Any instrument with the tuning neck feature- the Conn micro tuners (sax and clarinet), the Selmer tuner on the metal clarinets, the Silva Bet tuner, et al- ought to have the thing periodically taken apart, cleaned, and reassembled.
Mere oils- even thick ones- wash out after a few months and most greases break down and work their way out after a while as well.
FWIW the Hetman Ultra Slide Grease, a product designed for older brass slides with a fair amount of play that need to be kept from freezing in position but which do not require fast adjustment, seems to be about ideal.
It's hellishly viscous and tenacious, it doesn't wash out from either condensation or saliva (of valve oil for that matter), and it keeps the interior of the tuner slow but free/smooth and air tight for ... a very long time. Having tried many different greases over the years I'd truly recommend this one as simply the best for the job at hand.
One source picked at random for illustration; http://www.musiciansfriend.com/brass-instruments/hetman-9--ultra-slide-grease
Mere oils- even thick ones- wash out after a few months and most greases break down and work their way out after a while as well.
FWIW the Hetman Ultra Slide Grease, a product designed for older brass slides with a fair amount of play that need to be kept from freezing in position but which do not require fast adjustment, seems to be about ideal.
It's hellishly viscous and tenacious, it doesn't wash out from either condensation or saliva (of valve oil for that matter), and it keeps the interior of the tuner slow but free/smooth and air tight for ... a very long time. Having tried many different greases over the years I'd truly recommend this one as simply the best for the job at hand.
One source picked at random for illustration; http://www.musiciansfriend.com/brass-instruments/hetman-9--ultra-slide-grease
