Valves still feel a bit sluggish

[trumpet_bob_silver]

I cleaned my horn a while ago. Valves seemed a bit sluggish after that.

I got new springs. That helped a bit.

I can still feel that the valves don't quite seem to come up like I'd like, like my fingers can still move faster than the valve coming back up.

Is there anything I can do myself to improve that? Clean the valves or inside of the casings better? (Stronger springs? I got the normal ones, standard Bach strad springs, not the light ones. I would get stronger springs if they had them.) Soak the valves? Use a polish rag on them or something like that?

I get green stuff corroding on my first and third slides so I'm thinking it's something like that.

Otherwise, a pro cleaning.

[zaferis]

I'd try another cleaning, and let the disassembled trumpet soak a mixture of water and distilled vinegar - 30 minutes or more. Then rinse thoroughly, wipe dry with a lint free cloth/paper towels, lube and reassemble.

Maybe try a different oil, but don't change without a good clean between. With tight valves a thinner oil, with older, worn valves a thicker oil.

I wouldn't change springs, heavy springs will only make the downstroke firmer. Nor would I try any harsher cleaning or polishing chemicals on the valves or the casing.

Then if still an issue, get it to a tech
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[Robert P]

Another, more intense cleaning with thorough rinsing. Clearly you dislodged something.
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[pepperdean]

I've had great success with Clean-Stroke Valve Wash from Warburton. You might give that a try to make sure you've got all the residual gunk cleaned out.

Alan

[cheiden]

Not nearly enough information to guess.

In general, make sure that you clean thoroughly including the cylinders and the ports.

If a thick oil feels too slow, use one that's thinner. I like Blue Juice.

If a thin oil hangs, then perhaps try a thicker oil. I like T2.

If it's just a single valve that's"sluggish" then it's likely something else entirely.
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"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

[Geodude]

If a good scrub and a careful rinse (watch out for any fibers shed from your cleaning gear) and a little oil experimentation does not resolve your problem, treat your horn to a spa day and have a tech give it a chem or ultrasonic cleaning to get rid of any stubborn or accumulated crud. Valve clearances are tight enough that it doesn't take much to go from happy to unhappy. The tech would also be in a position to evaluate if it is a cleanliness issue or it is another problem.

Once you have your problem sorted, consider stepping up your maintenance schedule. Daily use of a (Best Damn' or other) leadpipe swab and/or Blow Dry Brass or Spit Balls to help keep it clean and happy.

[Bflatman]

[cheiden]

The worst issue I ever had after cleaning I later found was due to a burr on the piston port. Apparently when I pulled the cleaning rod through a very thin burr then protruded and scrapped the cylinder wall. When I nuked the burr and smoothed the point of attachment the problem vanished.

To a lesser degree, I also had an issue with some sort of contamination in the tubes between the cylinders. When I figured out how to get the snake in there the valves freed up.
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

[cbtj51]

After not playing my horns for almost 14 years, many things didn't work correctly, mostly because of things that I had forgotten how to do. Even though I had "mothballed" my horns very well for long term storage, I started having valve issues almost right away after what I considered very thorough comeback cleaning (I did have a stuck 2nd valve slide on 2 of my Trumpets and a stuck 1st valve slide on my Flugelhorn). I soaked, snaked, soaked again, got new snakes, went to work on detailing, and I still had intermittent valve problems. After I got my slides moving freely (this took a trip to a professional tech in all of those instances), I went to work on a very long warm water bath process with each horn disassembled and worked one of my snakes into the right angle to get thru the tubes in the valve blocks. The junk that came out of there was unbelievable, especially on my Flugelhorn. Daily use of the Blow Dry Brass product after that has changed the way my horns work in the very best way, especially regarding valve reliability. Cleaning is now a breeze, no valve problems and the best part, I get a consistent experience from my horns over and over. As big a pain as all of the extra work was initially, the whole process has paid off big time in making maintenance a real breeze. A KEY factor has been the diligent use of the Blow Dry Brass product after EVERY days' session to keep the inside of my horns in extremely clean condition, so far saving me from any time consuming repeats of the tough jobs. As any Craftsman can attest, our instruments are the "tools" of our trade and require proper maintenance in order to perform like we expect them to every time we pick them up. Take the time to learn what it takes and then do it like aircraft maintenance. It's very important.
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'71 LA Benge 5X Bb
'72 LA Benge D/Eb
'76 Bach CL 229/25A C
‘92 Bach 37 Bb
'98 Getzen 895S Flugelhorn
'00 Bach 184 Cornet
'02 Yamaha 8335RGS
'16 Bach NY 7
'16 XO 1700RS Piccolo
Reeves 41 Rimmed Mouthpieces

[MikeyZ]

I would remove the valve and use a soft cloth and clean visible dirt first off the valve. Then I would buff the lower half of the valve with a clean part of your soft cloth. Next, the valve casing itself has to be cleaned with a soft cloth wrapped around a long pencil to get at all of the valve casing.Do not forget to take the valve cap off. Apply light valve oil (I use al-cass) on the valve casing then on your valve. Reinsert your valve and gently twist it left and right (I was told this by a repair tech.) Line up your valve and tighten it up. As you press down the valve you should see an improvement. If this does not work you may need a valve replacement. I have done this after repair techs. could not solve the sluggish valve problem. They told me that after 20 years of heavy usage/playing that I needed a replacement of all 3 valves.Also if you have a pro-model horn like I have the valve casing /valve space or gap is very small/tight which is needed for compression. My 96 year old cornet has a huge space /gap between the casing and valve. My cornet has no issues with valves or
springs. Hope this helps you. This is what I have done for sluggish valves.
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My Gear: 1984 Yamaha Trumpet YTR6340ST #001152 with a curry 5Z.mpc.and 1921 C.G.Conn Wonder Vocal Cornet C/Bb/A (Williams Winnipeg Engraved on bell) with 14B4 mpc.

[1jazzyalex]

Here's a product plug but I recently bought a Getzen which came with a handy-dandy bottle of pale blue Getzen oil and I tried that on my somewhat sluggish Yamaha and it made the valves much better.

Also and it's a long shot, but I saw somewhere on YouTube, maybe one of the excellent US Army Band videos, something about some of the "chapstick" type slide greases can get into the valves ....
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Yamaha 8335LA with Blessing 3C, 5C, Schilke 11A4A