Texas Flush Slide Work

[BirdofBray]

Does anyone have experience with this technique? It uses pumice soap to help polish the inner slide. I’m a relatively new tech, but it seems like a great service to offer for slide work.

[Doug Elliott]

Some of the best techs in the industry are on this forum, and I suggest you pay attention to what they have to say.

[greenbean]

I have read about it, and I am curious if today's techs are using it.

[Posaunus]

Is this "technique" used to polish the interior or the exterior of the inner slide?
Or is it for the interior of the outer slide?
What are the indications that this is a useful / necessary approach?

[tbonesullivan]

There was a thread on this almost a year ago, which had some techs who had used the technique mention it. There's even a copy of the article about it: https://www.trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php?t=27747

[BirdofBray]

Is this "technique" used to polish the interior or the exterior of the inner slide?
Or is it for the interior of the outer slide?
What are the indications that this is a useful / necessary approach?

I typed too quickly. It polishes the interior of the outer slide.

[hornbuilder]

I've used Texas Flush. It is messy, not terribly thorough, and there are much better techniques being used.

[Blabberbucket]

I know of at least one well-known trombone slide tech that uses the Texas Flush method on the inner surface of outer slide tubes. I feel like it is more commonly seen in school/rental shops. I tend to lean away from methods that rely heavily on abrasives/polishing, but it has its place.

If you have access to some older rental instruments or other low-consequence instruments, try it out and see what it does and if you like the results. I would hold out on offering it as a service, or using a new method on customer-owned instruments, until you've tested it and decided whether or not it has the results you want, and if it's something you feel comfortable with. If you're in a shop with other techs, talk to them about it.

[BirdofBray]

I know of at least one well-known trombone slide tech that uses the Texas Flush method on the inner surface of outer slide tubes. I feel like it is more commonly seen in school/rental shops. I tend to lean away from methods that rely heavily on abrasives/polishing, but it has its place.

If you have access to some older rental instruments or other low-consequence instruments, try it out and see what it does and if you like the results. I would hold out on offering it as a service, or using a new method on customer-owned instruments, until you've tested it and decided whether or not it has the results you want, and if it's something you feel comfortable with. If you're in a shop with other techs, talk to them about it.

Definitely not going to offer it right off the bat for customer work. I work in a setting that deals with a lot of rental instruments so I’m curious to try it out on some old beaters before anything worth too much.

[TomWest]

I don’t think using an abrasive, any abrasive, no matter how mild, is a good idea. There are no shortcuts in properly servicing a musical instrument. This is liable to bite you in the but and you’re not going like buying replacement slides. Check out the Slide Doctor, he has a video on how to clean a slide.

[Doug Elliott]

Using an abrasive with a brush like that may clean corrosion but it doesn't smooth the surface.
Learn something about surface finishing if you're doing any work on instruments, inside or out.

[Posaunus]

Not for me, thanks. For one thing, my slides function beautifully already.

I'd hate to imagine a slide that needed such aggressive (and stubbornly retentive) abrasive. What could you possibly do to an outer slide to justify this treatment? How can you be sure that it's all rinsed out? Won't it leave a roughened surface?

I've seen top-notch techs do slide work. I don't think they'd consider this technique on any slide.

[brassmedic]

I don’t think using an abrasive, any abrasive, no matter how mild, is a good idea. There are no shortcuts in properly servicing a musical instrument. This is liable to bite you in the but and you’re not going like buying replacement slides. Check out the Slide Doctor, he has a video on how to clean a slide.

I agree that it's not a DIY procedure, but for techs, when you get a slide that is badly corroded inside the outer tubes, soap and water or cleaning dry with a cloth isn't going to remove that. You're going to need some kind of abrasive. Even Wright's brass polish has an abrasive in it. (I don't use Wright's for slides myself, and I've never tried Texas Flush.) I can't tell you how many customers I've had who try to guess at the problem - that their slide "needs alignment", when what it really needs is just to be scrubbed out.

[Posaunus]

I'm assuming (hopefully) that my protocol of thoroughly cleaning and drying my slides (both inner and outer) shortly after playing (sometimes the next day, I admit) and putting them in the case "dead dry" will inhibit the development of any corrosion within the slides. So far, I've not seen any evidence.

[timothy42b]

I'm assuming (hopefully) that my protocol of thoroughly cleaning and drying my slides (both inner and outer) shortly after playing (sometimes the next day, I admit) and putting them in the case "dead dry" will inhibit the development of any corrosion within the slides. So far, I've not seen any evidence.

I think you're right about that. Moisture is the enemy of brass. Some people hang the outer slide on the inner slide on the stand, letting both thoroughly air dry (watch out for children and pets).

But there is still moisture trapped inside the trigger tubing, and they don't even have a spit valve. If you wanted to be really protective you would also pull the trigger tuning slide and let that air dry. I don't know anyone who does, but it seems like a good idea.

[greenbean]

I think it is an old-school alternative to a chem clean. From the days before ultrasonic cleaning tanks. Really not necessary now.

[hornbuilder]

I can't tell you how many customers I've had who try to guess at the problem - that their slide "needs alignment", when what it really needs is just to be scrubbed out.

Exactly!!