| Lars,
Trumpets made by small companies ie: Calicchio, Blackburn, etc. that make all of their own parts - especially valves and valve casings - make the valve tolerances very tight - as tight as possible - and each piston is hand lapped into the casings so every set of valves are especially fitted to that particular casing ( ie: serial numbered trumpet ).
That's why the break in period for a custom / hand made trumpet takes a little longer and needs a little more care than a production line trumpet.
Production trumpets seem to have much more " plug and play " valves that don't take a long break period to feel normal. Just keep wiping the valve down and get a cleaning rod and wipe out the casings with any type cloth that doesn;t leave any lint ( ie: cheese cloth / cotton cloth ) until the dark residue is mostly gone and you'll have valves that last a life-time.
LG
Oh by the way , after you dip the valves in the Jack Daniels , drink what's left and you won't worry about your valves anymore. |