Rotary valve care.

[Trhtrbn]

I apologize if this is a repeat question, but I would like to know how often to oil the rotary valve on my tenor’s f attachment? I believe waiting until it gets sticky may be problematic? Should it be weekly, monthly, quarterly or what?
Thanks

[Posaunus]

I oil my valves very frequently. Since I rotate among my collection, I might not play any particular trombone until a week or more later. So when I come home from a rehearsal / gig, I initiate my hygiene protocol (no later than the next day). This involves cleaning and thoroughly drying the inner & outer slides and the bell section, and lubricating the valve (all mine are single-valve):
• Valve Oil - a few drops into the slide receiver, actuated a few times to coat the bearing surfaces;
• Rotor Oil - a drop or two onto the spindle under the rotor cap;
• Bearing & Linkage Oil - a drop at each rotating point.

I then put away my trombones "dead dry" but lubricated.

Doing this keeps my valves working perfectly and silently.

Do not skimp on or postpone lubricating your valves!

[Crazy4Tbone86]

It is not so much how often you oil a rotary valve.....the important consideration is HOW you oil your rotary valves. There are bearings on both sides that require a thicker lubricant. There are many companies that make oils (labeled as "bearing oil" or "spindle oil") that are specifically made thicker for those spots.

The center or core of the valve does best with a slightly thinner oil that can be applied from the slide receiver or the tuning slide. Maybe people use standard piston valve oil in the core, but I prefer a slightly thicker oil....some brands refer to it specifically as "rotor oil."

Under normal circumstances, I don't think a properly operating rotary valve needs to be oiled more than once every 10-14 days. If you are lubricating it that often and it is sticking, there could be other factors at play.....like the casing could be torqued to be out-of-round or there is the accumulation of mineral deposits.