Posted by Jay Bertolet on March 07, 2000 at 07:34:45:
In Reply to: Hetman's Oil posted by Rick Denney on March 06, 2000 at 14:26:30:
In my experiment to find a better oil for my new tuba, I settled on the Hetman's #2 (Piston). And I'm happy to report that it works really well. Also, I couldn't find anyone who had the degreaser that Hetman sells in stock, called BrassBrite, so I went ahead and used the Hetman's on the valves without cleaning them. The valves had been previously oiled with Blue Juice, which is a petroleum based oil, and I had no gumming due to interaction with petroleum and synthetic based oils.
The Hetman's is quick stuff and is absolutely odorless. I'm having to oil my pistons a little more frequently than other posters have suggested but that could be because I just got done playing a few serious band concerts with tons of notes. During this stretch, I was oiling my valves every other concert. My suggestion for choosing the right oil is to try the thicker ones first. That way, you find the one that lasts the longest but only if it works quickly enough. But don't do this during a concert situation!
I tried the Space Filler oils a few years ago and I didn't have much luck with them. I may revisit the issue again now that I have a piston tuba but I'm pretty satisfied with the Hetman's so far. Good luck in your search!