Newbie question

[tezza]

I bought a used tuba and one of the slides is very sticky.

I cleaned off the old grease and applied new grease.

The more grease I use, the less sticky it should get, or less grease means more slide?

At any rate, the stickiness doesn't seem to be getting any better. Even after re-greasing the slide is very tough to slide out.

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

There's something of a "sweet spot" when it comes to applying grease. Too little, and things get stuck. Too much, and things get mushy. Either one could cause the "stickiness" that you describe.
If this is a serious issue, have a repairman look at it. If it is just a minor annoyance that doesn't affect your instrument's sound or playability, it may just be that your slides are a little bit tighter than ideal.

[dwerden]

Try using some metal polish on the slide's tubes (the parts that go into the horn). That can work wonders. Just don't use a very abrasive polish, because you don't want to change the diameter.

[tezza]

Thanks I will try the metal polish.

[dwerden]

I forgot to mention...
Once you use the polish to get the "legs" of the slide smooth, wipe it off several times with a clean cloth to remove the black residue. In fact, you may need a damp cloth to get it all off. When you're sure it's clean, then apply a bit of grease and insert the slide.

Put a light bead of grease near the end of each leg, about a quarter inch from the end. Make sure you go all the way around the slide (full circle). As you insert the legs the grease will spread itself over the length.

Depending on the horn, sometimes it is useful to apply the grease, then insert one leg at a time, turning each one in the tube so it spreads the grease. This should not really be necessary if, but for some reason it has seemed to help sometimes.

After you've moved the slide in and out a few times, remove it and make sure that you have not plowed a bunch of grease onto the end (so it has spread itself into the inner bore of the leg). If so, A) clean it out so the bore is open, and B) don't use quite so much grease the next time.

[Dan Schultz]

You might want to check the alignment of the slide. First... lay the slide on a flat surface. If it 'rocks' and both tubes don't lay flat... you've got problems. Even if it does lay flat... use a digital caliper to measure the distance between the 'legs' at the end closest and farthest away from the crook. Again... if the distance does not match.... you've got problems with the slide.

Once you determine if the slide is flat and the legs are parallel... you can check the outer tubes by inserting one 'leg' of the slide into either outer tube and pivoting the slide around to see whether it's parallel to the other outer tube. If the 'legs' are not parallel to the outer tubes... you've got problems with the horn.

A slide or outer tube set that's out as little as even a few thousanths of an inch can cause the slide to be 'sticky'.

[imperialbari]

Try taking a look at the outer, female, slide branches. If there is an ever so little dent there, or if they have gone slightly oval, that may affect slide mobility.

I agree with Dave Werden, only I emphasize the cleaning process even more. I never found the English term for our rensebensin, but it is a petroleum based fluid which is very volatile, is highly flame-able, and is pure poison to your brain and lungs. So open the windows or go outside when using it.

If you cannot get that stuff, then a thin valve oil like Al Cass or Blue Juice applied to a soft rug also is a good cleaning agent.

Sometimes a treatment of the inside of the slide receivers also is necessary. Coming from the trombone I have the remedies for such work. A cleaning rod with an eye for the tip of a long rug is a very practical tool for this kind of work. Always use a rug so long that there always is a sufficient length of it outside the tubing to give a good grip to pull it out, if it gets stuck. The art of this work is how you roll the rug around the rod. Enough area of the cross section to clean the tubing tightly, but not so much that it gets stuck. If it gets stuck rotate the cloth, so that the screw/spiral around the rod unwinds itself.

Klaus

[Kevin Hendrick]

I agree with Dave Werden, only I emphasize the cleaning process even more. I never found the English term for our rensebensin, but it is a petroleum based fluid which is very volatile, is highly flame-able, and is pure poison to your brain and lungs. So open the windows or go outside when using it.

Did a quick search & found out that ...

rensebensin = Stoddard solvent

... which then led me to these links ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_spirit

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0569.html

https://www.osha.gov/dts/chemicalsampli ... 68000.html

... among many others. Hope this helps!

[imperialbari]

And then I should have spelled it properly: rensebenzin.

The links made me realise why I never found a good translation. It is not turpentine and not naphtha. It rather is a more thoroughly refined version of the gas used as car fuel, and it of course has none of the engine-friendly additives.

As for slide grease my favourite is Yamaha's stuff in a little white plastic jar with a blue emblem on the screwed on lid. It makes the slides move slowly, but they newer stick and they never drop off. If I need a faster movement, I apply it more sparingly and then add a drop of valve oil in between.

Nver use any sort of lubricant intended for trombone slides. When the more volatile components evaporate, the leftovers will form a hard crust.

Klaus

[taylorbeaty]

Put a couple drops of valve oil along with the grease.