TromboneChat

I recently got a new Edwards B454-E and I am loving it! I was doing my routine cleaning and took off the tuning slide grease from the factory. I applied my Shlike grease and it was fine for the first couple hours or so. As the day went on, my valve tuning slides would start to get pushed in without even touching them so I am constantly having to readjust them. What's strange is my main tuning slide is pretty tough to move with the Shilke grease. I told my lessons teacher and he recommended using Hetman 7 slide gel. What are everybody's thoughts on this? I trust my teacher, but I thought maybe somebody with the same horn might have a better recommendation.

I usually mix my own tuning slide lubricant, using anhydrous lanolin and beeswax. A 50/50 blend sets up pretty stiff at room temp, and you shouldn't see any sagging. You can adjust to suit your needs with a bit less wax and more lanolin for an easier to apply mixture. I've never used any of the Hetman products, but I'm sure many here have.

Actually, the last time I did this, I probably made a lifetime supply and then some. Happy to send some your way to try if you’d like.

I have used Vaseline, lanolin, Bach (red) gel, and UltraPure. Vaseline and lanolin both have temperature problems: much "heavier" when cold.

If your slide has a loose fit when unlubed, use a thicker gel. if the slide is pretty tight use a thinner gel. As I mentioned, I use UltraPure, but Hetman's works about the same.

Typical for Edwards tuning slides...

Go see a tech and get them fitted correctly!! Your horn will most likely play better with properly fitted slides!

THEN use grease of your choice...I prefer the red stuff from Conn-Selmer, but Hetmans is good as is Ultrapure and whatnot.
I WILL advise AGAINST straight lanolin and vaseline!!!

Bonearzt wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 5:54 pm
Go see a tech and get them fitted correctly!! Your horn will most likely play better with properly fitted slides!

A few of the horns I've owned needed tuning slides adjusted so they either don't fall in or aren't too hard to move. Techs are usually able to resolve without much fuss. On one horn it made a positive change in how it played. The rest of the time it just made the functional aspect better. I recently purchased two new Yamaha Xeno trombones, and the main tuning slides on both are too difficult to move. Some of the valve tuning slides are the same. I just need to have downtime so they can be in the shop for a few days.

Bonearzt wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 5:54 pm Typical for Edwards tuning slides...

Go see a tech and get them fitted correctly!! Your horn will most likely play better with properly fitted slides!

THEN use grease of your choice...I prefer the red stuff from Conn-Selmer, but Hetmans is good as is Ultrapure and whatnot.
I WILL advise AGAINST straight lanolin and vaseline!!!

Doesn't that just involve the tech bowing the two sides apart so they AREN'T fitted correctly?

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Doesn't that just involve the tech bowing the two sides apart so they AREN'T fitted correctly?
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No.

I was just at the Edwards factory being fit with a new bell. The young man helping me stated they use lanolin on their tuning slides.

hornbuilder wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 6:30 pm Doesn't that just involve the tech bowing the two sides apart so they AREN'T fitted correctly?

No.

That was obviously a joke. What do they do, expand the inner tubes a bit?

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 6:37 pm

That was obviously a joke. What do they do, expand the inner tubes a bit?

They dip each tube in some fine sand. Problem solved!

Burgerbob wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 7:05 pm

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 6:37 pm

That was obviously a joke. What do they do, expand the inner tubes a bit?

They dip each tube in some fine sand. Problem solved!

That's without removing the old grease, right? Ahhh that makes sense

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 6:37 pm

hornbuilder wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 6:30 pm Doesn't that just involve the tech bowing the two sides apart so they AREN'T fitted correctly?
No.

That was obviously a joke. What do they do, expand the inner tubes a bit?

Yes, the ends are slightly swadged out and then lapped to fit the outer tubes correctly.

Pure lanolin is MUCH too weather dependent!
Hard as a rock when cold, but very thin when warm.

Just got back from an event that Christian Griego brought some horns to for testing. I told him about the issue, and he took my instrument and expanded the tubes and told me to use a lanolin based lubricant. Thanks everyone for the comments!

Bonearzt wrote: ↑Fri Feb 18, 2022 11:35 am Pure lanolin is MUCH too weather dependent!
Hard as a rock when cold, but very thin when warm.

Yep. In college, a horn playing friend gave me a big jar of anhydrous lanolin. Probably a year later after that, returning to school at the end of summer break, I had to wait a couple of days before moving in to my permanent housing. A lot of my stuff sat in my car since I just needed the essentials with me for that short time period. That jar of lanolin was in my car with some other things, and as it happened, the lid had a crack. In the summer heat, the stuff melted and probably half the jar leaked onto whatever else it was with! I honestly don’t remember what it got on, but it certainly was messy.

In the absence of a repairman's fix, one could put an O-ring on the slide to limit its inward travel.