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Thread: What's Up With My Valves?

  1. #1

    What's Up With My Valves?

    ...is a question many have asked here and elsewhere over many years. Here is a little fresh insight in pictures.

    Every day after practice I use the BlowDry system to remove moisture, then I clean and oil my valves. The next day I just pick up the horn from my Hercules stand and start to practice.

    Here are 2 photos from today, showing my 1 & 2 piston tops. I chose this view because this is how my pistons pop out when the horn is sitting sidewise and I open the caps. It's a bit hard to see here, but it IS significant, I think. In any case, I see something like this every day. The small, very soft deposits didn't come from nowhere! I have to assume that they are a result of oil trying to mix with water, more or less. I put a lot of moist air into a horn, so maybe my valve oil is more challenged than for most folks.

    But it makes me very glad I'm now cleaning the pistons each day. Overall, this is the best pattern of care I have ever followed, in terms of results.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Click image for larger version. 

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    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Valley City, North Dakota, USA
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    I actually blow the alcohol soaked foam piece through the entire horn (so that it fully traverses the main tuning slide). Because I use an air duster/blower, there is enough pressure to have it pop out the bell (and doesn’t introduce any moisture from my mouth).

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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
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    Quote Originally Posted by iMav View Post
    I actually blow the alcohol soaked foam piece through the entire horn (so that it fully traverses the main tuning slide). Because I use an air duster/blower, there is enough pressure to have it pop out the bell (and doesn’t introduce any moisture from my mouth).

    Compressed Air Duster, 41000 RPM
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L5Q5D22
    That sounds interesting, but I wonder if you lose some of the crud inside the horn during its final travels past the main tuning slide. With the tubing progressively wider, might some of that crud wind up on the outer walls of the tubing past the main tuning slide?
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
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  4. #4
    That seems possible, but there may not be much crud if you do it regularly.

    Every once in a while I'll do an "extreme spitball" event. Here's how it works: 1) fill your 1st valve slide with water and put it back in the horn 2) with the main slide in, blow a spit ball all the way through 3) dump the water from the main slide and spitball from the main bow. Take note of any gunk. 4) Repeat until your satisfied with the result. It may take a couple of blows before the gunk loosens up. 5) Dump all the slides and do regular valve maintenance. You might want to dry the felts on top of the piston.

    This isn't for everyone, but it's a fairly quick alternative to a deep cleaning.
    Carroll Arbogast
    Piano Technician
    CMA Piano Care

  5. #5
    Getting back to the original topic of piston maintenance: is it possible that some of the crud we see in the piston caucades and bottom caps is an emulsion formed by the mechanical action of the piston on oil and water? Like mayonnaise (:X
    Carroll Arbogast
    Piano Technician
    CMA Piano Care

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