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CARE and MAINTENANCE
Any time an instrument has moving parts like valves, rotors, or slides,
you will need to oil and grease them in order to keep them moving smoothly.
This page will take you through the steps for oiling rotary valves and greasing slides.
OILING VALVES
You need to own your own bottle of rotary valve oil (or regular valve oil if your tuba has piston valves).
There are many brands, but for rotary valves, make sure you buy a bottle that has
a thin metal applicator sticking out of the top.
This tiny tube is going to make it possible for you to get the oil where it needs to go.
Place the applicator in the tiny gaps between the top of the first valve and where the button connect to the rotor.
Squeeze the bottle gently and you will see some oil come out.
Now slowly pull the first valve slide out.
This pulling will create suction inside the tubing, which will actually pull the oil deeper into the rotor.
While holding down the first valve button, push the slide back in. You can repeat this process, but twice should do the job.
Repeat these steps with the other valves.
TUNING SLIDE
You want to be able to move your tuning slide, but you don't want it to move too easily,
so use a thicker type of slide grease for the main tuning slide.
There are several brands and container types. For this example, we will use some slide grease that comes in a small tub.
Slowly and carefully, pull the main tuning slide completely out.
Get some grease on one finger.
Start at the ends of the slide and rub the grease all around the outside.
Repeat on the other tube.
Slowly and carefully, put only one side in at a time using a twisting motion.
Here you see we did the bottom side first and then the top.
Now try both ends at the same time. Don't force it.
If it does not go in smoothly, you can wiggle it back and forth a bit.
If it is very difficult to get back in, it might be bent and you should get it repaired.
VALVE SLIDES
Especially your first valve slide, but really all of your valve slides should be easy to move,
so try to find a thinner type of slide oil.
There are several brands and container types. For this example, we will use some slide oil that comes in a small bottle.
Make sure that you hold down the button for whichever valve slide you are removing.
In this situation, we do not want to create suction inside the tubing.
Here you can see the first valve is pushed and held down while the first valve slide is pulled out.
Start at the ends of the tubes and squeeze out a long bead of oil along the entire length of the tube.
You can be more generous with this material than you were with the main slide grease.
Remember, we want to be able to move these valve slides pretty easily.
Just like the main slide, only insert one side at a time, using a twisting motion.
Make sure you have the corresponding button held down when you push the entire slide back in.
Remember, do not force it.
A little bit of wiggling goes a long way here.
If it is very difficult to push in, get it checked out by a professional repair person.
POLISHING
Caring for your tuba means also taking pride in how it looks on the outside.
How often you polish the outside of your tuba is up to you,
but definitely consider doing it prior to any public performances.
Most music stores carry a standard brass polishing cloth that already has a special chemical in it.
If that does not satisfy your need for shine, any cloth with any non-abrasive brass polish should do the trick!
It seems that the Apprentice is now the Master, but we all have so much more to learn!
Please visit the next page for a list of method books, music, and famous tubists!
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