crowmadic

The third valve on my Olds Ambassador, and my Martin Imperial have been sticking. I've cleaned the casings and valves throughly, checked for burs etc., and tried different oils, but obviously not the right ones. So I decided to perform a test. I cleaned casing and valve throughly, and put the valve in WITHOUT OIL! They work perfectly! But the danger I fear is that dry metal on metal will have a negative result in the long run. The oil I've been using is Ultra Pure, and it seems to be fine in my other horns. I need to find an oil that will work in these horns without causing the third valve to stick. I'M OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS AND GUIDANCE?

tpter1

Just curious (more a shot in the dark than anything else)...did you use a petrolium based oil before using U.P.? I just read an article in the last ITG journal that says if you switch from a petrolium to a synthetic, you should clean (wash) the old off before applying the new synthetic (or vice versa). Apparantly they don't interact well. Did you try cleaning then applying the U.P.?

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

crowmadic

Glenn,
Yes, I did use a petrolium based oil before UP but I've cleaned the horn many times since then. I just emailed Ken @ UP explaining the situation. If he tells me anything of value I'll post it on TM. Thanks for your input................tom

crowmadic

Ken from UP gave me some good suggestions. Without oil, spinning the valve in its casing, as well as up and down, should feel like it's floating without any snags or interuptions. He also suggested one drop on valve smerred with fingers to thin it out. There may be an alignment problem that world require professional repair. I'll try his suggestions and post any positive results.