What’s your favorite tuning slide grease?

[BrassSection]

Somehow never switched from Selmer. Been using it since the 60s, with the exception of the few years in the 70s when I didn’t have any horns. No issues.

[calcbone]

Just seeing this thread and several people talking about anhydrous lanolin being temperature sensitive… I can speak from experience there!

I had a big tub of it in college. One year, I packed my car and drove back to school for band camp…but they’d always have just one dorm open for the first few days for us band kids, before the rest of the dorms opened. This particular year, it wasn’t my dorm, so I didn’t fully unpack my car—just got out the essentials for those first few days.

To make a long story short… the lid to the tub of lanolin had a little crack in it. After a few days sitting in my car in the Alabama heat, it had melted and leaked all over the place… mainly on some socks, if I remember correctly?

So… perhaps it got a bit hotter than it would in normal playing conditions, but I could imagine a gig on a hot sunny day where the metal of your tuning slide heats up more than the air around it…

[officermayo]

Hmmm.

A college age kid with a sock full of lanolin in his dorm room?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[officermayo]

You mean, you want to move the tuning slide?

Nah! I get 'em welded at the factory

I never move my tuning slide as my horn was tuned at the factory.

Seriously though, I've always used just plain ol' Chapstick. 50+ years, no issues and there's always a tube in my pocket.

[calcbone]

Hmmm.

A college age kid with a sock full of lanolin in his dorm room?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Hahaha…. Ok… never thought of using it for any purpose but tuning slides, though. Just happened to be near the plastic storage thing that had most of my clothes in the car.

[tbdana]

I rarely move my tuning slides much (which is not a secret here). I use the red Bach tuning slide lubricant, and it stays pliable between cleanings so that on those rare occasions that I do move my tuning slide, it moves easily even after the slide sits immobile for a week.

[whitbey]

For me it is the method I use it.
Vaseline and a lighter.
I goober on a bunch of Vaseline on the tuning slides, the ball joints and the pivot point and springs. Then I hit them with a lighter being careful not to melt the corks or rubber valve stops. The Vaseline melts into everything quite nice. The ball sockets fill when the Vaseline melts then it solidifies filling the space. Even the old style Bach ball joints work great and quiet. The Vaseline spreads out and seems to lock on the tuning slide tubing. And those springs and that long pivot point on the keys fill up.
Seems like all of this trouble is time saving as nothing really needs any more attention for a year to year and a half.
Obviously, if you have plastic parts or rubber bumpers, you do not want to put a lighter to those things.
Because I am allergic to most valve oils, I use Slide-O-Mix all in one to lube my rotary valves. The Teflon and silicone tend to build up and improve the lubrication as repeat oiling occurs.

[dukesboneman]

I use either Vaseline or Desiden (jell not creme)

[JohntheTheologian]

I stumbled onto Bag Balm, originally the stuff used by dairy farmers for cow udders, but now repackaged as a general skin ointment.

It's a mixture of petrolatum (Vaseline) and lanolin with a little antiseptic thrown in for good measure. It actually works quite well, I keep it on hand for skin use anyway and it disinfects your tuning slide at the same time.

[BrassSection]

I too have been in the Selmer camp since the 60s, never had an issue with any of my horns. Most horns hit the tub every 6 months or so.

[SamEdwTbone]

Schilke or fat cat has been my go to for the past 7 years

[carguy2003]

The red bottle Bach stuff works great for me!

[ssking2b]

I just got turned on to the Ultrapure heavy tuning slide grease. It is incredible!!!

[NorthWoodsEngineer]

A couple years ago I ended up with the J.L. Meinlschmidt slide gel #7 - I had actually ordered a Hetman product but they reached out and offered to send me this instead since they couldn't get the Hetman and that's what a lot of their techs had switched to. One application I was hooked - lasts super long and seals incredibly. Highly recommend!

[dukesboneman]

I use either Vaseline or (my preferred) Desitin gel (the Diaper rash stuff)
Works great

[Posaunus]

Pretty much a non-issue for me. My tuning slide grease lasts for months; not too picky about brand - most work just fine on my trombones

[fourtissimo]

I just got turned on to the Ultrapure heavy tuning slide grease. It is incredible!!!

I put this on my horn a while back and it made my tuning slides VERY hard to move for a few weeks. Wouldn't be much of an issue except when taking my horn in and out of the case. I wonder what percentage of players push their tuning slides all the way in when they put their horns away...

[hornbuilder]

Not enough!! I say this to anyone that will listen. A rolling stone gathers no moss. ie, a moving tuning slide doesn't get stuck!! It takes maybe 5 seconds to push your slides in if you have a double valve bass, less if you have one or no valve. Thank your lucky stars you don't play French Horn!

[Wilco]

Anhydrous Lanolin

[baBposaune]

Not enough!! I say this to anyone that will listen. A rolling stone gathers no moss. ie, a moving tuning slide doesn't get stuck!! It takes maybe 5 seconds to push your slides in if you have a double valve bass, less if you have one or no valve. Thank your lucky stars you don't play French Horn!

100% agree with this, Matthew! Too many stuck slides are the result of neglect.

As to the original question on this thread: if I have slightly loose slides I like Dow Corning High Vacuum Grease or Dupont Molykote. They do not melt in hot environments and the slides stay where you put them, yet move easily and keep moisture build up between inner and outer tubes to a minimum.

If I have tighter slides I will use something like Berp Biolube or Ultrapure light grease. I wipe off and check my tuning slides for oxidation about once every 4 months. If they are not oxidized I re-apply grease, if they are then I clean them and grease. I've never had a stuck tuning slide on any bass trombone I've owned over the past 45 years and I've probably owned a cumulative total of 10 instruments. At least, that's how many my wife knows about...