5/26/07: Slide Maintenance

In last week’s article we discussed maintaining valves. One of the other major areas of the horn that we must care for on a regular basis is our slides. Keeping these areas clean and greased will keep the slides moving freely, reduce wear through friction, and as we will discuss below, can help your horn play better.

One of the first things to determine when discussing slide maintenance is what kind of grease to use. There are a lot of slide greases on the market, and while they all will do the job at first, they are not all equally great products in the long run. Many greases have chemical additives that help keep them from drying up as quickly. And, while this may seem like a good thing, these extra substances are often the cause of the messy valves we get when grease mixes with valve oil and runs into the valves. My recommendation is 100% lanolin. Many greases marketed for horns are lanolin based, but have those additives mentioned above. Lansinoh Lanolin can be found at any drugstore, normally in the baby aisle.

Before you apply the slide grease, be sure to wipe off the old grease with a clean cloth. Check the inside of the slide for any built up grease residue and be sure to clean this out as well with a cloth or a snake. Then, once the slide is clean, coat the slide all around with a thin layer of the grease. Push the slide in and out of the horn several times to spread the grease evenly across the surface of the slide. Wipe off any excess that is pushed out of the end. Start with a small amount of grease as it is easier to add grease than it is to wipe it off and start over if you get too much. Repeat for all of the slides on your horn.

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