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I work on a lot of vintage instruments that are on the verge of needing a valve section rebuild because of wear. What do you find to be the best valve oil to help these instruments limp along? I know of Meinlschmidt heavy piston & rotor, Monster "smoother," Yamaha vintage, and Hetman classic. I'm fine with anecdotal recommendations, but I also wonder if anyone has done an empirical viscosity measurement on various oils...

Tyler,
To my knowledge, no one has undertaken this task in over 20 years. Back in the 1990's there was an article in the Clarinet Quarterly (of all places!)
that thoroughly covered the subject of valve oils, including having a list of available oils and comparative viscosities. A lot has happened since then,
so some low-brass-playing science student should take on this project, including all of the currently available valve lubricants. It would be even nicer if the list went so far as to also cover rotor oils, both rotor bearing oil and the oil for the rotor interior surfaces, and maybe a comparison of slide lubricant viscosities and tendencies. I use a lot of different products to deal with a lot of different valve and slide situations on the various brass instruments that come to the shop, so I sort-of "know" what to use or at least experiment with, but a comprehensive listing would be helpful to both players and repair technicians.

Tyler, I'd add La Tromba T1+ to your list of heavy piston oils that keep a really worn instrument still in the land of playability.

Lee, thank you for the information! I will look into it.

This is a great thread. I have an old Conn Sousa in need of a valve job, but it’s not in the budget at this time. Nor is replacing it w/a newer, less worn horn. I’ve experimented w/mixing Hetman classic w/3-in-1 all-purpose oil. Seems like when I use just enough 3-in-1 to fill the spaces, the valves move too slowly to be of any use. Conversely, if I don’t use enough, the space isn’t filled, and the notes don’t slot. Would love any recommendations, esp those based on experience and/or empirical evidence.

My 1967 Jaguar E-type took 20-50W
My 1986 Jaguar XJ6 took 10-40W
My 2003 Jaguar XK8 takes 5-30W oil
My 2020 Jaguar E-Pace takes 0-20W oil.

Funny how about every 20 years there seems to be a leap in close machine tolerances, which accounts for thinner oil.
Now that we are down to 0-weight, and seeing the state of the economy, the next vehicle will probably be electric, therefore not having engine oil.

Oh, wait: you meant tuba pistons, not automotive pistons.

Haven’t done any measurements but after trying several oils, I liked Yamaha Classic best; unfortunately can’t seem to find any these days.

If you can handle the a "pleasant aroma" the berp bio oil No3 is pretty thick for piston and rotors The scent or smell is not bad but it's just too strong for me when the horn is freshly oiled. Although, I guess it can indirectly help a person practice breathing through the corners of your mouth instead of the tuba... Which is definitely better for long term health . I'll probably keep getting the heavy bearing oil though since that is outside of the tuba and not as noticable.

I still have a half a bottle of Hetmans No3 "classic" myself.

I also have 2 un-opened bottles of Ultra-pure Black label Classic oil too. If I end up liking it enough I may just keep buying that over the Hetmans. I'll probably keep sticking with Hetmans slide grease though.

MusiciansFriend seems to offer free shipping without any minimums, surprisingly. It's great because I don't like driving anyways. Or I'll just keep ordering from Dillons, HornGuys, or whoever else stocks them regularly and eat the shipping cost.

I haven't tried the Monster, Meinlschmidt, or the other heavy oils myself. I'm sure they are great too.

Hello Tyler,
Ever tried Alisyn Valve Slide Key Oil (produced by Aerospace Lubricants Columbus Ohio)? Also fit to mix with a thin oil.
Best,
Hubert