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Originally Posted by brem  I never rotate valves and the oil eventually distributes evenly... :P |
The term "eventually" is what sent me on this valve cleaning,inspection and relube safari. I have seen far too many valves being brought in to Grand Rapids Musical Instrument Exchange where I worked as a technician many years ago that were scored longitudinally from top to bottom in straight 'racetracks'. I am seeing the same pattern on the valves of the vintage horns that I 'accumilate'. According to old A.J.'Bill' Johnson the store owner and former owner of York Band Instruments, this was exclusively the result of dirty and unlubed valves. He advocated what I propose; clean the valves and casings, being cautious to totally degrease both, using a lint free medium and a proper degreaser. I use Zippo lighter fluid, as it stores easily and dispenses precisely, along with cleaning the contact surfaces while leaving no residue. My personal preference in valve lubes is Hetmans synthetic for healthy valves and Break Free C.L.P. from the local gun dealer for the badly worn and leaky ones.
OLDLOU>>