Cleaning inside of inner slide?

[Reedman1]

There is some gunk inside the inner slide of one of my trombones. I didn’t put it there; it came with the trombone. I would like to clean it out. Other than taking it to a tech, is there a safe and gentle way to clean it? I think it’s probably some kind of grease and general dirt (food, dead skin, etc). Thanks in advance for any suggestions other than “take it to a tech”.

[Burgerbob]

Soap, warm (not hot) water, and a snake.

[Doug Elliott]

I have long brushes that I use with Dawn.
I don't know where to buy such a thing, I ordered them online. A 1/2" brush works in most slides, anything bigger tends to be a problem through the leadpipe.
A normal trombone snake works OK but I prefer the long straight ones for that.

[Slidehamilton]

I'm a technition and I clean a lot of slides with laquer thinner. Cleans very well!

[afugate]

I have long brushes that I use with Dawn.
I don't know where to buy such a thing, I ordered them online. A 1/2" brush works in most slides, anything bigger tends to be a problem through the leadpipe.
A normal trombone snake works OK but I prefer the long straight ones for that.

Votaw sells slide brushes like these.
https://votawtool.com/products/trombone ... 4141268103
--Andy in OKC

[Reedman1]

Thanks! Great suggestions.

[ithinknot]

I think it’s probably some kind of grease and general dirt (food, dead skin, etc).

If so, dish soap and a brush will work just fine.

But if there are calcium deposits - and there usually are - then soap will do almost nothing. Give it a quick rinse/soap/brush to remove any surface grease and easily dislodged debris, then plug the tubes, fill with white vinegar, and leave for 15 mins or so. Then dish soap and brush as above. Straight brushes are great if you can find them, but you'll still need a snake for the outer crook.

If it's really chunky in there, you might need a second round, but one usually does it. Rinse thoroughly, (inc upside down - ie from the stocking end - in case the leadpipe doesn't properly seal against the inner), and really blast the cork barrels so that you don't have any vinegar smell left in the corks/felts.

[SimmonsTrombone]

If you’re in the US, Ace Hardware stores sell rubber stoppers that will work for plugging the slide tubes.

[Reedman1]

I think it’s probably some kind of grease and general dirt (food, dead skin, etc).

If so, dish soap and a brush will work just fine.

But if there are calcium deposits - and there usually are - then soap will do almost nothing. Give it a quick rinse/soap/brush to remove any surface grease and easily dislodged debris, then plug the tubes, fill with white vinegar, and leave for 15 mins or so. Then dish soap and brush as above. Straight brushes are great if you can find them, but you'll still need a snake for the outer crook.

If it's really chunky in there, you might need a second round, but one usually does it. Rinse thoroughly, (inc upside down - ie from the stocking end - in case the leadpipe doesn't properly seal against the inner), and really blast the cork barrels so that you don't have any vinegar smell left in the corks/felts.

Thanks for this advice. It’s just the inner slide, and in fact just the upper leg. Lucky! I will try this method.

[Reedman1]

I had some success with vinegar, despite a leaky stopper. Will try again. Thanks for your guidance, everybody.

[Monkhouse]

I think it’s probably some kind of grease and general dirt (food, dead skin, etc).

If so, dish soap and a brush will work just fine.

But if there are calcium deposits - and there usually are - then soap will do almost nothing. Give it a quick rinse/soap/brush to remove any surface grease and easily dislodged debris, then plug the tubes, fill with white vinegar, and leave for 15 mins or so. Then dish soap and brush as above. Straight brushes are great if you can find them, but you'll still need a snake for the outer crook.

If it's really chunky in there, you might need a second round, but one usually does it. Rinse thoroughly, (inc upside down - ie from the stocking end - in case the leadpipe doesn't properly seal against the inner), and really blast the cork barrels so that you don't have any vinegar smell left in the corks/felts.

Does Vinegar Damage the Brass at all?

[ithinknot]

Does Vinegar Damage the Brass at all?

Oh, sure, any acid will go too far if you leave it in there for way too long. But it's a very weak acid compared to those routinely used for commercial chem cleans. Those have the advantage of working much more quickly, but the difference between 5 and 10 mins in the tank may be significant (either to the lacquer or the metal) - whereas the difference between 15 and 20 mins with 5% household vinegar is nothing to worry about.

The corrosion risks from not cleaning are considerably greater.

[whitbey]

I use bronze brushes with and from the gun store.
I used a dremel tool with a cut off wheel and really good eye protection to trim the size down to an easy fit.
Bronze will not scratch brass or nickle. I put Dawn soap and vinegar in the horn and scrub it out. Then use a hose with an old MP soldered on to rinse the horn out.

[bigbandbone]

I use "Spitballs" once or twice a week. Keeps my inner slides and my slide crook nice and clean.
https://www.amazon.com/Herco-HE186-Spit ... 287&sr=8-4