| Description |
Procedure |
Frequency |
| Blowout |
Before playing, forcefully blow air through your horn, without moving the valves, to clean case fuzz and other stuff out of your mouthpiece and bore. This stuff can get into your valves and cause them to hang. |
Before every use |
| Oiling |
Keep your valves oiled. Oil not only reduces friction, but serves to reduce leakage. Use the heaviest oil you can that still provides good action. See Warnings |
Every two days |
| Wiping |
With a soft, dry cloth, wipe the fingerprints off of your horn. Empty the condensation out of your horn via the water keys, blowing forcefully to blow as much out as possible.. See Warnings |
After every use |
|
Cleaning |
Remove the slides and valves. Pour cool, soapy water into the tubes several times. Use a "snake" to scrub the bore and pour more soapy water through. Rinse with clear water and let dry. Swish the valves in a jar or glass of soapy water. Don't get the felts wet. Scrub the ports with the snake's brush end. Swish the valves in clean water to rinse and let drain. Assemble with fresh oil and grease. Check water key corks by pressurizing the slide and looking for leaks. Best time to do this is during the soapy water pour through (Makes bubbles if it leaks). (You have tasted soap before haven't you, potty mouth?). See Warnings |
Monthly or more frequently if you feel you need to |
No kidding, Hot Shot, ignore these warnings and your ignorance will cost you!!!
Don't use anything other than valve oil on your valves. We have had valves come in with cooking oil on them. Puh-lease!!! The thicker the better, as long as they move faster than you can play.
Use grease on your slides, not valve oil. DUH!
A used horn is like a used car. You will have to use a heavier oil to take up the larger clearances caused by wear. Same thing with the slides.
Don't expect a used horn to look, operate and play like a new horn! You get what you pay for.
DO NOT TRY TO REMOVE A STUCK MOUTHPIECE. YOU WILL DAMAGE THE HORN. WE PULL MOUTHPIECES AT NO CHARGE! WE CHARGE $MONEY$ TO PUT A HORN BACK TOGETHER! OUR ROAD WARRIORS WILL PULL YOUR MOUTHPIECE WHEN THEY GET TO YOUR BAND ROOM!!! HAVE I MENTIONED THAT YOU SHOULDN'T TRY TO REMOVE A STUCK MOUTHPIECE? ...neither thy father who liveth within or without thy home, neither shall thy mother who begat thee. Thy section leader, (see below), no matter how they threaten thee with great tribulation, shall be allowed to contend with thy horn, neither the man who worketh with radiators...
Be careful when using the snake brush on your valve ports. Don't let the snake springy thing come in contact with the valve, especially the edges of the ports. Use just the bristle part.
Valves are designed to fit into the horn in certain ways. Each valve is numbered. #1 valve goes into the hole closest to you if you hold the horn as if you were playing. Each valve has a piece that slides up and down with the spring on top of it. That is the guide. LOOK at it!! One end has a little tab that the other doesn't, right? Look down into the hole the valve goes in. See the notch? Guess what? Yeah! The tab goes into the notch. This helps train you so that when you have children, you will have an easier time on Christmas Eve putting their toys together!!!
If you bend your horn, do not try to straighten it out. It will bend in the opposite direction in a different place! We don't know why they do that, but they do, honest.
If your tuning slide gets stuck, probably because you neglected your horn, DO NOT brace the bell against you to try to pull the slide. It the slide does come out, it could whack the bell and dent it, or the bell could "lose hull integrity" and bend.
It doesn't matter how big, mean, officious, or how smart they think they are, do not let your section leaders mess with your horn. If you are a section leader, you better think twice about messing with someone's horn. Lawyers make a lot of money and people like to use them.
Please do not use super glue on your horn in any way, shape, form, or fashion. To do so will cause extra time and expense with repairs and will not be corrected under our maintenance agreement.
DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT use any polishing cloth that puts red stuff on your hands to polish your silver trumpet. You may use a cloth that has a white or yellow inner cloth that turns black when you use it. The reason? The red stuff rubs off the silver.
'nuff said?
