Synthetic valve oils

[ghmerrill]

I've been using Yamaha Synthetic for eons in its various viscosities for tuba, ancient tuba, euph, and trombone valves. It's the best I've found -- for me. A lot of this is just personal preference for one odd reason or another. Or sometimes because we have different body chemistries and some things work for some people and not for others (Hetman's and Blue Juice have seemed to be like that).

For those who haven't noticed, Monster is now marketing Eco Pro valve oil in two viscosities. It's "100% plant based," and people who seem to know have said the underlying oil is corn oil. I got some and tried it on my euph. It seems to work very well and (like Yamaha synthetic) is odorless/tasteless. I'll see how the Eco Pro stuff works over time, and it may be an alternative to the Yammy oil for me, although I don't care if it's squeezed from rocks or ears of corn.

[smitwil1]

In response to Monster oil being real--yes, it is. It's made by a couple of guys currently serving in/recently separated from the USCGA band. I think that they've worked with a Coast Guard engineer or chemist to develop a corrosion-inhibiting valve oil. I'm not a shill; just an environmental scientist with chemistry and tuba fixations. FWIW, the "Smoother" version is just a bit thick for me--more like a rotor oil than a piston oil. All their oils are compatible with their slide oils and slide grease meaning that they don't seem to make a frothy "goop" like Hetmann does (at least for me).They will thicken the valve oil, so I use the valve oil for my slides now to prevent the accidental sluggish fingering changes. They also will result in amber colored condensate--while not confirmed, I assume that this is a result of the oxidation of the anti-corrosion additive. Since I use puppy pee pads for absorbing my "tuba juice" when playing in carpeted rooms, it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Now, I post this as a personal recommendation for a synthetic valve oil, should someone want to try one. This is NOT an argument for using synthetic valve oil. As bloke routinely states--and quite correctly--a clean horn and uncented lamp oil with a drop or two of 30 wt. motor oil works, works well, and works for the lowest dollar-per-valve-movement. I will not argue with an experienced professional repair-person/horn builder/musician/tubist on this point, especially since I've used that solution in the past and was happy with it since it worked flawlessly and costs pennies per bottle. However, as I said: chemistry geek + tuba geek = lots of experimenting with valve oils in the past just for kicks-and-giggles. Personally, I kinda like the Monster guys' schtick, product, and YouTube interviews so I support them by buying their product. YMMV...

[PlayTheTuba]

Ordering from Musicians Friend (wwbw/Guitar Center same umbrella these days) has not charged me for ground shipping so far. No minimums purchase either. I have 2 un-opened bottles of the Ultra-pure Black Label to try. See if that doesn't turn "film like" Hetmans does over time.

The Berp Bio-Oil no 3 is quite good. I bought last year I believe. The scent is to strong for me. I'll probably keep ordering the Berp heavy bearing oil though myself. Although...

Monster is now marketing Eco Pro valve oil in two viscosities. It's "100% plant based," and people who seem to know have said the underlying oil is corn oil. I got some and tried it on my euph. It seems to work very well and (like Yamaha synthetic) is odorless/tasteless.

I knew that Monster Oils makes a plant based valve oil as well. If it is actually scent-less, I will definitely be ordering a bottle to try and stick with that. Or I'll just keep ordering the Ultra-Pure instead. Time will tell.