I bet this topic has shown up thousands of times on this forum:

I just bought my first tuba. It is a 4 rotary valve. I'm not certain with what brand it is because I am not very good at fancy cursive letters, even though there are only two. I bought it at Dillon's music shop in New Jersey and I think that might be their instrument logo.

But over to the little dilemma I am having.

I just got this tuba for my 14th birthday (I know its a little insane for a 14 year old to have a tuba as beautiful as this). I was supposed to get it as a reward for having good grades but my mother post-poned the date I receive it to my birthday. The poor big guy has been sitting in that closet for months (I got the tuba during winter vacation in January). I took the tuba out of the case today and the valves didn't move at all. I kept on oiling the valves but I only got 1 and 2 to work. I think 4 is wiggling a little. What can I do to make my poor tuba's 3rd and 4th valve to work???

I'm not into all the mechanics and the complex stuff about rotary tubas because I am not very fond of them. I heard that pistons need more maintenance which I believe is a !****! lie.

I heard something on websites that helped you with this problem about taking the cap off the back of the valve and dripping rotor oil into some hole, but all I see is a metal ring and in the middle is a cylinder that sticks out a little. I don't think the ring around the small cylinder is supposed to come off at all. Are there any other methods of oiling?

Here is what my tuba looks like

http://img213.imageshack.us/i/cornelius.jpg/

Here is what the back of the valve with the cap screwed off

http://img33.imageshack.us/i/tubavalve.jpg/

This is the symbol on the bell in case anybody recognizes the company.

http://img33.imageshack.us/i/tubasymbol.jpg/

I'm so impatient!! I just want to play my tuba !!!