frankdave Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I have done the Quebec winter carnival parade on numerous occasions and I can confirm that alcohol will do the job quite well. We used to use vodka but any other kind of alcohol with a percentage of 40% ( or higher ) was working quite well. I remember, on one particular year, doing this 5.5 miles parade at -35 degrees Celsius ( thats -31 fahreneit ) and we didn't have any problems with our valves using vodka...its more like our legs that were having problems by the end of the parade !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitBos Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I'm kinda surprised that no one has said it yet, but one thing you could do is just ask the guys from Mythbusters. They'll run abunch of tests on the different things listed here already, plus they might try a few others, you wont have to do any of the work to see which one is the best, most likely this will be put on the air since they're always looking for more myths to test. It's a win-win for everyone! Honestly, I'm not a brass player, so other than this, I have no idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 The problem with freezing valves is because of moisture in the valves, and it makes sense therefore to use a substance--oil, in this case--that repels moisture, not one that in all likelihood contains it, depending on the type of alcohol. And as I mentioned, using alcohol will likely lead to long-term valve damage of some kind. Yes, drum corps people love to drink, and there's an element of humor in there, but don't sacrifice your horn to a joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickhaltsforlife Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Dave is oh so right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlooContraGuy Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 move to texas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickhaltsforlife Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 move to texas #### no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad T. Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 When I was Instrument Manager for the Ohio State University Marching Band, we had a long inherited special valve oil we switched to when the weather started getting cold (which in Columbus, Ohio happens anywhere between September 1st and November 1st). It was called "50/50" and was simply a small pocket size bottle of valve oil that we would fill half with valve oil, half with standard 90% rubbing alcohol. The band members were taught by their squad leaders to shake well before use. Once the mix seperates (which is within 45 seconds) you just get a bunch of alcohol. Shake it up so it's nice and cloudy, and use generously. Then again, you'd think the individual musicians would just learn this mix and carry their own "50/50" mix... or regular valve oil during the warmer months... but that's another topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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