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Got all excited reading a thread with comments from Dan Schultz (tubatinker) as well as greg and bloke about whipping up a batch of home - made valve oil.
My 1940 King tuba sometimes gets sticky valves after about two hours of trop rock n rolling. I have to holler at John to sing one without me so I can oil up. I believe the valves on a horn this old need thicker lube. The question is how thick?
I lucked up on a quart of ultrapure lamp oil at ? mart and decided to mix it with Rotella 30 weight oil (I always keep a gallon or so of it around for my Yanmar diesel).
Batch #1 was 2 ounces of lamp oil with 10 drops of 30 weight (shook it all up). Batch #2 was 2 ounces lamp oil with 20 drops of 30 weight.
Slathering lots of batch #1 on my old valves has helped a huge amount . The old girl plays as fast as I can (I don't play all that fast).
Whether this oil will last a full four hour gig remaims to be seen.
This is really cool!
Thanks guys.
Dennis Gray
tubatooter1940
http://www.myspace.com/johnrenomusic

You get the same good results for worn pistons by adding a drop at a time of pharmacy grade mineral oil to a small bottle of Roche-Thomas.

Yesterday I oiled up with batch #2 (20 drops to 2oz. of lamp oil). The valves seemed to be a tiny tad slower with the heavier mix.
I'm going to go back to the ten drop mix at a four hour gig tonight at Lulu's (on the intercoastal waterway under the hwy 59 bridge to Gulf Shores).
I have a notion the ten drop mix may be best until I wear that King down some more. I could be kidding myself but the horn seems to play tighter with either mix I made.