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Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 6:02 pm
by Tuba Shorty
I have done a lot of research on the most effective valve oils and tuning greases. Something I have come across on multiple occasions was that you have to be cautious of what valve oil you use and what tuning grease you use and that they don't "clash" and cause a bad chemical reaction that will later create build up. I am getting a new horn (Eastman ebc-632) in a few months so I really don't want to mess anything up with this horn. I plan on using either pro-oil hybrid 141-a7 or the Ultra Pure Oils. What tuning grease works well with theses oils? How do you know which combinations will go well with each other and which combinations have worked for you? Which combinations do not mix well?

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 6:26 pm
by roweenie
I'm no expert on lubrication (getting lubricated is another story), but I've found the BEST combination is good old-fashioned valve oil and anhydrous lanolin (for tuning slides) and guppy lube (for top slides).

I've got slides with guppy lube on them that haven't needed reapplication for quite a long time, just an occasional drop of oil brings it back to life, and it plays real nice with conventional valve oil.

In addition, I've taken a page out of the bloke scrap-book and commenced making my own valve oil, and have not regretted it (neither has my wallet at over $5 a bottle for less than 2 ounces of product).

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 3:47 pm
by Lee Stofer
My recommendation would be to try the Hetman lubricants, as they are formulated to protect your instrument and make it last for a very long time. The Hetman lubricants, in addition to having viscosity enhancers to keep them from breaking down over time, have corrosion inhibitors, to protect your instrument from corrosion build-up and red-rot. It is truly a tough and dirty job to professionally clean a nasty, corroded instrument to the highest standards of clean, so I go to a bit of trouble to make sure that the instrument stays that way for as long as possible, by treating all valves and slides to the appropriate Hetman lubricants during reassembly. Once an instrument has had the full standard servicing here, when it eventually returns for servicing again, it is a walk in the park to clean it, compared to the initial cleaning.

It seems that about 1 in 1000 people have a reaction with the Hetman, where there is white cheese-like buildup. In that case, I would recommend the Yamaha synthetics, as they have a different-enough formulation that they work for these people. Everyone has their opinions about lubricants. Mine is based upon what I see on a daily basis in the repair shop.

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 9:16 pm
by ResilienceOils
Where have you seen that Hetman has inhibitors in them? Inhibitors aren't clear and Hetman is Mineral Oil based which means it breaks down with saliva. Also, It's flash isn't low but it does mix with almost anything. FYI, The US is the only country in the world that accepts Mineral Oil as a Synthetic.

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 5:01 pm
by Lee Stofer
Mr. Bloke,
The responder you mention has spent over 1 year researching the issue, and has started his own company. He might be onto something, but for now I trust Joe Hetman, who has spent many years of multidisciplinary study and research, is a professional trumpet player, is a former automotive industry mechanical engineer, and besides developing a complete line of lubricants and lapping compounds for use on musical instrument mechanisms, is adept enough to have made a set of rotary valve trumpets for the New York Philharmonic. I have attended one of his lectures at a NAPBIRT (National Band Instrument Repair) Conference, and his thorough knowledge of the subject, of metals, mechanisms and chemicals, is pretty amazing.

I started using Hetman lubricants 20 years ago in July, and have never been disappointed.

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 5:37 pm
by Lee Stofer
Hmmmm........

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 5:48 pm
by Mark
I like and use Hetman's.
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Others like and use other brands.
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To each his (her?) own.

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:21 pm
by ResilienceOils
I apologize for stepping out of bounds. I was just curious to where the information was obtained, I have never met Joe Hetman, but we do sell and use hetmans. PAO's aren't for everyone. As far as using engine oils and greases they are completely different and have a lot of things in them that are not going for humans to inhale. But I am not your doctor either. If you would like me to send you a sample of my products I would be more than happy to!
Thanks,

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 8:13 pm
by Ken Herrick
Is the pot black??? :roll: :D

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 1:50 pm
by Tuba Shorty
Who are these two who are suddenly posting authoritatively in one particular thread?
They are either new to TubeNet, or (as have more than a few) have gained additional identities.
If they are new, I'd love to have them introduce themselves, and let us know about their backgrounds.
It's not that I believe or disbelieve their statements, but it is that they both showed up out of nowhere and posted in one thread about "oil"...and I noticed.
First off, I was not posting authoritatively, I was simply asking a question.I know that there's a lot of professional musicians on Tube Net that might be able to answer my question so that is why I asked. I know very little about valve oil and tuning grease combinations which is why I asked. Second off, I AM new to Tube Net. I just joined a few weeks ago. And I don't really know what you're talking about with the "additional identities". And for an introduction, this is my 3rd year playing the tuba. I originally played the flute but switched over to tuba in 8th grade. I have not regretted the switch at all. I am a sophomore in my High School's top band (we have 4 bands). I've made regionals twice and I've been the principal tubist of the UA Honor Band. I am also in marching band at my school. I am 5'2, hence the name "Tuba Shorty". And with my small height I always get surprised looks from people either when they hear me play or find out that I play an instrument that's more than half my size. I've lost track of how many people tell me I need to play a smaller instrument but, I just laugh at them until they leave me alone. I aspire to one day be a professional tubist.

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 2:11 pm
by MaryAnn
Since I have a clash on my horn (not my tuba) with slide grease and valve oil, this is interesting to me. I've always used the Selmer red stuff on the slides because that is what my teacher used and I'm too lazy to try a zillion different things. However, it seems to migrate down into the valves and slow them down, at which point I put some drops of Alisyn in the valve tubes, being VERY careful that it does not hit the sides, and in fairly short order the slides need more red goo. And we go round and round for a good long time now. I'm very interested in what slide grease would stay on the slides, which are only removed, as in most horn players, to empty the accumulated water, after it is drained, through the valves, into the 3rd valve slides. I'm not really willing to use something that is designed to use on cars because mechanics don't generally come in mouth contact with what they work on, and I am allergic to a whole bunch of stuff to start with.

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 6:00 pm
by DonShirer
I was another who eventually got tired of smelling the fumes from lamp oil so I switched to Yamaha both for oil and slide grease, hoping that products from the same source would be compatible.

And TubaShorty, I was once in your shoes. In my freshman college year they used a picture of a flute player a foot taller looming over me and my tuba for band publicity. I did eventually get a growth spurt, so maybe you will get one soon.

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 10:48 pm
by doublebuzzing
bloke wrote:New lamp oil is odorless (virtually).

Old lamp oil gets "putrid" just like old gasoline and old most-anything.

In the past, I thought that lamp oil stunk...but I finally bought some from a supply place, instead of some that had been sitting on the bottom shelf at Walgreen's for three years.
Is the stuff available at Walmart that you linked a few weeks back the (virtually) odorless stuff?

Re: Valve Oil and Tuning Grease COMBINATIONS

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 10:35 am
by PMeuph
I'm a cheapskate. (I understand music store need to make money and that percent-wise, lower cost products are always those with the highest markups) But I struggle to pay $10 for something that costs pennies. Even the no-name stuff (probably just lamp oil anyways) sells for about $3.00 an oz. (While an oz of lamp oil is $0.30 around here, or less than half of that in the US)

So for the past five years or so (since reading it here for the first time) I've used homemade "Schilke grease" (Lanolin and Petroleum jelly) on my slides and lamp oil on my pistons. My tuba gets a couple drops (per ounce) of 3-in-1 with the lamp oil; as the valves are old and slightly worn. The total cost was almost nothing and I have not had any problems with anything not working well together.

I really like the viscosity of the slides with that grease and the pistons are lightning fast(if I keep them clean).

More important than anything else, is to keep in mind that pistons will still function with water. Unfortunately, water will not protect the surfaces of the casings against wear and the buildup of lime and/or calcium. So, in the long run, I'd day it's way better to use cheap oil everyday and keep pistons clean then it is to find the perfect product(s), but use it sparingly.

I'm sure there are brands that don't work together and that there are slide grease that make there way down into the pistons. I'd say that if that happens, the solution is to clean your horn really well and start over. If my pistons don't function well, I assume its because they are dirty, not because they need a new "flavor of the month" lubricant.

ps. If lamp oil doesn't work out for you, buy a couple tiki torches, and enjoy the evening during the summer months outdoors.