Valve Oil to Die For

[Eupharnold]

When I had my Yamaha 642S, I used Hetman No. 1 oil on the slides, and I'd squirt some Zaja Grapefruit scented oil down the lead pipe once in a while to keep a pleasant fragrance bouncing back at me.

Now that I'm about to claim my Besson Prestige (it's supposed to arrive here in Texas a week from now), I'm thinking of doing the same thing.

But I've seen on this forum Blue Juice mentioned a time or two as a favored oil.

This topic has probably been floated out there before, but I am scratching my head over this one. At Dillon, they oil the horn up with some mass quantity cheap general oil, so I'm assuming I first need to do some wiping and cleaning before I introduce a new oil to the horn.

Just looking for some recommendations.

[Eupharnold]

Valve Oil to Die For

On the same subject, has anyone tried Webster's Eco-Lube valve oil and other products? I understand they were developed by coronetist Roger Webster during his doctoral research in collaboration with his clarinetist wife.

Recommended?

[RickF]

Valve Oil to Die For

Originally posted by: Eupharnold

On the same subject, has anyone tried Webster's Eco-Lube valve oil and other products? I understand they were developed by coronetist Roger Webster during his doctoral research in collaboration with his clarinetist wife.



Recommended?

No.... at least not by Highams (Charley Brighton - Willson performer). He tried the stuff and said it was terrible! Can't find his post right now but I remember reading it about a year ago.

HTH

[cjeuph]

Valve Oil to Die For

I swear by Binak Pro. Honestly, I don't need to oil up but once every several weeks. And if I don't touch my horn for a period of time (I know, shame on me) I can pick it up and the valves are still working fine.

People who have tried this oil, and don't like it, admittedly claim they don't use it properly. You really cannot add it on top of any other kind of oil - and you really do need to apply it to clean valves. When applied properly, it is VERY effective. Literally, a couple drops is all you need. One bottle will pretty much last a lifetime.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Connie


Their website is: http://www.binak.com/

[kevin67]

Valve Oil to Die For

I use Blue Juice on my YEP321, Hetman on my vintage horns.

On warn-out leaking valves (Old Bessons) I use 2 drops of 3in1 oil and work the valve around and then oil with Holton Valve Oil (just because I have a ton of it). This seals them up good and stays for a while.

[carbogast]

Valve Oil to Die For

My 1928 Imperial has fairly sloppy tolerances. I'd been using Hetmans Classic until I read Connie Schultz' recommendation for Binak. It turns out Binak is a formulation based on mineral oils. Among the advantages is that it doesn't evaporate quickly as distilled lubricants do and it has no odor and is non toxic.

I plan to buy a bottle, but in the meantime I cleaned my valves really well and applied a very small amount of mineral oil we had in our medicine chest. It is a *little* slow, but all in all it worked *very* well. I have noticed a definite improvement in some stuffy and hard to tune valve combinations (notably 1&2). I did this several weeks ago and the valves are still fine. I think they may have sped up a bit as the oil worked in.

In a prior post I had asked if anyone had tried using ceramic cleaner on their instruments. After waiting awhile for a reply (about an hour, lol) I proceeded to give Cerama Bryte a try on my valves which had signs of oxidation and various staining. Amazing results! The valves look and feel absolutely beautiful! The abrasive used is very fine and I've seen no evidence of scrubbing or the like.

I also used it successfully on unfinished slide surfaces and mouthpieces (gold & silver).

Cerama Brytes active ingrediant is citrus acid which is a mild and non toxic acid that has unique properties for removing oxides and free metal ions from metallic surfaces. I think there are versions of the product with no abrasive at all. There is a fair amount about the chemistry on the web.

Having said all that, Caveat Emptor! If you have a valuable instrument in good condition, do not experiment with cleaning products until consulting with a professional!

- Carroll

[Euphyoungvituoso89]

Valve Oil to Die For

I use Fat Cat its the best I ever encountered.

[carbogast]

Valve Oil to Die For

I have been using Binak Pro for the last month and like it very much. It gives the valves a very smooth feel and lasts a long time (1 week+). I haven't had any problems with it interacting with other oils, but I cleaned the valves before using it (also I was using mineral oil prior). This oil may be a good choice for those who own older instruments with worn valves. I am also using the Binak slide grease. It seems like a very good product.

- Carroll

[Euphist]

Valve Oil to Die For

i prefer hetman 1 to blue juice. i still had half a huge bottle of blue juice when i first tried hetman.. its a waste but hetman's just too good

[GMEuphonium]

Valve Oil to Die For

hmmm... I guess in the end it's going to be whatever your preference is. I use holton valve oil for my valves and slide grease for the sides. So I guess every valve oil has been "specifically designed" to give you (or anyone) the best results so in the end it's a whatever-floats-your-boat type situation.

[dude]

Valve Oil to Die For

Nothing but Fat Cat for me.

[EuphNewbie]

Valve Oil to Die For

I went with Blue Juice mainly because the wwbw catalog said "Excellent protection against mold and bacteria growth". No problems so far, but I've only had my euph for about 2 weeks, so I really have no basis for comparison. Used Holton back in the day--not a big fan.

P.S. for dude:

Can I call you El Duderino if I'm not into the whole brevity thing?
Bought some Fat Cat slide grease. Seems like good stuff.

[mclaugh]

Valve Oil to Die For

Originally posted by: EuphNewbie

I went with Blue Juice mainly because the wwbw catalog said "Excellent protection against mold and bacteria growth".

I use Blue Juice 'cuz it's inexpensive and readily available, but whoever the marketing genius who came up with that line is, they're not paying him/her enough!

Is Blue Juice better than Holton, Al Cass, or plain old kerosene at protecting against mold and bacteria? Don't know (maybe we can get Mythbusters to investigate?), but I have a half-full bottle of valve oil that I bought in 1979, and there ain't no beasties growing in it. (Still use it on my King 2268, and it works just fine.)

Maybe Blue Juice contains a germicide, but if it does, are you sure you ain't inhaling none of it with the fumes?

[dude]

Valve Oil to Die For

newbie,

i don't really care for the slide grease much. that synthetic stuff seems to be a bit high maintenance for me. the oil, however is terrific.

his dudeness would also be acceptable.

[EuphNewbie]

Valve Oil to Die For

Originally posted by: mclaugh

Maybe Blue Juice contains a germicide, but if it does, are you sure you ain't inhaling none of it with the fumes?

Hmmm, good point.