I read something by Schilke awhile back from the instrumentalist off the Schilke loyalist page, called "Practical Physics for Trumpet Players."
It is not conventional wisdom, perhaps, but I tried it today: oiling the leadpipe rather than the valves. I have tight Schilke valves (and my flugel has tight kanstul valves) that are hard to get back in place without much cussing and strife. I don't know, does anybody else put this into practice? Interesting. Are there drawbacks, other than an offensive smell for breathing occasionally? Within five minutes, my sticky valves werereally humming.
Here's Schilke's paragraph:
"I recommend oiling the valves by putting the oil into the leadpipe (rather than directly on the valves) and allowing it to work its way through the instrument. Because the inside is coated with oil, erosion of the metal is stopped and food particles are easy to flush out once a week. Just run warm water through and every particle of dirt will come out easily. Also the valves stay lubricated all day because the oil continues to run down into that area. I see many instruments with tiny holes starting to appear in the mouthpipe--the first sign of erosion. Anyone who uses this method of oiling can keep his instrument for a hundred years without having it wear out.
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http://www.dallasmusic.org/schilke/P...20Physics.html