Hi, I am a junior in high school and I play the trumpet. For the past week or so my 1st valve has been odd. It gets stuck badly when it hits all the way to the bottom, and I can't seem to get it to stop. Normally when valves are sticky I just use some valve oil and it helps a lot. But it doesn't seem to work this time. It is a Bach if that helps. I think there are other types of valves so I'll say that there is a spring inside from like the middle to top. If you could help me out that would be great! Thanks =)
No, it's ok, they are both the same. I've been using trumpet oil on my trombone slide for the past 4 yrs. It is less expensive, ad usually in stock. It's not bad. If i've used it for 4 yrs. I'm sure you can use it too! my BFF even used to use my trombone oil, that's how i ran out in the first place. I hope you do well with your instrument! Both are made of the same oil products. But i don't reccomend using cooking oil, or vegtable oil, it is too thick and makes the slide/valves greasy and is very hard to get off. Hope this helps.
PING ! You probably have a minute dent in the valve casing that the eye cannot see.. A repairman will buff it out . Meanwhile it is abrading the valve ( like a car cylinder ) so make haste to the repair shop.
Instead of valve oil, try kerosine. This is no joke. I found that kerosine cleans the **** out of the valves, and makes for smoother valve action. Put about a 1/2 pint in to a a peanut butter jar, and you can let the valves soak a for a few seconds before you put them back in. i got this tip from a trumpet player who played professionally in a dance band.
You don't mention if you've tried this or not, but it's possible that all the horn needs is a good cleaning. Wash all the parts in the sink in a bath of warm water and dish soap. Just be sure to give everything a good rinse when you're done. Then give everything a fresh coat of oil and it should work again.
Depending on where you live in the world, humidity can cause your valves to seize. I was playing a gig in Washington, DC this summer with the US Army Band Pershing's Own and one of our horn players' rotors seized, and one of the trumpet player's valves seized too - being from Ottawa, Canada, the humidity in DC was a huge change! Also, if your top valve caps are too tight, it can cause the reaction of the valves to seem like they're locking. This happened to the 4th valve on my piccolo trumpet. Another issue to consider is the gap between your piston and the outer casing. The smaller the gap, you need an oil with less viscosity. The larger the gap, an oil with higher viscosity often works better. After owning a few different horns, I've learned which oils work better for each brand of trumpet. Just some food for thought!
