TromboneChat

I was cleaning the inside of the inner slide of my Conn 4H with a trombone cleaning rod wrapped in cheesecloth and when I pulled it out of the upper section (mouthpiece side) of the slide the cloth was covered in brown gunk.  While shining a light in I believe the corrosion is about 4-6 inches into the slide and is about 1-1/2" wide and strictly on the bottom of the tube.

Is this a sign of a bigger issue?  Is this overall a non-issue?  Is that section about to split?

Also, is there anything I can do to have this fixed or should I leave it?  And if I leave it, should I refrain from cleaning that area of the slide?

This sort of issue may have been covered in a previous post but I have not been able to find it.

Thank you for any help!

Are you sure it's corrosion and not just gunk from lack of cleaning? When is the last time you used a brush to clean out the inside of the inners?

If I go too long without leaning I get that same brown gunk out of the leadpipe end. 

I think it's just food and maybe a bit of what can grow on and in food.

I personally never put a rod down the inner slide, and only use the brush with the slide contained in the outer slide so it can't be sprung sideways by the pressures.  I may be over cautious in that but there certainly is some risk in using the rod. 

Thank you guys for getting back to me on this so quickly. 

I'm not 100% certain that it is corrosion, especially since it has been a little too long since I last brushed out the inners. 

I had just done the same cleaning on my Holton, which was last cleaned out in this manner longer ago and sees about the same amount of use as the Conn, and I have not found any sort of buildup or brown gunk within it.

I've always thought it was possible to damage the leadpipe by swabbing the inners?

--Andy in OKC

I've always thought it was possible to damage the leadpipe by swabbing the inners?

--Andy in OKC