Posted by David on March 05, 2001 at 15:45:28:
In Reply to: Re: Why do Meinl-Weston valves suck? posted by arik on February 26, 2001 at 19:19:52:
I have the new Meinl Weston 2000. As a first time user of any piston valve instrument, I experienced a bit of drag on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th valves. I am a repairman, so I solved the dragging problem by polishing the valves on a buffer. Sometimes imperfections are left inadvertently on the valves and can be solved in this manner with no harm to the valve itself.
Please don't keep referring to what a repairman does as "lapping" the valves. This usually entails removing metal via a solution that best resembles 'Lava' soap. You know, pumice mixed with water? Please do not try that. It means a real problem for you and money in the repairman's pocket. If you must "lap" a valve in, just use some toothpaste and water and work the valve up and down and turn it around as you do so. A tip: remove the valve guide first - it just unscrews.
In reference to the valve guides being plastic... they are made out of delrin. This is a very hard plastic material. It is found as a gear in many cars these days so it is very durable. Nylon is probably not the material used as it tends to swell when oil gets on it. Delrin valve guides, if not abused should last the life of the instrument.
Choice of oil seems to vary widely. I tried Binak, Al Cass, and settled on Fat Cat for me. I have no scientific proof, but I truly believe that the interaction between your saliva and the oil used has a great deal to do with whether the valve is sluggish or not. If it is sluggish, don't start by blaming the horn. Start with 1)cleaning the valve and casing every night for a couple of weeks 2)buy several different brands of valve oil and give each a good try - let's say 2 weeks?
Dumping water out of the Meinl is a problem so... As a repairman, I installed an Amado waterkey on the 3rd and 4th valve slide tubing where the water accumulates. If you have a Meinl 2145, 2155, 2000, or 2165, you know what I am talking about. Now, instead of turning flips with the horn or pulling out slides, I just open the waterkeys, blow the water out, and get back to playing again.
Hope this can help some of you out there in tuba land.