T-Bone Slide Clean-up.


You should read the "Brass Instruments" page to get more background on reasons and procedures. That particular page deals more with valved instruments such as the trumpet. This page is to help the trombone player keep the hand slide in good playing condition

The hand slide is most often a problem with trombones. It can be a bit of a chore to keep it properly cleaned and lubricated, but well worth the effort. Great care must be taken to prevent the slide from being bumped or dropped. It sticks out quite far and hitting a music stand or another person's instrument is always a possibility.

The two inside and two outside slide legs must be parallel and must not have dents ... otherwise they simply won't work well. You will not like fighting your slide while trying to play it. Therefore, in addition to not damaging it, you must also keep it clean and lubed. I recommend using cream and water. Most professional players I have met, use this and swear by it.

Here's how you can maintain your hand slide ...

  • Run warm soapy water in a bath tub ... warm ... not hot ... hot may lift lacquer.
  • Pull the inside section out and put both, inside and outside slide sections in the water and let them soak for about 20 minutes or so.
  • Use a cleaning snake or cleaning rod to swab out any old cream and other gunk that may be in there.
  • You may wish to include a little home-style acid bath by filling the outside slide with white vinegar then hang it on a door knob for 20 or 30 minutes. This step is not necessary unless you think, or have evidence of some corrosion or other type of deposit build up.
  • Flush out the tubing and dry them of off. Put them together and try them to see how the action is ... if they are really binding there may be a build up of glaze and corrosion. If it feels really bad, take it to a professional shop for an acid bath and possibly a realignment. Otherwise, if they feel not too bad, lube the inside legs with cream and water spray. Put them together and check again. (distilled water is preferable)
  • * If you have a cleaning rod with your instrument it would be good to use brasso to swab and polish the inside legs of the outside slide. This means a pretty tight fitting cotton swab with generous amount of brasso. Swab well and throroughly. You must flush and swab clean to get all brasso out of tubing ... it is an abraisive. That job is not for everyone, but if you feel confident it does the best job of cleaning out your slide.
  • If they are not bowed or dented, then your slide should run smoothly. If not, then you can check to see if there is a bow or dent somewhere in the outside slide legs. Do this by looking down the tubes toward a light source. You will see any distortion or dents. You can also "feel" for dents if you can't see them.
  • If you think there is something seriously wrong with your slide, get it to a repair shop. Most shops will not charge for looking at it and telling you what may be wrong.

If you happen to get something stuck inside the legs, such as a piece of cloth or swabbing material, this too, should be a job for a repair person.

Once you are satisfied that you have successfully cleaned you slide, check and lube the tuning slide at the back of the bell section and you are ready to rock ... or jazz or whatever you like. Clean you mouthpiece too, it will smell better ... and don't forget to practise a lot!!


Copyright © 1998, John Vossos,