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bloke wrote:

bdjwill wrote:I heard of something called Spacefiller. is that any good?

works fine...the one with red lettering is about as thin as Al Cass...' expensive...' your call on the $$'s

On another note...the Red spacefiller is the only stuff I ever saw last longer than a week on Yamaha sousaphones.

I think Joe's suggestion about the Al Cass is a good one. I really can't see one oil working any better than another on rotors, though. That's just my experience--others may notice a difference.

For rotor linkage and bearings I use Breakfree CLP which is near and dear to hearts of many firearms owners. It does a good job of keeping things working quietly. I use Spacefiller green label (the thick stuff) on the slides; and they don't exactly give the stuff away.

I've been experimenting with different mixes of ultrapure lamp oil ($2 a 22oz bottle at the Dollar Store) and 5W-30 full-synthetic automotive oil. For horns with very close fitting pistons, I only use a couple of drops of motor oil to 4oz of lamp oil. The lamp oil will evaporate rather quickly and will leave behind a very slick surface. The lamp oil seems to mix very well with the motor oil. I've had bottles of several mixes sitting on the shelf for weeks with no signs of seperation. I've also had horns hanging on the wall for months that the piston still move freely on. For worn pistons, I simply increase the amount of motor oil. For rotor spindle bearings, straight motor oil works fine... but apply it directly to the spindle bearings. Use a light mix for the rotors. You can make a QUART of any mix you like for less than the cost of 4oz bottle of Al Cass. Actualy, it wouldn't surprise me if Al Cass was just lamp oil in the first place. It's very thin and tends to evaporate quickly.

The bottom line is that all horns are different and all playing styles are different. A horn that is played once a month and sits in the case most of the time has to be lubricated differently that one that is played daily.

All the hocus-pocus about valve oils is like 'what's the best mouthpiece'. There is no definitive answer. Consider all the options... try some out... and do what suits you.

I use the Marvels Mystery oil. Just a couple drops in some lamp oil and you are good to go. i have been using it for about five years and It works great with my 186. It also is good on piston valves.

I like seeing these custom recipes that reduce the cost of oiling. I oil profusely more for the sake of oxidation and crud reduction than for the sake of lubrication. A few days ago, I was looking at a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid and wondered if it would be suitable as a component of brass instrument lube.

Maybe it would be good to hang a "No Smoking" sign on the tuba.
For you folks with slow connection, the gif is about 2 MB.

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