Stu's Music Shop
Instrument Care:
Scratchy Valves / Oiling Valve Springs
Most trumpets made today employ a floating valve guide inside a spring
chamber on the top part of the valve core. For one reason or another, the
spring sometimes get bent or wear unevenly. When this happens, the valves
sometimes emit a dry, scratchy sound, even right after oiling. Examination
of the spring can sometime reveal a bent spring or slight banana shape
that can cause contact with the spring chamber. If this is the case, it
is easily fixed by oiling the spring with a lightweight slide oil
such as Hetman Tuning Slide Oil.
To oil the springs, apply a little (not too much) of the oil through
the slots that the guide travels in. You shouldn't even need to apply it
to both sides of a single valve spring: the spiral insures that the oil
will work its way around. There is no need to remove the stem and the spring
for this operation: just oil where you can see the spring is exposed. (Hetman's
cap brushes make this an easy job!) We also recommend oiling all valve
springs after cleanings.
It will take a few minutes to work its way around the coils of the spring,
but it should eliminate the scratchy sound. If the sound persists after
oiling the springs, this is a sign of a more serious problem with the valves
and you should contact our repair staff as soon as possible.
This article was written by Andrew B. Spang. Copyright © 1998
by Andrew B. Spang. Permission granted to reproduce or print single copies
of this article for educational purposes only. May not be used for profit
without the author's express written consent.
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