Care and Maintenance of a Trumpet
Care and maintenance after playing

First remove moisture from the slides

Remove each slide carefully while holding down the corresponding piston, as shown in the diagram. A popping sound indicates that you are not removing the slide properly. Extract the moisture from the slide that you have removed. Remove the moisture from the body of the trumpet as well, via the water key. Use a cleaning swab to help remove water and dirt from inside the body more effectively.

Remove moisture from the slides

*Although brass and nickel silver—the materials used for slides—are extremely resistant to corrosion, there is a risk of progressive corrosion if moisture remains in a slide for a long time.
*When removing a slide, be careful to hold down the corresponding piston.

Lubricating with valve oil

Undo the cap screw in the valve casing and slowly extract the piston upwards halfway, without allowing it to rotate. Now apply two or three drops of piston oil to the piston. Retighten the cap screw and move the piston up and down two or three times to work in the oil.

Lubricating with valve oil

Valves can become sticky if not properly lubricated, so be sure to clean and oil them regularly.

Removing dirt from the surface of the instrument

Before replacing the instrument in its case, wipe its surface lightly with a polishing cloth to remove any dirt.

Darkening of the silver finish

Trumpets finished with silver plating will darken even if polished meticulously every day. This is caused by a natural reaction between the silver metal and the sulfur content in air and perspiration, and does not affect the performance of the instrument. Polishing with silver cleaner will help if you wish to make the instrument look cleaner. You can also use a silver cloth, which is a cloth that has been soaked in silver polish. When using silver polish, apply only a little polish to the cloth and then rub it gently over the instrument in a thin layer.