Trumpet Maintenance tips

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	Your trumpet mouthpiece should not have any dents in the end of the shank. If you notice any dents in your trumpet mouthpiece you should immediately take it to a technician for repair.
	You should grease your slide at least once a month.
	You should move and grease all slides and bottom caps at least once a month.
	When the trumpet bottom caps are removed you can apply a small amount of slide grease to the threads of the cap for easy turning. If the trumpet bottom caps are dirty you can wash them in warm water and let dry completely before greasing and reassembling.
	DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE CAPS, MOUTHPIECE OR SLIDES IF THEY BECOME STUCK. A lack of oil and grease will cause the parts of your trumpet to stick. If they do stick take it to a technician immediately for removal.
	NEVER try to remove stuck parts with pliers or hammers!
	Wipe off your fingerprints from your trumpet after every use. A clean, non-treated cotton cloth will work the best. If you do choose to use a treated polishing cloth be sure that it is for the proper finish. Using the wrong cloth could cause scratches.
	Always store your trumpet in its case with the lid closed when not in use. This will prevent any excess tarnishing and lower the risk of damage.
	Do not put anything (including sheet music) inside the case with your trumpet that does not belong. Closing the case with extra contents can cause damage to the valves or dents.
	Also, make sure that all the latches are securely closed before transporting your trumpet.

How to oil the valves on your trumpet?

First of all we want to start by, of course, unscrewing our top cap. And now you do need to oil your valves every time you get your trumpet out to play. You want to just put a small amount of oil onto your valve, drop that valve down in there. It is not necessary to spin the valve in the casing to get the oil, it kind of goes all around by itself. So we just want to turn that valve ever so slightly, usually about a half of a turn, and let the valve snap into its resting spot. Tighten down the cap, go ahead and proceed with the other two, tighten those down. Now I do want to mention that it is very important, if you do put your trumpet up to store, to wipe these valves down before you put it up because the oil will get gummy. And that is how you oil your trumpet valves!

you get your mouthpiece stuck in your instrument, it's a very common thing that happens, and if you cannot get it out, I would definitely not try to fix this yourself. Don't go get the vise grips or a pair of pliers and try to remove it. There are things that you can pull off the trumpet. These braces here are something else that you should not try to fix on your own. Those are soldered together and it takes special tools to repair those. Also, if you have a valve that is damaged and you can't get it out, you've tried to get it out, I would definitely take that to your nearest repair professional so they can use their specialized tools to remove the dents or bows in the valves. As well as, if you have any dents in your trumpet, don't try to use a drum stick or anything else to remove, as well as do not ever use Super Glue on your instrument. And those are some things not to use to fix your trumpet.

Do not shine the outside of the trumpet using any polish. You will only scratch off this lacquer and destroy the appearance of the trumpet. With the lacquer scratched off, the instrument will tarnish like crazy and it will look awful.

Silver Plated trumpet-Do not use any silver polish on silver plated trumpet either. Silver polish is an abrasive which is somewhat like sandpaper. You will wear through the silver plating. You will also get some polish residue left behind in hard to reach areas and your trumpet will look bad. You may also get this polish into your valve casings and then you will be in trouble.  If you really must shine up your silver trumpet, the best thing to do is buy a silver cleaning cloth (Selmer makes a good one). These silver cloths are inpregnanted with some mild polish called "rouge". These cloths do work but the problem is that as soon as you put your paws on the trumpet it will have fingerprints on it again. So why bother, is what I say. The more you use your silver trumpet the less it will tarnish.

Many people spend more time cleaning their trumpets than they do playing them. I guess cleaning is easier than playing.

You can not effectively clean your trumpet anyway. To truly and effectively clean your trumpet you must have it acid cleaned by a professional. The deposits inside your trumpet are like the mineral deposits on your bathroom walls, water alone will not remove mineral deposits, only acid will.

You should not wash the inside of your trumpet. This is what many students are told to do but it is not needed. Disassembling the instrument can also cause damage if not handled properly. Your trumpet does not belong in the bathtub. Its not like brushing your teeth twice a day. If you are not sharing your trumpet with other students then there is no sanitary reason for clean your trumpet or your mouthpiece. Unless there are major deposits in your valve casings and slide tubes effecting the mechanics of the valves and slides, there is no reason to clean your trumpet. Most of the time if your valves and slides don't function its not due to lack of cleaning but due to mechanical problems such as worn valves, dented slides, dented or twisted valve casings etc. If you have trouble with your valves and slides its not due to a lack of cleaning or even the lack of lubrication. These mechanical problems are usually due to dents or the bending or twisting of the trumpet. Remember your trumpet is made of metal but its soft brass, which bends and dents very easily. There is very close tolerance between the valves and the valve casing which the valves are inserted into and move inside of. If you get just the slightest dent in the casing your valves will not be able to move inside. If your valve casing twists even microscopically and the casings go out of round, your valves will jam.

This is the best way to clean valves. Just please don't take a bath with your trumpet even if your music teacher tells you to do so. Use a rubber ducky instead in the bathtub, that's what they are for.

1.	Go to a Chinese restaurant and steel a chopstick. Preferably a wooden one. These are absolutely perfect for the job since they have a rectangular surface on one end where you wrap a piece of cloth on it. Wrap the cloth around the thicker square end of the chopstick and then fold the cloth over the top.
2.	Insert it into the valve casing. See how well it does the job. No silly brush that comes in a "cleaning kit" can ever do this. Remember cleaning kits are a rip off invented by music store owners.
3.	Do the same thing from the top. Insert the cloth form the top of the valve casing. After this your valve casing will be unbelievably clean.You can also take a cloth and clean the surface of you valves as well. You can even clean in the valve ports in the valve itself, that's optional. Please Note: Chopsticks and regular cloths are not found in any cleaning kit that you buy from a music store.

Always consult your trumpet teacher if you are not sure how to apply trumpet slide grease. You should grease your slide at least once a month.

1.	Remove slide and wipe off the old grease.
2.	Apply a bit of grease to one end of one of the slide tubes and re-insert this side.
3.	Gently rotate the slide as it is pushed in, evenly distributing the grease to all parts of the slide.
4.	Repeat this process with the other end of the slide tube.
5.	When completed, insert the slide as normal and remove all excess grease.
6.	NEVER use Vaseline in place of trumpet slide grease. This will corrode your trumpet.

On trumpets with the standard type of water key (aka "spit valve"), the corks may need to be replaced after they have become deteriorated. This becomes apparent when the cork either falls off, or there is the sound of air escaping from the trumpet while it is being played. The old cork should be removed with a knife, and a new one should be put in with a good snug fit. Corks are available from most music stores, and most band directors usually keep a supply on hand. Recently, corks are beginning to be replaced with small rubber "corks" that serve the same purpose but last longer. Some of the rubber versions also have a small nipple in the center that fits snugly into the bottom of the water key, minimizing the resistance in air flow at that certain area.

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