TRUMPET KIT

Brass Instrument Snake

A snake is a bristled brush at the end of a long cord. Most snakes are bristled at both ends. The first step is to pull out all of the slides and the valves from the instrument and clean the inside with warm water and mild dish soap. Use the snake to clean the inside of the tubing with scrubbing action. Rinse when done and let dry. You may visually inspect the inside of the tubing against the light to make sure all gunk or debris has been removed successfully from the inside.

Valve Oil

Valve oil is a lightweight lubricant that is added to the valves before playing. While you don’t need much to be effective, don’t worry about applying too much as any excess oil will naturally drop to the bottom and come out of the bottom valve cap area. Forgetting to use oil or leaving your valves dry will cause the instrument to feel sluggish and eventually, it will encounter larger repairs that will need to be left in the shop. Please don’t forget to oil the valves!

Tuning Slide Grease

Tuning slide grease is grease for the slide parts where they contact other parts. Excess grease can easily be removed with a handy, spare cloth. Not using grease may eventually cause the valves to freeze which can cost money to fix down the line. Just a dab smaller than a dime will go a long way. If you are using a chapstick type tube, just apply a thin layer and wipe the excess.

Brass Mouthpiece Brush

The brass mouthpiece brush is a handy brush for cleaning the mouthpiece alone. If you don’t have time to clean the entire horn, cleaning just the mouthpiece will be beneficial and can be done readily with just some water and dish soap. Make sure to rinse and dry the mouthpiece well after scrubbing.