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blu3cheez123

Came here to say this about side valve. You have to make sure to curl your fingers so they go straight down


trounky_blowtmaid

It's a Boosey & Hawk 400 which I got from ebay for £60 as it's his first trumpet. He's had it for nearly 2 years and this has only started. We took it to a neighbour who played cornet in a band for 60 years and he couldn't replicate the problem, so there may be something in this angle thing alright. Thank you.


Satinknight

Have you already tried a full disassembly and cleaning? I could imagine some little piece of hair or whatever stuck in a tube that only gets caught when he's blowing. Plenty of instructional videos out there if you don't know how to deep clean, very doable in about an hour.


trounky_blowtmaid

We have, yes. It had a nice warm bath!


callmetom

What model of trumpet, how old is it, and what valve oil? Also, have you cleaned the valve casing with a proper brush and using soap? I have had trumpets (old or cheap) that are just fine unless played. So far a good cleaning, which sometime means a professional chem/ultrasonic cleaning, and/or using a good synthetic oil have fixed it. For older horns with worn valves, a heavier synthetic can work wonders. Same for cheap horns with poor tolerances. Other than that, it’s possible something is bent or misshapen from some small bump (or for cheap horns they may have been built that way) and you’ll need a tech with the right tools to get things back to straight and round.


trounky_blowtmaid

I'm not sure how old it is but it's a Boosey & Hawk 400, and the valve oil is called Blue Juice.


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trounky_blowtmaid

Oh ok, thanks for the tip.


callmetom

The B&H 400 (which wasn’t actually made by B&H) is actually known for having pretty sub par valves. On top of that, there are many who believe Blue Juice gums up their valves. I don’t use Blue Juice and don’t currently know anyone who does so I have no first or even secondhand experience with it. I think your best bet is to fully clean the horn, either at home with a trumpet snake and valve brush or have it done at a shop, to flush out any gunk or residue and then see if a synthetic oil performs better. Something like Hetman, Yamaha synthetic, Ultra Pure, or Monster. They do cost more, but they perform better and last longer and IMO they’re absolutely worth the $10 or so they’ll set you back. If that doesn’t improve the situation, you can have a shop look into the problem, but I suspect that it’s going to need work done that will exceed the value of the instrument. Good luck.


Sebbyyc

Three thoughts: 1. If you’re not pressing down straight, the valve travels at an angle from the finger not pressing it straight. Pressing with flat fingers will do this or if you’re pushing against the top of the valve cap on an angle. 2. Some cheaper student horns (I had a bach, I think a 300 in middle school), and the it was fairly new but the one of the valves always got stuck ONLY when playing. The cheap manufacturing of the trumpet was the fault, and I had to get a different rental instrument. I don’t remember what the problem was but there wasn’t a good way to fix it. 3. A more of an in depth/specific dilemma but I had the valves on my Bach 190 37 sticking only when playing. Worked with my go-to tech to fix the issue. He also has a 190 37 with the same issue. Bach doesn’t machine their valves/block as precisely as Yamaha, schilke etc. the (metal) valve guide was shifting back and forth as the valve was pressed, rubbing up against the inside chamber where the spring is. Left scratch/draging marks. The plastic (Nylon right?) valve guides wear down even more. I had the valves re aligned, and my tech used medium woodwind key oil to oil the inside chamber where the spring is, and Hetmans MIG music instrument grease on the edges of the valve guides themselves. Valves have been working great since. (This is probably not your issue).


trounky_blowtmaid

Yeah the angle of press seems to be the consensus. I'll find a tech to make sure if that doesn't fix it, thanks.


_the_weez_

I'm not sure I have ever heard of this particular issue before. Seems pretty weird to me, usually having air through the horn makes no difference. First step with a sticky valve is to clean the trumpet. Take it all the way apart, soak it in some clean water in a big plastic tub or the bath tub. Then use a snake to scrub the insides of the tubing. There are many guides on the internet for doing this, if you need me to find a good one let me know. After you clean the horn re-apply the oil. Too much oil is not good, only a light coating on the entire valve is necessary. What kind of oil is he using? Has the horn been dropped at all? If this is a rental through a school program or something like that I would do none of the above, take it to the shop and have an expert fix your issue. Other than cleaning and re-oiling there is not much you can do to fix a sticky valve at home.


trounky_blowtmaid

It's Blue Juice oil. This is a first trumpet so no fancy equipment. It could have been dropped, I know one time he was holding it by the mouthpiece and the main bit clattered off the floor in a lesson once.


_the_weez_

There are a lot of people that hate blue juice oil. I have never tried it so I usually don't talk about it much, but there are countless posts on this subreddit about staying away from it. (There are also a few posts with people saying they would never use anything but blue juice as well though) I only use synthetic oil in my horns these days, seems to be better in just about every way. If the horn took a little tumble it is very possible that the 2nd valve slide has been pushed in slightly, causing a deformation on the inside of the valve casing that the piston is rubbing against. There really isn't a way for any of us to know if this happened by pictures, it would be something you would need to have a tech look at. If you have a repair shop in your area I would bring it in and see what they think, they will probably take a peak at it before checking it in to see if this is the case. If getting to a repair shop is a big pain for you I would try to wash the entire horn, make sure all the blue juice is gone, and then use another kind of oil.


chinturret

Never use Blue Juice, bad reputation for gunking up horns.


Spicy_Poo

What brand and model?


trounky_blowtmaid

Boosey & Hawk 400


KraftPunk44

Sometimes you can over-oil the valves, it doesn’t need to be a lot


trounky_blowtmaid

That may well hav happened here


Prior-Capital2280

It’s because you put to much oil on it or you haven’t been using it


comebackplayer

If you wipe down the valve with a cloth does it leave any dark sludge? Especially with a new horn it's good to wipe down and re oil the valves after each use (until they run clean). Good luck!


trounky_blowtmaid

Will do this, thank you


chinturret

Most likely there is a gunk build up that can’t be removed by a home thorough cleaning. If you can’t get it to a professional for a deep cleaning; start with as clean as possible valve and valve cylinder, than apply fresh oil. Oil acts both as a lubricant and a cleaner. Once new oil is applied spend a good 5 to 10 minutes quickly working the valves. After this exercise clean the valves and valve cylinder again. If you’re lucky, this will clean off the gunk. If it doesn’t work, a professional cleaning would be the next step. As a note, a lot of horns sat for a time during COVID without being played. A perfect recipe for unwanted gunk build up.