One of the most common repairs that we see on the bench is a trumpet with a sticking or slow valve. These range from a valve that hangs up a little bit to one that is completely seized up and can't even be removed from the casing without force. If your problem is the former, don't panic, it may not even need any kind of serious repair. I usually put valve trouble into 2 general categories, acute and chronic. Chronic valve trouble is when the valve sticks every time you press it down. This is the kind of trouble that you have no problem recreating when you show it the repair tech. There is little DIY maintenance that you can do in these instances. Acute valve trouble is when your valve sticks or comes up slow one time and then you go on merrily with your playing until it occurs a couple of days later. For these acute troubles there ARE a few things that you can do before you panic and go running to the repair shop. Many times this trouble stems from a dirty valve, or one the is under or over (yes, there is such a thing as too much) oiled.
1. You can prevent debris from building up on the valves by avoiding eating before playing or brushing your teeth if you have to play right after eating. Also NEVER chew gum while your playing. I'm sure that your band director has already yelled at you for this one!
2. If you find that your valve is slow or sticking try a little bit of oil. If it has been a while since you have oiled your valves they may have dried out, but remember that a little bit goes a long way.
3. Don't OVER oil you valves. If you try a little bit of oil and it's still sticking don't just start dumping a ton of oil on it. If the problem is in fact that there is debris in the valves then you are simply putting clean oil on top of dirty oil. It's like changing the oil in your car without changing the filter.
4. If they are still sticking then you need to start with a clean slate. You can do this by removing the pistons from the casing and wiping off all of the oil with a lint free cloth. It's important that it's lint-free or else you risk causing the same problem from lint pieces that fall off the cloth. I recommend using a paper towel or handkerchief. Take a small piece of the cloth and push it through the casing gently with the eraser end of a pencil. If you have to force it then your piece of cloth is too large. Once you have wiped off all of the old oil add some more. Remember not to over oil. A little bit goes a long way.
If you are still having trouble with the valve after doing all of this, then it is time to take it in to the repair shop and let professional technician have a look at it.
