Would WD-40 work better than valve oil?

[willako]

Hi,
Has anyone tried WD-40 instead of valve oil? Do you think the valves would move more smoothly? Would there be negative (long-range) consequences? Bill

[Easy Mac]

If it has been around for so many decades and has not become a common valve lubricant, that is your answer. But by all means, give it a try.

[MKTuba]

Since wd-40 has such a high concentrate of petroleum byproduct I would caution against using it anywhere near where your mouth will be. In addition to this, I have had problems of getting rashes where wd-40 touches my skin in the past (take that with a grain of salt: I have incredibly sensitive skin and am mildly allergic to a lot of different materials). I’d advise against it, as there are so many better options.

[Beyond16]

I tried it a few years ago on a cornet. It's fine for a short while. But apparently it contains a mix of thin solvent and fairly heavy oil, because the valves feel gummy after a few hours.

[Snake Charmer]

Years ago I sat next to a trombone player, who used this on his slide. Just a short wipe with an old rag and a fresh spray every hour, worked fine for him. The smell was slightly disgusting for the musical setting and everyone complained! Outside the music world he worked as a plumber...

[macbil]

Be very careful! A well meaning cornet player in my band, took a BBflat tuba which hadn't been played for a year (Covid) and cleaned the valves. He used WD40 to soak the valves to get the crud off them and re-inserted them --in the wrong order. That was fun! The WD40 was still present and then he oiled them with a proprietary valve oil. The valves were impossible but I sorted them out , cleaned them with soapy water and re-oiled them.
WD40 reacts to certain valve oils, probably synthetics because they have a different makeup. Mix the two and you have to strip everything down and re-oil . My advice FWIW is to stay well away.
After much experimentation. I have found the best lubricant to be Al Cass or similar , tempered with just a drop of 3 in 1 oil . Dan Schultz mentioned he added a little lamp oil to regular valve oil so I reckon 3 in 1 oil is pretty close when it comes to viscosity. They are both petrol distillates so mix freely. A little slow to start but when the hooter warms up a little, its as good as I have found . So many regular valve oils are too thin for Tuba valves.

[GeoffC_UK]

The approach I take is:
[1] With most products the manufacturer produces an MSDS. This safety data sheet should state the risks and hazards and precautions in using their product. For example: https://wd40.co.uk/data-sheets/ ,
[2] I look for products that are declared to be food safe,
[3] I test the product in a small application, over a reasonable period of time, to see whether there are any unexpected negatives.
Even by doing all of the above, caution is a must and advice sought, as has been expressed by many posting here.

I have found an excellent slide grease this way. About a third the cost of brass branded products. Used for a year with success.

Oil is a different animal altogether. Its base components. Its viscosity. Its ability to not break down. Its harm to the metals, joints, and mechanisms of your horn, Its harm should you ingest.... the list goes on.

Think: you are putting something inside. It may remain there for a long time. Hidden. Doing good or bad?

Hope this helps?
G

[DanMax]

Willaco Bill,

While I don't claim to know all there is to know, here's my take:

The thinners (naphtha) in WD-40 can strip lacquer, depending on the lacquer. Your tuba may not need its lacquer stripped.

You can use WD-40 to remove stickers. The naphtha dissolves the adhesive.

The point of the naphtha in WD-40 is that it is volatile. It goes on thin, then becomes more viscous as the naphtha evaporates. 3-in-One Oil operates on the same principle. Thin for penetration, then thick for lubrication once in place.

Breathing naphtha fumes could cause lung damage and sore throats.

That trombone player must have wiped most of that evil stuff off. It would clean grime well, I'll give it that.

Using it as a tuba valve lubricant would be dangerous to the player's lungs and throat, annoying to those around who don't like smelling naphtha, and would also provide poor lubrication.

And it's not like ordinary valve oil is expensive. Not even Hetman's costs $1,000,000...

Other than that, it has my full endorsement.

[Dan Schultz]

The reason why WD-40 was developed is to chase water out of ignition and fuel systems. Hence the name. It stands for the fortieth attempt to find a formula to displace water. It was never intended as a lubricant and should not be used as such. It's a pretty good penetrating oil but a film of it doesn't do a very good job of reducing friction.

[2ba4t]

Yes, I also thought WD40 would be an answer to all valve problems. But I found that it is too good in that it really cleans the surfaces down to the barest metal. Sound great?

No!! All the stuff stuck to the valves [but still allowing them to move freely] can be assisting their airtight quality and when removed creates a nasty mush which gums them up. I had to wash them in soap and all around the surrounding ports several times to get the muck off which WD40 had removed!!

Now for a brand new instrument this may not be the case.

For an old instrument this may actually compromise the sound by creating leaks.

Buy a set of springs and experiment with them and GENTLY stretching them.

The guide pin system may also be a problem. Either worn down or not aligned.

If you want to really clean them, remove them then use soap, then perhaps white spirit to cleanse them. Afterwards, perhaps WD40 and clean that off with soap etc. Check that there are no deposits - such as good old verdigris, if there is any copper/brass near the valves. The valve casings of pistons are a nightmare to examine and to clean. Any too abrasive action can be disastrous. Find a tech who has worked on valves for 20 years. Do not dive in with the Brasso and certainly not with the abrasives T Cut, Carfidant or whatever. 'Lapping in' valves is a skill.

Rather check that the valve slides in, reasonably well, upside down and is correctly aligned. Remove the bottom cap and gently slide it in from the bottom. There is often on an honourable old horn, a ring of muck within the casing just below where the valve stops when down, so this may not work. If the valve sticks when fully down it may that this ring has grown too wide and is jamming the valve. Again, an EXPERIENCED tech is your only solution.

[timothy42b]

I used it once in an emergency and it worked okay. Not any better than regular valve oil, and of course I cleaned it off as soon as possible. It sounds like a horrible idea on a trombone, I'm surprised that worked.

There was someone here who advocated lamp oil in copious quantities, and that seemed to make a lot of sense. But i never tried it.

[DanMax]

Another treacherous quality of WD-40 is that it actually IS a good lubricant... up until the naphtha evaporates.

So you spray it on the door hinge or whatever, and it stops squeaking. You decide that WD-40 is just the thing for lubricating metal.

But as you walk away, the slick oil is already on its way to turning to gummy tar.

The next day, the squeak is back. Better use more WD-40!

Yeah, it'll fool you. Beware.

[iiipopes]

Years ago I sat next to a trombone player, who used this on his slide. Just a short wipe with an old rag and a fresh spray every hour, worked fine for him. The smell was slightly disgusting for the musical setting and everyone complained! Outside the music world he worked as a plumber...

Hence the plumber's familiarity with a water displacement product. That's how it gets its name: the 40th formula for water displacement, as developed for the aerospace industry. As above: it is poisonous, the solvent quickly dissipates leaving oily gummy residue, and it smells awful. No. Please do not use WD-40 as a substitute for valve oil or any other musical instrument lubricant. Link:
https://www.wd40.com/history/

[elimia]

Same reason you shouldn't huff gasoline. Anything you put into your horn goes into your lungs. Inhaling petroleum distillates isn't something I'd recommend.