Does the Oil Really Matter...?

  About four days ago I ran out of the rotor oil I usually use on my horn, and since our local store doesn't keep it in stock I had to wait a few days for it to be ordered in. Until then I knew I'd have to use something to avoid the metal-to-metal contact so I settled for a few drops Blue Juice down the pipes. Now don't get me wrong, Blue Juice is a great product and I keep it on me for a reason, but where I play a Conn 8D that's nearing it's 50th birthday, and that's had it's rotors "swedged" at least once, it just requires a thicker oil.
  From the moment I put the lighter oil in I felt the rotors got extremely fast and a bunch noisier too. Then when I played the response was completely different. All the slotting was strange and my dynamics didn't to respond at all. This is because the oil on the rotors helps form the solid airtight seal so the horn responds properly and the lighter oil wasn't creating as good of a seal.

  Today I finally got to wash out my horn and re-oil it with my thicker oil. Wow! What a difference it made. Instantly all my rotors decided to shut up (including the mechanical thumb trigger) and my response went completely back to normal. 

  This is a testament to making sure that you use the right oil for every part of the horn and make sure it's the right oil for the horn. A general rule of thumb is that if it's a newer horn, or a horn that's just had the rotors done, they will be tighter, necessitating a lighter oil. On the other hand, older horns generally need a thicker oil since the rotors will have wore down a bit.