Grime Gutters

[Trumpeter58]

I'd be interested in comments from those who may use/have used Grime Gutterson the bottom of trumpet/cornet/flugel valves. They're designed to catch and absorb any excess liquid that settles into the bottom valve caps so you don't wind up with oil and/or wear residue stains on your clothes. My concern is whether the material they're made of might cause scuffing or wear of the fininsh where they slip (friction fit) on and off.
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"Blowing" my retirement away.
"All that we know is infinitely less than that which we have yet to learn."

Blessing ML-1S
Olds Special NA 100ZU
Holton Collegiate cornet (circa 1953)
Olds NF13MRT Flugel
Monette STC1-B4S

[trumpetera]

They do. I used them for a short while on my silver plated Bach, and very soon the silver started to get black under it. Silver and rubber are never good together.

[8vaIsOK]

I have grime gutters (the Jo-ral brand) on all of my horns - I suspect they can cause some undesirable effects if they are not maintained. After all, they are made to collect crud!

I have them to keep the valve oil off of my pants -- works well for the valve casings (although I still get grease on me from my slides and water keys).

I keep them on when I am at a gig or rehearsal for any needed re-oiling. When I am doing my regular horn maintenance (usually once a week) I will remove the gutter guards and the valves - swab insides the casings and clean off the piston before re-oiling. I'll also hit the bottom of the valve casing (the part normally behind the gutter guard) with the polishing cloth. I also swab out the inside of the gutter guards with a rag and inspect the absorption pad for over-saturation.

Getting directly to the question at hand - I have no problems with my horns (all silver plate) and the gutter guards. They are worth it to me and do not cause any undesirable, appearance problems with my routine and they don't scratch the finish either.
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Todd Griffin
Nashville, TN

[klipschfan4life]

I use them for both my vintage cleveland american standard trumpet and my vintage Sherwood Cornet. They are both satin silver and neither the satin or the silver finishes rub off. I have absolutely no problem with the grim gutters. Although, they are easy to simply hit and come off. I'm afraid it will just come off one day and I will not notice it until I go to put my trumpet/cornet back in it's case.

[trumpaholic]

Binak oil is fabulous for older vintage and modern horns as well. The big plus is it does not run off into the casings. You have to be careful not to put too much on the valves, less is far better than more. It comes in two weights, Binak 495 for vintage horns and Binak Pro for modern tolerances. Also, Hetman has a vintage oil which stays on well, however, get a bottle of Binak and say goodbye to stained cloths, plus it lasts for weeks per application. A client recently bought a Chinese flugel on eBay, this horn was the worst example of poor valves I have ever seen. It took too hands to remove the rusted valves out of that sucker. One application of Binak 495 and about twenty minutes of working it in resulted in a piece of crap that is now playable!

[Asian Man]

but too little oil will help dirt settle in the valve ports or something like that. I have a Bach Grime Gutter , which came with my Bach trumpet. I don't think it left any wear on my finish and Simply left it on for like a year without taking it off much. Well I think my trumpet is still in my sister's car so i wouldn't be able to give you my full review but tomorrow i will.
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Bach Strad (lacq.) 37
Yamaha C Trumpet (silver) YTR6445HS
Couesnon Monopole Flugelhorn circa 1970
7 rims (Curry)
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[laura C tpt]

The only problem I've seen with those is that if the pads inside aren't cleaned/replaced when they get full of oil and grit, all that stuff just attaches itself to the outside of the valve casings and cruds up the threads of the bottom caps. I just take my bottom caps off every few days and shake out the oil and wipe them out.
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-Laura Carpenter-

Trumpet Performance/Musicology
Boston University
College of Fine Arts 2010

[crzytptman]

They change the resonant properties of the horn, in my opinion for the worse. Since I use a pistol grip, I get stuff in my palm, so I always have a hanky in my hand. I also like to wipe my mpc. If it was good enough for Satchmo . . .
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Crazy Nate - Fine Yet Mellow Fellow
"so full of it I don't know where to start"
Horn: "just mismatched Kanstul spare parts"
- TH member and advertiser (name withheld)

[tom turner]

They are fine to use once older horns start leaking liquid material down into the bottom of the valve caps.

However, I see no benefit of using them on horns that still have tight valve tolerances. In this case, it is one of those "perfect solutions to a non-existant problem."

T.

[Dale Proctor]

I've been playing for over 40 years and have never used one. Never had the need - my horns don't drip crud.
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"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham

[ken_fung]

I am totally against the use of grime gutters. I have found it dampening the trumpet and make it less responsive, sound dull, etc.

To keep pants clean, use a better oil (most newer formulae are quite clean) and clean the valve caps often.
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Greetings from Hong Kong,
Ken

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[Maarten van Weverwijk]

[LittleRusty]

My Silver Bach C came with the gutter. I used it for a while, I now have a mark on the horn where it was. I no longer use it.

As Dale states, I also don't get oil on my pants, except when it drips while oiling.

[Tootsall]