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I also like Roche-Thomas. It doesn't dilute, it doesn't evaporate, it repels moisture, it lasts a long, long time. I still have my ancient large bottle on my shelf, which I divvy up into smaller bottles for each of my instruments, and unlike other oils, it has not turned off-clear over time.

LeMark wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:05 am I can (usually) go a couple weeks without picking up my euphonium, and I guess any oil in there dries out, and I put new oil on top of it, and the problem compounds every time I do that.

Not sure how to deal with that. I'm 51 years old, and I've never had that issue before with any instrument, piston or rotor

LeMark wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:47 am I have been a "grab whatever" guy, but after working on getting built up off of my valves yesterday, I thought it was question worth asking

I cant be the only one that lets a horn sit without playing for a couple weeks at a time. I know too many people that have multiple instruments for that to be the case. Many the question should have been (and I can start a new thread if needed)

How to keep old valve oil from building up?

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I really truly can't recommend Resilience #1 enough for this scenario. And what you said before about mixing synthetic and petroleum oils, yes, that can definitely cause issues, specifically with Hetman's.

EDIT: Out of curiosity, what brand euphonium?

iiipopes wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:44 am I also like Roche-Thomas. It doesn't dilute, it doesn't evaporate, it repels moisture, it lasts a long, long time. I still have my ancient large bottle on my shelf, which I divvy up into smaller bottles for each of my instruments, and unlike other oils, it has not turned off-clear over time.

My old bottle was fairly yellow, but it was still great stuff. I'm not sure if they changed the formula at any point, though. I remember buying a new bottle and not being as happy.

It's my trusty Packer 274. I really like the instrument, but the tolerances seem to be "professionally tight" and it doesn't tolerate such nonsense as ignoring regular cleanings. I've owned old bessons and Kings before, and I've never had this kind of issue before, but I play this horn more than any euph I've ever owned before, so every couple of weeks it gets a new coat of oil, and then it sits and dries out

LeMark wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 10:55 am It's my trusty Packer 274. I really like the instrument, but the tolerances seem to be "professionally tight" and it doesn't tolerate such nonsense as ignoring regular cleanings. I've owned old bessons and Kings before, and I've never had this kind of issue before, but I play this horn more than any euph I've ever owned before, so every couple of weeks it gets a new coat of oil, and then it sits and dries out

Somehow I wondered... My JP Sterling baritone has similarly picky valves. I think you're right about the tolerances. However, I do not have the same issue with build-up.

Way way long ago, I used BiNaK 495 on my Sousaphone in college. Worked great, zero issues.

After that, I used Hetman on my piston horns. No issues there if I started with clean valves.

My issue with oiling valves is laziness... I just hated all I've the unscrewing, taking out, putting back in, etc. So lazy... :)

Keeps my valves clean, fast, and smelling fresh as a daisy....
Its pricey.... But Im worth it.

LeMark wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 10:55 am It's my trusty Packer 274. I really like the instrument, but the tolerances seem to be "professionally tight" and it doesn't tolerate such nonsense as ignoring regular cleanings. I've owned old bessons and Kings before, and I've never had this kind of issue before, but I play this horn more than any euph I've ever owned before, so every couple of weeks it gets a new coat of oil, and then it sits and dries out

Same story here, Mark (sorry I didn't have that in my previous post). After a serious cleaning, try some Resilience light valve oil on it.

I'm annoyed with Resilience.
There's no option onsite to ship to Canada.
It is so much cheaper to buy a jug from them, than 1.25 oz at retail.

I have e-mailed them three times, never even gotten the courtesy of an answer.

I'm not sure they carry the jugs, but have you tried Austin Custom brass? maybe they would ship to you

https://www.austincustombrass.biz/resil ... valve-oil/


I just emailed Matt

Have not seen the jugs at ACB.
On the resilience site, 1.25 oz is $8, but a whopping 32 oz, which would last at least most of the weekend, is only $40.

For what it's worth, my owned-since-new Yamaha YEP-321S euph has been oiled with Al Cass before every playing session since it was new back in 1995. It can sit for months on end without being played; just oil it up and it's ready to play. The valves always work perfectly.

My Jinbao 520 tuba, also owned-since-new, has been oiled with Hetman's Classic Piston before every playing session. Just like the euph, oil it up and it's ready to go.

My Olds Ambassador cornet and King 1055T Silver Flair trumpet are oiled with Yamaha Synthetic but were once oiled with Blue Juice until I noticed gunky, slow valve action when the instruments had been unplayed for a while. After several careful cleanings, I still get gummy valves on both horns if they sit unplayed for more than a week. It's maddening. Blue Juice has been banished from my studio for a couple of years and yet its residue seems to live forever in the horns I used it on.

Though everyone knows what I do and use, I have also admitted to scrounging "anything" (old leftover any-brand oil - petroleum or synthetic) and using any-brand "new" (petroleum or synthetic - from our company stock) when I don't keep up with the fact that my gallon jug is running dry.

THE POINT BEING that I've never experienced any of these "residue" issues with any oils, nor with mixing any oils...and no issues with all of these with my very widely-varied makes/styles of tubas.

>> but I've also admitted that I never ~GREASE~ any slides on any tubas, and only ~OIL~ slides on my tubas...

' anyone else, here, like me, in all these respects...??

I really like monster valve oils.

It comes in varying degrees of "thickness".

I use the thinner (and medium right after a through cleaning) stuff on my mrp f tuba with good results, and the thicker stuff on my Kalison CC. The middle level is slightly thicker than the generic wwbw stuff.

Their slide grease seems to work fine (when applied lightly, a little bit goes a long way).

I haven't had any of the "gunk" build up I used to get with hetmans. Seems to last just as long.

http://www.monsteroil.net/

Mark,
New instruments with close-tolerance well-made valves - and no patina on the valves - need daily or hourly oiling, and quite a bit of use in order to smooth down the patina - which forms over the first two or three years - down to a smooth surface.
This is even if there are no lime deposits forming.

Those JP Besson-style guides are fairly easily removed. Some benefit could be derived from removing everything from each piston except the stem and button, heavily oiling the piston walls, and working the valves up and down in those casings - in order to smooth down that forming casing patina - and to go through this operation routinely…perhaps weekly or monthly.

I have actually never followed my own advice above with my own Willson euphonium with its superb pistons…and – when I pick that instrument up after a long period of lack of use - it’s not uncommon for the valves to be frozen or very slow. I apply generous quantities of you-know-what type of oil, work them for a moment, and they are wonderful.

tubanews wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:18 pmyamaha_valve_oil.jpeg

Same.

Anybody remember the old valve oil Fricnon?....

>> but I've also admitted that I never ~GREASE~ any slides on any tubas, and only ~OIL~ slides on my tubas...

' anyone else, here, like me, in all these respects...??
[/quote]

I stopped the slide-greasing on all my instruments several years ago. Since then, it has been oil only.

Ace

For me, I like the Hetman Synthetic piston oil. #2.

For close tolerance instruments, the #1 may be better. I believe that it has anti corrosion ingredients that help keep the pistons and casings from oxidizing.

I also use Ultra-Pure oil for various things as well. Depends on the instrument I'm using it on.

Many years ago, my wife educated me regarding women's cologne. The way it smells in the bottle is not necessarily the way it smells on a person, depending on body chemistry. What is magic for one may be tragic for another.

I think the same condition may apply to valve oil, which is perhaps why specific brands click with specific players. Consider your ounce-for-ounce ratio of water key discharge to oil applied. That condensation isn't just ambient humidity, so the player's chemistry has to be a factor.

I was loyal to Ultra Pure (oil-loyal?) until a section mate lent me his bottle of Blue Juice. It requires more frequent applications, but I like the results.

posted two or three times on LubeNet, but...

I LIKE Blue Juice (not because of how well it works, but...)

because the color and added aroma are both IDENTICAL to the old 1960's - 1970's Leblanc valve oil (small vertically-circular 1 oz. plastic bottles), and I'm reminded of fond childhood memories...

...THIS shape little bottle, but blue-green (like Blue Juice) and THE SAME AROMA (as Blue Juice).