Sticky Valves

[picju96]

Which is the best type of valve oil? I was wondering what you lot thought and use.

[Keppler]

I use Al Cass.. nice and light with no residue..

although, I am informed that the Yamaha oil is pretty good too..

[sparkling_quavers]

argh...valve oil...... now we are really onto the serious talk! :lol:
yamaha is good....that is what i used.....until mine dissappeared!! :cry:

[Singapore Northern Lass]

I use Besson, never had a problem with my sovreign, but the Yamaha didn't like it, had to oil twice a practice!!!!

[satchmo shaz]

cant beat al cass, well you can actually i have a friend in the oil trade and he got me 3 pint of very fine oil just as good as valve oil for 17p!, just shows how much profit the're making !!

[gorgeous_bari!_player]

i dont use any valve oil - i go 4 the cheap stuff - if i eva get a sticky valve spit is always the best option - chaeap and u cant forget it at that crutial time :lol:

[Matthew]

i dont use any valve oil - i go 4 the cheap stuff - if i eva get a sticky valve spit is always the best option - chaeap and u cant forget it at that crutial time :lol:

Yeah, but hard to 'bring up' if you're nervous?!! :)

[Matthew]

I must admit one of the best valve oil's I've come accross recently is the 'Courtois' valve oil. It's very effective and very light, doesn't pong (like the Holton valve oil for example!) and works like a charm. :)

[cornetshell]

I like blue juice- always use it - can't stand Yamaha always seems to leave the valves worse than before i oiled them/they need doing quite a few times i practice to maintain smoothness....

but of course spit is a very good alternative

:grnsm

[HBB]

I use Al Cass ... but is it me or does it seem to be geting more and more expensive?????

[On the Horn]

I use al Cas and yeah I think it is getting on in price - may have to go back to licking the valves.

[Valvecap]

Think i already posted this elsewhere...

Soak the BOTTOM half of the valve in coke overnight (strips the mess off it - bit like the dentist and penny demo when your a kid - "this is what it does to your teeth you know"

Small amount of comfort (or other fabric softner) in water - (bout 1 part softner to 20 parts water) and mix... put it in a spray bottle (like trombone spray bottle or something) and spray on the rinsed valves. Softner stops the grease coming back and leads to fast valves - occasionally rinse and respray (like once a sheffield flood - or should that be a Tim Henman win)

Works for me...

[Pythagoras]

I use blue juice, seems to be the only one the shops near me sell.

[On the Horn]

I'll give that one a try valvecap - sticky valves get right up my nose - may take a lot of coke to get the snot off.

[geordiecolin]

blue juice all the way!!

[groovy]

I couldn't find my valve oil to check, (my room is a tip! :roll: )but I think its Hinderson.

Its pretty good, its lasted for ages and it was only £1.50. I hardly need to use it, my valves rarely need "servicing."

I have a bottle of Besson lying around too, but I never use it cos its useless!

[007superfan]

I use Al cass it is really good, only use a little drop and lasts for ages :lol:

[Kenneth D. Friedrich]

Al Cass 'Fast'.....

Ken F.

[WoodenFlugel]

Blue Juice for me, although that can be a bit expensive too.

[flugelgal]

Blue Juice for me, although that can be a bit expensive too.
Me too but it lasts for ages. I've had my current bottle for over a year and it's hardly started!

[jameshowell]

Blue Juice for me, although that can be a bit expensive too.Yeah, I swear by the stuff. Its a little bit more expensive than most and I have to order it from up north 'cos I can't get it where I live, but it works best on my trumpet. Anything else doesn't last 5 minutes, stinks loads and just isn't as smooth.

[impycornet]

Blue Juice is my favourite too,

Discovered it about 3 years ago and haven't used anything else since.

It also has the added advantage of not drying out and 'Gummimg up' the valves when your cornet is left under the bed for 3 weeks over the summer break :-D

[Chris Sanders]

For years as a valve oil substitute I have been using Jam and Custard, however as I am now finding it is not quite as effective as those mentioned, I am thinking of a change. Possibly to Marmite or Branston Pickle!!

[Lil Miss]

Al Cass all the way!!!
Everyone i know uses it, even my teacher.
So far it's been very effective, the thing is if ur lookin after the instrument and ur also playin it regurlarly it shouldn't stick too much.

[fitzy]

I use Bach oil mostly. It works better than any of the other stuff i've tried. I keep one bottle in my gigbag and another in the pocket of whatever jacket I wear on stage for emergencies.

[2nd man down]

Not sure what brand it is, but I bought some "super eco friendly" stuff at the Nationals in Harrogate (£5 a bottle!!!) and it doesn't apear to be that good. Still have the same sticky valve problems as before! :-?

Not happy.

[Bariman]

Always remember a masterclass given by John Fletcher at SPS&S' old HQ building in Judd Street about 20 years ago.

He was talking about care of the instrument and valve oils etc and one dear old gentleman at the front raised his hand to ask a question. "What's wrong with spit!" :oops: General embarassment alround.

[groovy]

I have discovered that the yamaha stuff is good, it may partly be due to having a Yamaha instrument - I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

[floral_dance]

I am usisng Roger Websters oil, and it seems to work really well.

[lynchie]

valves? VALVES????

oops... wrong forum...

err I use slide-o-mix, but I wouldn't recommend it on your little piston thingummies...

[pantarheipaul]

I always use the pink coloured oil Dave Monette recommended me.

[Griffin]

I use Blue Juice... Well very rarely. Must be good because I hardly ever have to oil the valves. Only when I bath it or clean it does it get a coating.
Never had a problem with... I only bought it cos it was the only one at the shop too!

[trumpetmike]

For the past 10 years or so, I have been using Al Cass Fast oil, or Blue Juice, depending which instrument I am using (different ones respond better to different oil).
Last year I discovered Zaja oil. Not only is it great oil, it also comes in different scents!!
This year I stopped using the scented oils and moved up to Zaja Blue, their top of the range oil - quite incredible oil.

I have just changed again!

I am now using Spencer Snake Oil. It is simply the finest valve oil I have yet come across. It contains PTFE, which helps reduce friction and wear. This basically means that the valves stay in better condition as well as go faster!
Available from www.willspencer.org (http://www.willspencer.org) and well worth it. It is now the only oil I recommend.

[stephen2001]

I think the one decent brass related thing that Yamaha do is valve oil! I much rather use that than anything else.