TromboneChat

I noticed these days that my trombone slide isn't behaving very well. One oiling can't even keep it smooth for a day. And when it is smooth the slide always sticks in first position and is super slow in the rest of the positions. What should I do

Swab with a cleaning rod,  thoroughly wipe the inner slide tubes,  and lose the slide oil.

Switch to Trombotine, Slide-o-mess, Yamasnot, or whatever.


If that doesn't work,  see a tech.


Eric

 Maybe this isn't the best place on the forum for this, but I recently went through an exhaustive test of several slide lubricants which brought me to a conclusion about how I will proceed from now on.

I want my slide to not only work smoothly and effortlessly, but to stay that way for a while, and not need constant attention.
At the outset, your slides must be properly aligned and clean.
I'm not through experimenting yet, but here is the basic treatment I find satisfying:
Apply a very small amount [less than a finger tip]of one of the solid creams; e.g., Yamaha, Superslick, trombotine, but NOT the runny, liquid
products like Slidomix, Rapid Comfort, etc.
Rub it all over the inners like we used to do with Pond's Cold Cream until it melts away and isn't white anymore. Now place the inners (one at a time) into the outer slide and distribute the lube to the outer slide insides by moving up and down. Some may decide to apply one of the silicones e.g., Slidomix,Formula 3, Superslick etc. in a small drop on the inners stockings and repeat the process of distributing same on the inside of the outers.
Next is what many skip, but shouldn't: Wipe the inners dry with a clean cloth or paper towel before spraying with distilled water. At this point the slide is prepared for playing.
Part of my continuing experimenting is adding an amount of Hetman concentrate to my water spray bottle. I believe it probably should be a very small amount.

Quote from: G. Martin Nichols on Nov 03, 2017, 12:19PM Maybe this isn't the best place on the forum for this, but I recently went through an exhaustive test of several slide lubricants which brought me to a conclusion about how I will proceed from now on.

...Rub it all over the inners like we used to do with Pond's Cold Cream until it melts away and isn't white anymore. Now place the inners (one at a time) into the outer slide and distribute the lube to the outer slide insides by moving up and down...

...Wipe the inners dry with a clean cloth or paper towel before spraying with distilled water...

I can see why that would work, but what was the purpose of putting the cream on any part of the legs other than the stockings? The outer slide makes no contact there, so it seems like a waste of lube.

Quote from: Euphanasia on Nov 03, 2017, 03:16PMI can see why that would work, but what was the purpose of putting the cream on any part of the legs other than the stockings? The outer slide makes no contact there, so it seems like a waste of lube.

THIS^^!!!

Also,  I recommend a corn kernal sized glob of cream spread on the stockingsa nd then distributed onto the outers individually.
Douse liberally with water,  work the slide assembled and THEN wipe the excess from the inners.  DOuse with water again & play.

This process works perfectly on my personal horn and those I service!

Eric

Quote from: Jesse on Nov 02, 2017, 10:23AMI noticed these days that my trombone slide isn't behaving very well. One oiling can't even keep it smooth for a day. And when it is smooth the slide always sticks in first position and is super slow in the rest of the positions. What should I do

Give it a bath for starters!

Quote from: Euphanasia on Nov 03, 2017, 03:16PMI can see why that would work, but what was the purpose of putting the cream on any part of the legs other than the stockings? The outer slide makes no contact there, so it seems like a waste of lube.
As I wrote, my plan is what I find works well for what I desire as results. In order to heat and melt the heavy cream, massaging the entire length of the inners with the hand just WORKS!
Regarding bonearzt advice to spray water both before and after distributing the lube, I haven't tried that.Have a great slide! 

Quote from: bonearzt on Nov 03, 2017, 06:25PMTHIS^^!!!

Also,  I recommend a corn kernal sized glob of cream spread on the stockingsa nd then distributed onto the outers individually.
Douse liberally with water,  work the slide assembled and THEN wipe the excess from the inners.  DOuse with water again & play.

This process works perfectly on my personal horn and those I service!

Eric


I do this exact process, with the added step of after the final wipe of the inners, I hit it he stockings with a few drops of slide-o-mix one step solution and then run the slide a few times and spray with water.

Hi
I just want to clarify that I  have properly been oiling the slide often with slide-o-mix and water ever since I started playing. The mane problem there is something wrong in the area in the leadpipe where the slide goes under the tubing in first position the sticking and I clean my trombone a lot!

Quote from: Euphanasia on Nov 03, 2017, 03:16PMI can see why that would work, but what was the purpose of putting the cream on any part of the legs other than the stockings? The outer slide makes no contact there, so it seems like a waste of lube.

The way I look at it, the chrome is very slick and smooth, while the outer...isn't.  So while I am lubing the inner, my real point is to have a double sided layer of water repellent on the inners and outers, so that the water can be the "bearing" between the two.

I clean and dry my slide, put a bit on the stockings, work it onto the outers, run the slide for a minute...then take whatever is left on my fingers and put that on the rest of the inners.  I rub it in until it's warm.  At that point I'll either do long tones or if I need to move the slide quicker I'll spritz it with water.  If I misjudge the amount needed I'll wipe off the offending area.

If the leadpipe is affecting your slide, see a tech.

Quote from: Jesse on Nov 14, 2017, 08:29AMHi
I just want to clarify that I  have properly been oiling the slide often with slide-o-mix and water ever since I started playing. The mane problem there is something wrong in the area in the leadpipe where the slide goes under the tubing in first position the sticking and I clean my trombone a lot!

Then you have two areas of concern.
The 6 inches of tubing near the mouthpiece and/or the 6 inches of tubing near the crook.  Top and bottom!

See a Tech!!!

Eric

I've been using the Superslick/silicone together with a spray bottle with a few (like 3) drops of the Hetman's Hydro-Slide.  It works well, but I've found that the Superslick seems to shorten the time between necessary cleanings and reapplication.  It seems to induce slide drag faster.

So recently I've gone just to the silicone and Hydro-Slide.  It seems to work better for me and last longer.  However, I do clean the slide fairly frequently as well.

One thing to remember is that you can't expect the same stuff to work the same way for everyone.  This is well established in the valved instrument community regarding the incredible variety of valve lubricants available.  Seems to be in part a matter of individual body chemistry, probably combined with the chemistry (alloy) of your instrument and the chemistry of the lubricant.  Some things that work great for a lot of people just are a total mess for a lot of other people.

My procedure that I have found that works the best for me.
1) I have a slide-o-mix cleaning rod with the correct size sheath.
2) Trombotine
3) Yamaha slide lube
4) water spray bottle
5) clean towel

I take the cleaning rod, with the correct sheath, I will run the rod in and out on the outer tube until the tube starts getting warm. That is usually 20-30 times.

I take the clean towel and wipe down the inner slide making sure to remove any old lube and dirt, grime or anything else that has collected. (I have have read that some people will clean the inner tubes with alcohol & cotton balls, I have not done that step)

I apply a dot of trombotine to the stockings and work it in the stockings and usually a inch or two above the stockings. Then work each tube into the outer slide one at a time, making sure to turn the slide so that the inner is spreading the trombotine all over the inside of the outer slide.

I remove the inner slide and wipe it off removing and of the remaining trombotine on the inner slide. (you just need what was left on the the inside of the outer slide.)

I then use the Yamaha slide lube, and again work each inner inside the outer one at a time.

I then put the slide together and spray the inners with two shots of water.

This gives me the smoothest slide and it seems to last longer than any combination I have tried up to this point. I will spray with water just before playing. I can say I have tried a bunch of them.

This doesn't address repair/maintenance issues with the slide!


Eric

How often and how well do you clean your outer slide?  I recently picked up an older (1951) 2B, and just doing proper maintenance on the outer side brought it from a 2 to a 7.  (Then I took it to Bruce, who brought it to a 9).  So many don't clean and polish their outer slide that I wonder how they get anything done.

Very bad sticking in the close positions is an alignment problem or a corrosion build-up at the ends of the outers problem or - most likely - both.

See a tech.

Quote from: bonearzt on Nov 20, 2017, 08:05PMThis doesn't address repair/maintenance issues with the slide!


Eric


Well this is maintenance, as far as repair many horns just suffer from being dirty. Using a Slide-O-Mix cleaning rod using it in the manner I described will usually take care of that problem. I know a lot of people that think running a swab through a slide a few times is cleaning it.

Quote from: Euphanasia on Nov 03, 2017, 03:16PMI can see why that would work, but what was the purpose of putting the cream on any part of the legs other than the stockings? The outer slide makes no contact there, so it seems like a waste of lube.

causes water to bead up on the inners, in between them and the outers. They don't touch but the water does and acts as ball bearings.

maybe? 

Quote from: demaxx1 on Nov 20, 2017, 08:03PMMy procedure that I have found that works the best for me.
1) I have a slide-o-mix cleaning rod with the correct size sheath.
2) Trombotine
3) Yamaha slide lube
4) water spray bottle
5) clean towel

I take the cleaning rod, with the correct sheath, I will run the rod in and out on the outer tube until the tube starts getting warm. That is usually 20-30 times.

I take the clean towel and wipe down the inner slide making sure to remove any old lube and dirt, grime or anything else that has collected. (I have have read that some people will clean the inner tubes with alcohol & cotton balls, I have not done that step)

I apply a dot of trombotine to the stockings and work it in the stockings and usually a inch or two above the stockings. Then work each tube into the outer slide one at a time, making sure to turn the slide so that the inner is spreading the trombotine all over the inside of the outer slide.

I remove the inner slide and wipe it off removing and of the remaining trombotine on the inner slid---e. (you just need what was left on the the inside of the outer slide.)

I then use the Yamaha slide lube, and again work each inner inside the outer one at a time.

I then put the slide together and spray the inners with two shots of water.

This gives me the smoothest slide and it seems to last longer than any combination I have tried up to this point. I will spray with water just before playing. I can say I have tried a bunch of them.
This is the first time I have heard this option. It's worth a try--- The Lord knows I have tried many plans.
Sometimes a plan works well for a while and then---- PLOP----  it also fails. 8/

I just noticed that in 2008 there was a thread on this site about "Heydays Slide". I am curious as to the reason it isn't mentioned in this thread, and if it has turned out to work well on slides?

I just noticed that in 2008 there was a thread on this site about "Heydays Slide". I am curious as to the reason it isn't mentioned in this thread, and if it has turned out to work well on slides?