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I have only used lamp oil as valve oil once and I loved it! Would frequent use of lamp oil start to harm the plastic coated springs that I use? (Would they gum up or anything?) Does anyone use this same setup?

http://www.fluffypotato.com/Halloween/MikeFront.jpg

^^^^ Too much kerosene

I've been using clear lamp oil (mixed with 1/7 three-in-one oil) ever since I read a recommendation on the old version of TubeNet. (You can probably search for it.) Seems to work fine and one pint bottle will last many years.
I don't play the Flight of the Bumblebee, so my valves don't get hot enough to ignite.

haha thatd be sweet, the valves and slides go in flames part way thru the song.

DonShirer wrote:I don't play the Flight of the Bumblebee, so my valves don't get hot enough to ignite.

If I tried seriously, I think that I might spontaneously combust...

Don, please tell us where you buy the stuff?

knuxie wrote:Isn't that kerosene? I'd avoid anything that could give of fumes that could knock you out or combust.

Ken F.

Is regular valve oil not combustable?

clagar777 wrote:

knuxie wrote:Isn't that kerosene? I'd avoid anything that could give of fumes that could knock you out or combust.

Ken F.

Is regular valve oil not combustable?

Well, sort of. It's not terribly volatile, so your tuba's not going to go up in flames if someone in the room lights up. I can throw lighted matches in an open bowl of the stuff and mostly, the matches will go out. Diesel's flammable too, but not in the way gasoline is.

Go down to your local big box store and buy a half-gallon of Ultra pure lamp oil--it'll say "odorless" on the container.

Personally, I think the same stuff is a primary component of Al Cass and Roche-Thomas.

this is going to sound a little wierd but i have a buddy who uses 3 in 1 oil (ya the stuff at the hardware store) on his ANCIENT meinl rotaries. idk if it would work on pistons though. it's worth a shot. plus david kirk (houston symphony) does it. can't be bad!

-casey

tuckertuba88 wrote:this is going to sound a little wierd but i have a buddy who uses 3 in 1 oil (ya the stuff at the hardware store) on his ANCIENT meinl rotaries. idk if it would work on pistons though. it's worth a shot. plus david kirk (houston symphony) does it. can't be bad!

Well, I'm glad he can stand the odor. Some folks like 3-in-1 and others hate it. It can get gummy over time.



Me, I think it's overpriced for what it is (light lubricating oil).

zoro wrote:I don't recall the exact proportions, but the recommendation
of lamp oil plus synthetic motor oil sounds like a winner.
Could someone please relist the correct mix ratio?

Wow! I didn't know they had synthetic motors!

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I used lamp oil for a while and actually recomended from Alan Baer in one of my few ($ but worthwile $) lessons. And it worked great for me for a while but then I felt like I was having to oil my valved alot more frequently (but then again its alot cheaper) so I switched to blue juice.

Mr. Baer also recomended marine grease for slides and ive gotta say its been workin great

A good friend gave me a bottle of what she called "Home Brew" a few years ago - the bottle lasted a LONG time, and the stuff works great!

The recipie is Ultra-pure Lamp Oil and Break Free Oil - 10 drops of Break Free to 1 oz. Lamp Oil. Break Free is a gun oil/cleaner - it seems to help keep the valves from gumming up.

My understanding is this is the recipie used by trumpet builder Tony Scodwell. He's a great player and his instruments sound great (not that you would EVER catch me playing trumpet) - good enough for him, good enough for me.

TUBAMUSICIAN87 wrote:I used lamp oil for a while and actually recomended from Alan Baer in one of my few ($ but worthwile $) lessons. And it worked great for me for a while but then I felt like I was having to oil my valved alot more frequently (but then again its alot cheaper) so I switched to blue juice.

Mr. Baer also recomended marine grease for slides and ive gotta say its been workin great

Alan Baer's recommended method for using Hetman's or lamp oil followed by a layer of 5w-30 synthetic motor oil is here.
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Dean E wrote:

TUBAMUSICIAN87 wrote:I used lamp oil for a while and actually recomended from Alan Baer in one of my few ($ but worthwile $) lessons. And it worked great for me for a while but then I felt like I was having to oil my valved alot more frequently (but then again its alot cheaper) so I switched to blue juice.

Mr. Baer also recomended marine grease for slides and ive gotta say its been workin great

Alan Baer's recommended method for using Hetman's or lamp oil followed by a layer of 5w-30 synthetic motor oil is here.
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I used the motor oil for a while and it worked wonders for a price though because of the fumes it produced and the pain in the throught that came from that wasnt worth it IMHO

TUBAMUSICIAN87 wrote:

Dean E wrote:

TUBAMUSICIAN87 wrote:I used lamp oil for a while and actually recomended from Alan Baer in one of my few ($ but worthwile $) lessons. And it worked great for me for a while but then I felt like I was having to oil my valved alot more frequently (but then again its alot cheaper) so I switched to blue juice.

Mr. Baer also recomended marine grease for slides and ive gotta say its been workin great

Alan Baer's recommended method for using Hetman's or lamp oil followed by a layer of 5w-30 synthetic motor oil is here.
viewtopic.php?p=114486#114486

I used the motor oil for a while and it worked wonders for a price though because of the fumes it produced and the pain in the throught that came from that wasnt worth it IMHO

I guess I could try this myself, but since you already have. Did you use one drop of motor oil per piston or more?

I used a tiny tiny drop on eich valve and worked in into the valve by spinning the valve once or twice in the casing. occasionally I put a drop on eich side of my first valve slide and it made it a lot smoother and faster and I would still be doing this process it the fumes werent an issue

Thanks!

I was going to try exactly what you did on some older piston valves. I think I'll buy some Hetman Classic instead.

There is a good chance I will be moving to the desert this summer. Where I live now isn't much cooler than the desert during the warmest time of the year, but the idea of being the least bit volatile concerns me. I wear thick glasses and I can imagine a sunbeam going through my glasses, igniting something.

I'm not really paranoid about it, just concerned.

All this discussion of 'the best' oil to use is mind-boggling! No one has mentioned that valve oil performs MORE THAN ONE function....

- to provide a lubricating film between the piston and casing

AND

- to wash all the crap out of the valves that enters the horn through the leadpipe.

What ever you decide to put on your pistons... don't spare it. One drop won't do! Apply valve oil freely. (this doesn't apply to rotary valves!)