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I am looking to use a little something different on my tuning slides when I clean my tuba. I have heard that Trombotine works great, but can make them move a little too well. What would you guys suggest for a good tuning slide grease?

A few months ago I switched from anhydrous lanolin (which I'd used for decades) to Dow Corning High Vacuum Grease. I'm liking it very much.

This is a colorless, odorless, purely synthetic grease that's used in a lot of industrial and medical equipment applications. I think I stumbled on it via some trumpet or trombone forums. It's not cheap -- about $20 for a 5.3 oz tube. But that tube will last beyond forever. I also use it for other things around the house (like gaskets on water filters, anti-seize applicatons, etc.).

It requires very little to work well (and you don't want to over-apply it), and seems to need reapplication very infrequently. My only (minor concern) is that silicone is soluble in almost nothing, and so completely removing it from any surface is pretty much impossible. But since synthetic greases and oils for brass instruments are frequently silicone-based, I'm not really worrying about it.

Unfortunately, as a floatant for braided fly line leader, it is too thick and I can't figure out how to thin it. Nothing's perfect, I suppose.

Hi,
I've used Trombotine for years. I only use it on my 1st valve slide (Miraphone 186 CC) and it makes it move almost as well as a trombone slide. I apply it fairly regularly as it's sort of thin. I've been happy with it.
Pete

I don't like having a bunch of oils and stuff around. I use Trombotine for trombone slides and all tuning slides, Al Cass for piston valves, and two different Hetman's for rotary valves and rotary linkage. I think I've had the same linkage bottle for a decade...

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ghmerrill wrote:A few months ago I switched from anhydrous lanolin (which I'd used for decades) to Dow Corning High Vacuum Grease. I'm liking it very much.

My only (minor concern) is that silicone is soluble in almost nothing, and so completely removing it from any surface is pretty much impossible.

That's actually a fairly serious problem. I used it on my bass trombone tuning slides for a while, and the next time the valves were opened up to be cleaned, we found that it had collected in various places. Whenever you need to re-apply, it's because the High Vacuum Grease has just moved somewhere else, not dissolved.

I'm not a full-time tuba player so I'm not as sensitive to how I want those slides to move, but I've had good luck with Hetman products for everything. I use Slide Gel on all the tuning slides, and on the 1st valve slide (the only one I need to manipulate on my horn) I cut it with Hetman Piston Oil, which speeds it up very nicely.

Hetman also makes a light slide gel specifically for use on slides that need to move regularly and quickly.

glangfur wrote: That's actually a fairly serious problem. I used it on my bass trombone tuning slides for a while, and the next time the valves were opened up to be cleaned, we found that it had collected in various places. Whenever you need to re-apply, it's because the High Vacuum Grease has just moved somewhere else, not dissolved.

I've heard a similar kind of complaint from one euph player. I think that one issue with it is that when I say you need VERY little, this means VERY(!!!!!) little. And I wonder if this wouldn't be a problem more for older and more worn slides. I am definitely keeping an eye on this, but haven't noticed it migrating anywhere as yet. However, the two horns I'm using it on and playing regularly are both top-action piston instruments with vertical tuning slides (and I almost never set them on their bells). Since I clean/flush them regularly as well, I should start to see fairly quickly if this goes bad on me.

ghmerrill wrote: I think that one issue with it is that when I say you need VERY little, this means VERY(!!!!!) little.

My first tube lasted 37 years before I scored a replacement, and still has a couple years' supply left. One never wants to be caught short-handed.