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Lubrication slides of sackbuts without niquel silver
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2022 10:26 pm
by CamiloJimenezVera
Hello to all, I would like to know what the experienced ones who use their instruments without nickel inside the slide recommend. What type and brands of lubricants work best for them? Thank you…
Re: Lubrication slides of sackbuts without niquel silver
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2022 5:35 am
by LeTromboniste
(This should probably be moved to the Maintenance forum)
Hi Camilo!
It partly depends on how smooth the slide is, some of my colleagues who play Meinl manage to still use silicone-based lube like the Yamaha liquid or SlideOMix. I personally prefer using cream (Trombotine) on my raw brass slides. It helps keep them clean and preventing oxydation.
The earliest explicit description of slide lube I know of is early 19th century and recommends Provençal olive oil. Problem with olive oil is it tends to flow right off the tubes if they are smooth. I have a colleague who's experimenting with ways to make that work. I know he's tried first putting a fine layer of beeswax on the slide (which stays on and is only replaced when cleaning the slide) and then using olive oil as a lube. Last I heard it works well. But I'll stick to Trombotine!
Re: Lubrication slides of sackbuts without niquel silver
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2022 10:31 pm
by CamiloJimenezVera
Thank you so much maestro. Very important for me to read your opinion and suggest. I have a Egger Hainlein MDC, and very soon a Schnitzer and Isaac Ehe from Meinl, all of them without niquel silver. In the past I had a bass Ehe from Mr. Van Der Heide and was so dificult for me to find the correct lubrication.
Re: Lubrication slides of sackbuts without niquel silver
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 2:29 am
by tubaductilis
Hi Camilo,
I'd concur with @le.tromboniste, for unplated slides, Trombotine is far and away the best option. My German trombones with unplated slides also seem happiest with Trombotine. Bravo for choosing historical slides for your sackbuts!
An aside: don't confuse nickel silver tubes with chrome
plated tubes. Nickel silver is basically a brass (copper+zinc) alloy with a percentage of nickel added. Modern instruments mostly use chrome plated nickel silver inner slides, although chrome plating on brass is also common. Some older instruments have unplated nickel silver inners, or brass slides with attached nickel silver stockings.