I'm not disagreeing with Ken, but I will say that I personally don't put
oil down the slide tubes using any method because I'm blessed with a
constitution that doesn't turn brass green. My valves look like new and they
are fast fast fast!
If you do put oil in there, you do run a good risk of melting some slide
grease and getting that mix into the valves. Even if you are like a surgeon
and get the oil ONLY onto the rotors, if you use enough, it will wander
elsewhere. If that happens, your valves will feel good right after you oil
them, they will get slower and slower as the oil evaporates and the grease is
left behind. Well, OK that's the risk you run for keeping your valves from
turning green and eating themselves up. A good tradeoff, probably. Just means
having to clean the horn more often. If your valves are loose and leaky
enough, it probably won't make any difference anyway.
I used to sit next to a fellow who, every morning, would put seemingly a
half gallon or so of valve oil down every tube of his horn. Then he would warm
up on a bunch of scales, and I always wondered why his scales sounded so slurpy
- sloppy. Then one day we switched horns. Zounds! I don't know how anybody
could put up with such molasses-slow valves. That explained those blorpy
scales. 75% of the horns that come into my shop feel pretty much that same
way. Good for SLOW music!
I never have to regrease my slides either, the grease stays nice and thick
which has a leak-preventing advantage. If you plug up most horns, put them
under water and blow air into them, you'll see bubbles coming out of the slide
tubes. That kind of leakage will give you a fluffy sound right there.
There you go, just some observations. There are many right choices,
depending on who you are.
- Steve Mumford
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