clean. (A search of the archives should find some good posts on how to do this) I would recommend that you find a good instrument tech who will let you observe how this is done as it is easy to do real damage if you use the wrong tools or procedures. While there, you might have him drill an oil port through the bearing plates so that you can inject some oil into the valves periodically. I do not like the idea of running oil down valve tubing or lead pipes as it is likely to carry dirt or grease to the valve which ultimately defeats the purpose and can even cause damage. If you are having the horn serviced annually you should have little problem keeping the valves working nicely by having the oil ports put in. A point to keep in mind is that oil not only lubricates; it acts as a corrosion inhibitor. Many players feel their valves are okay without oil until the finally corrode to the point of jaming or become so badly pitted that they start leaking. Just like with a car engine, new oil is a lot cheaper than new parts!

I recently had to do an emergency repair job on the trigger valve of a trombone in a hotel room the night before a contest! Fortunately, I knew there was a problem so grabbed a few tools to take along. A staple had somehow gotten into the valve and the player had forced the valve resulting in the rotor and casing both being burred. Moral to story (leaving out the details of the job) If valve jams don't force it - get it to a competent tech if you don't have experience with repairs as it is very easy to cause more damage.


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