School starts Monday after a long recess and my kid's trumpet valves are stuck in place. We can't find the valve oil.
It's not a life-or-death 'emergency' - but it got me thinking (not being a musician) what I could use that I had around the house to lubricate the valves.
Unfortunately, I don't have 'sewing machine oil' at home (which googling says works ok). But I do have '3-in-1 household oil'.
The MSDS says 3-in-1 is "Severely Hydrotreated Heavy Naphthenic Oil" (> 97% with 2% Naptha). PDF =
Googling some more, I see some people say that 'mineral oil' works (which I can probably get at a drug store, right?) but before I go farther, I wonder if anyone here has advice for an easily found substitute for trumpet oil on a Sunday (i.e., hardware or drug store chemical)?
BTW, this ehow article says to use "lamp oil" and "essential oil" in addition to "scent oil" and "sewing machine oil". Is it just me or are most of these oils (with the exception of sewing machine oil) exotic or what?