TromboneChat

So I have a slide which is aligned when vertical but in playing position just seems to bind. Any ideas oh how to solve this?...

There are so many variables that go into having a slide that works well. It is always best to take your instrument to a repair technician if you want your slide to reach an optimum performance level.

Yeah it’s been to 3 of the best in LA...

There are some pretty heavy slide guys in LA. What did Bruce Belo, Brad Close, and John Sandhagen say?

Also, maybe you are not describing your problem well. Most slides will drop pretty fast vertically. What happens if it's tipped 10 degrees off horizontal? How about 30? 45?

Who manufactured/assembled the slide? What brand?

Assuming that "3 of the best" includes at least one of the gentlemen mentioned by Brian, have to tried taking it back to one of them and describing (or better yet, demonstrating) the problem you're having?

BGuttman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:10 pm There are some pretty heavy slide guys in LA. ... Bruce Belo, Brad Close, and John Sandhagen!

Who manufactured/assembled the slide? What brand? Those can be a huge factors.

nicten310 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:58 pm Yeah it’s been to 3 of the best in LA...

That seems very odd, as the best all 1) definitely should be able to fix it and 2) stand behind their work.

How is it "binding" when in playing position? Does it stop solid, or does it just make more noise? How long after servicing did you play it for? Even with all the honing in the world, there is always a break-in period after servicing. This is when the microscopic irregularities in the surface of the inner slide "hone" the outer slide.

If it's been to the big 3, then maybe just get a new slide.

Corossion in the inside of the outers?

If the OP is who I think he is, I don't recall working on his slide. I agree with the post above. I've seen lots of slides where corrosion inside the outer tubes is slowing it down even if you have everything straight and aligned.

Thanks, Brad. I learned that recently, with a King 3B/F I bought off eBay. It's a nice horn and the slide is aligned okay. But I couldn't make it halfway through a chorus without it gumming up, no matter what slide lube I used. I aggressively went at it with Brasso and a spindled swab - on three separate occasions. Each time I pulled less corrosion out until now it works beautifully - as it should. And it has continued to work beautifully. So that must have been it. I don't think anything other than careful handling of a musical instrument is more important than cleanliness.

I want some more information on this slide. Is it a Chinese stencil trombone? If yes, there are so many of those that have metallurgy issues (the outer slides are made of a very porous alloy) and/or dimensional issues (the difference between the I.D. of the outer slide and the O.D. of the inner stockings is too small. With inherent design problems like this, many of those stencil slides have little chance of working well.

If the slide is a higher quality model and it was aligned properly, there could be a lot of grit in there from the repair/alignment process. It could be something as simple as the slide needs to be repeated swabbed over the next few weeks.

We just need more information from the OP.

Crazy4Tbone86 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 4:41 pm Who manufactured/assembled the slide? What brand?

New King 3b legend...

nicten310 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 12:46 pm

Crazy4Tbone86 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 4:41 pm Who manufactured/assembled the slide? What brand?

New King 3b legend...

Wow. If it's new it seems less likely it's a corrosion problem then.

nicten310 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:58 pm Yeah it’s been to 3 of the best in LA...

Ummm.
Something is just not right here.
All of those techs can properly repair a slide.
But you can't just walk in and say, "Align my side."
You need to take the time to demonstrate the problem to the tech and discuss the remedies.

Obviously, it is tricky to diagnose this problem without having the slide in my hands. This sounds like it might be a situation in which the slide needs to be rinsed out and swabbed repeatedly over the course of several weeks. Anytime work is done on a slide, grit (buffing compound from the original manufacturing process, metallic dust, loose pieces of calcium, etc....) get dislodged and it shows up in the moving parts of the slide. No matter how good a tech is, he/she will not be able to remove ALL of the grit while the horn is in the shop. The grit hides in nooks and crannies and takes a LONG TIME to get out.

The owner needs to wash/rinse the slide tubes at least 2 or 3 times and swab dozens of times. I always tell my customers after a slide job....."If you DO NOT clean this slide, the slide will gradually get slower as more grit mixes with the slide cream and water. If you swab it regularly, the slide will continue to improve over the course of about two months."