Trumpet/Maintenance

Oiling the Valves

Equipment:

1. Trumpet with sticky valves
2. Valve Oil
3. Oil Rag

Procedure for each valve to be oiled:

1. Unscrew the top valve cap.
2. Gently remove the valve from the casing. This is a very sensitive part of the instrument, any scraping or denting will impair the valve's function!
3. Using the oil rag, wipe down the valve to remove any accumulated dirt/gunk and the old oil.
4. Apply plenty of valve oil to the clean valve, careful not to drip extra oil on your nice clothes or good carpet.
5. Gently replace the valve into the valve casing.
6. Rotate the valve in the casing to make sure oil is spread evenly across the piston's surface.
7. Align the valve guides with the casing (usually this means with the stamped number facing the mouthpiece). Typically they "click" when they're in the right spot.
8. Thread and tighten the top valve cap.
9. Repeat on the other two valves.

Cleaning the Mouthpiece

Cleaning a trumpet mouthpiece is one of the easiest steps in cleaning the instrument.

Equipment:

1. Mouthpiece to be cleaned.
2. Mouthpiece brush.
3. Sink.
4. Soap.

Procedure:

1. Run the mouthpiece under warm water or let sit in warm soapy water.
2. Scrub the inside of the mouthpiece with the mouthpiece brush.
3. Rinse.

Cleaning the Valves

After a while valves tend to get full of gunk and need a good wash from time to time so as to not hinder your playing. Equipment:

• Valves to be cleaned.
• Sink.
• Soap.
• Small watertight container.
• Rag.

Procedure for each valve to be cleaned:

1. Unscrew the top valve cap.
2. Remove the valve from the casing. Take note of which valve goes where. Most valves have a number or a mark to identify their position.
3. Run the valves under warm water. Make sure that the little felt pads under the cap and the cap itself don't get wet as this can damage the valves.
4. Scrub the valve holes with a brush.
5. Leave inside a watertight container filled with warm soapy water for about 20 minutes. Make sure neither the felt pads or the cap get wet.
6. Dry off with a rag.