Like I'm gonna pay $50 for a rag on a stick!

[TillE]

Still, the Slide o Mix swab thingy looks a good idea, maybe better than my trusty rod and cotton muslin.

Wish I knew of a big sheet of microfiber to cut up like the cotton. Any ideas?

[hyperbolica]

Go to the fabric store.

[FeelMyRath]

I have a S-O-M sheath and it works rather well. It also goes in the washing machine so will last some considerable time, making it not so expensive in real terms.

[norbie2018]

Not certain where you're from, but Dillon Music sells the sheath alone for about $14 plus shipping. Bundle it with other supplies you need equaling at least $35 and it's free shipping.
https://www.dillonmusic.com/slide-o-mix ... heath.html

[greenbean]

You can use the sheath with ANY cleaning rod. Throw it in the laundry every Saturday. Bingo.

[mrdeacon]

Not certain where you're from, but Dillon Music sells the sheath alone for about $14 plus shipping. Bundle it with other supplies you need equaling at least $35 and it's free shipping.
https://www.dillonmusic.com/slide-o-mix ... heath.html

Yep. I just bought the sheath by its self from Dillons last week.

It makes life super stupid easy and is totally worth the $14.

Like greenbean mentioned works with any cleaning rod.

[TillE]

Good to know. Thanks guys.

[mrdeacon]

Good to know. Thanks guys.

Just a heads up... The red small bore one is not a universal fit for all inners.

Seems to work in almost every small bore outer I've tried.

But some inners if they have a fixed pipe or if they have a smaller tennon on the lower tube it won't fit the red cloth, you'll have to stick with cheese cloth for that part of cleaning.

[jthomas105]

You can a similar product from; slidebone.com
He calls them "Easy Clean Sheaths"

http://slidebone.com/index.php?cPath=66 ... mm7heejaj6

[Pre59]

Just a heads up... The red small bore one is not a universal fit for all inners.

Seems to work in almost every small bore outer I've tried.

I wouldn't use one one on the inside of the inner slide for fear of damaging the lead pipe.
I use the blue one on the inner of the outer slide to get a really tight fit, and have trimmed the top end off to stop the fabric bunching, and have put a couple of wraps of duct tape on the bottom end of the rod to ensure a really snug fit.
Have been doing this for years with no problems.

[mrdeacon]

Just a heads up... The red small bore one is not a universal fit for all inners.

Seems to work in almost every small bore outer I've tried.

I wouldn't use one one on the inside of the inner slide for fear of damaging the lead pipe.
I use the blue one on the inner of the outer slide to get a really tight fit, and have trimmed the top end off to stop the fabric bunching, and have put a couple of wraps of duct tape on the bottom end of the rod to ensure a really snug fit.
Have been doing this for years with no problems.

I like removable leadpipes not just because it's fun to swap pipes but also because it makes cleaning easier. Never had a issue with removing the pipe before cleaning.

[Pre59]

Never had a issue with removing the pipe before cleaning.

I was assuming a fixed lead pipe..

[AndrewMeronek]

I have a set of the SoM cleaning sheaths but I'm actually not too impressed. They don't seem to do a great job of cleaning the outer slide down by the crook, which is of course where it's most important to be super-clean due to how that's where the wider part of the inner tubes falls in 1st-2nd positions. I prefer a standard cleaning rod with cheesecloth - not the full length of the rod, but a strip maybe 3" long. I want the cloth to bunch up so it gives a good, solid contact surface the entire length of the tube.

[greenbean]

I never swab inners. I snake them out with a brush. And it it looks clean, it is clean!

[Posaunus]

I never swab inners. I snake them out with a brush. And it it looks clean, it is clean!

I'm a contrarian. (And sort of anal-compulsive!) I always swab both outer and inner slides until they are completely dry, and the inners are mirror-shiny. My protocol:

• Completely dry the outer surfaces of the inner slides, removing all lubricant until shiny.

• Run an appropriate-size ("Trombone" for tenor trombones, "Tuba" for bass trombone) HWP Brass-Saver (soft pull-through brush with an 80"-long plastic lead ribbon; $12.95 at Osmun) through both inners and all the way through outer.

• Swab outer slide with cleaning rod wrapped in long bedsheet strips or (better yet) appropriate-size Slide-O-Mix towel sheath (red for small- and medium-bore tenors, blue for large-bore tenors or bass; $13.50 at Dillon's).

• CAREFULLY swab inner slides as above. Avoid disturbing or dislodging lead pipe by swabbing upper slide only from the distal end, pushing swab almost to (but not touching) the end of the lead pipe. To avoid twisting the slide, firmly grasp the slide you are swabbing, not the hand brace.

• Swab bell section with HWP Brass-Saver. (It will smoothly pass all the way through until it emerges from the bell flare.)

• Wipe all surfaces of slide and bell with a clean micro-fiber cloth.

• When the trombone is dry and shiny, lovingly return it to its case. My trombones all look and play like new.

[harrisonreed]

I have a set of the SoM cleaning sheaths but I'm actually not too impressed. They don't seem to do a great job of cleaning the outer slide down by the crook, which is of course where it's most important to be super-clean due to how that's where the wider part of the inner tubes falls in 1st-2nd positions. I prefer a standard cleaning rod with cheesecloth - not the full length of the rod, but a strip maybe 3" long. I want the cloth to bunch up so it gives a good, solid contact surface the entire length of the tube.

Looks like you could put some cheesecloth or gauze, about 5 inches or so, through the eyelet on your cleaning rod, and then put the SOM cloth on the rod over that, so it is a more snug fit at the bottom. You could even ram some cotton balls down the SOM sleeve to make it more snug towards the crook. That probably would do the trick.

[Pre59]

I put a couple of turns of duct tape around the bottom of the rod to ensure a snug fit. Very happy with this product, it just takes a little while to adapt it to your slide.

[dxhall]

Thought I’d try the sheaths from Slidebone. It’s been two weeks since I ordered, and no sheaths. Guess I should have stuck with cheesecloth and saved the money.

[mrdeacon]

Thought I’d try the sheaths from Slidebone. It’s been two weeks since I ordered, and no sheaths. Guess I should have stuck with cheesecloth and saved the money.

Yeah... Horn Guys, Dillons and a number of other reputable dealers sell them and ship next day. Make sure to do research before purchasing from retailers. There's a number of threads on trombonechat and the old forums about Slidebone.

For what it's worth... you will get your product eventually, it just might be a very long time. Took me over 6 months to get a leadpipe from them once. Best of luck getting a refund.

[Posaunus]

Make sure to do research before purchasing from retailers. There's a number of threads on trombonechat and the old forums about Slidebone.

So should this be considered a TC caveat emptor about Slidebone?

As for me, I've moved on from cheesecloth, and instead employ long strips of cotton bedsheet (more absorbent than cheesecloth) or the even-more-convenient Slide-O-Mix towel sheath on a Yamaha cleaning rod. O.K. even for inner slide if you carefully avoid the lead pipe.

[greenbean]

So should this be considered a TC caveat emptor about Slidebone?

Big time.

[MalecHeermans]

I think they're worth every penny. Super convenient (no wrangling old gig shirt pieces around a conventional rod, then letting it collect dust bunnies), easily washable, great cleaning power (I'll just go ahead and disagree about any issues reaching the bottom of the slide - mine goes easily past where the inners stop), AND it comes with a nice little brush attachment to clean the inners with.

Having the rod completely covered and with a little bumper on the end to (almost) completely relieve you of any worry of scratching the inside of the outers is super smart and and idea that, in my opinion, was long overdue.

I've been using mine every two weeks for a couple of years now and they don't show much sign of wear. I use both the red and blue sheaths on the corresponding size slides.

[dxhall]

Well, going on three weeks and no sheaths and no response to my email. If you’re thinking about doing business with the Slidebone place — don’t. I guess I’m meant to be a cheesecloth guy.

[Specialk3700]

Well, going on three weeks and no sheaths and no response to my email. If you’re thinking about doing business with the Slidebone place — don’t. I guess I’m meant to be a cheesecloth guy.

If you purchased with a credit card you could look into doing a charge back.

[dxhall]

Called Slidebone. He’s been out on a show and had no one to cover his store. Says he shipped yesterday, but I don’t believe him. Don’t even THINK of dealing with this guy.

[SwissTbone]

Done business with him several times and always got a great service. Even with me being in switzerland. So please stop the bashing. We did that already on ttf and nothing more is needed.

[Specialk3700]

Done business with him several times and always got a great service. Even with me being in switzerland. So please stop the bashing. We did that already on ttf and nothing more is needed.

I'm happy that you have had good experiences with slidebone but, a quick Google search of "slidebone" reveals that time after time he has given poor service and at best has questionable ethics.

[dxhall]

Well, here’s the weekly update.

In our last episode, viewers learned that I placed the order on April 29.

Mr. Slidebone told me that he sent the sheaths on Thursday, May 16. He gave me a tracking number.

The USPS tracking site shows that he completed a label, but as of today has not taken the package to the post office. It would seem that he told me an untruth.

Will the sheaths ever arrive? Will Daenerys ever regain the Iron Throne? Tune in next week.

[mrdeacon]

Well, here’s the weekly update.

In our last episode, viewers learned that I placed the order on April 29.

Mr. Slidebone told me that he sent the sheaths on Thursday, May 16. He gave me a tracking number.

The USPS tracking site shows that he completed a label, but as of today has not taken the package to the post office. It would seem that he told me an untruth.

Will the sheaths ever arrive? Will Daenerys ever regain the Iron Throne? Tune in next week.

Hopefully you get them before George finishes Winds of Winter. Latest update is he'll have them finished 2020 for worldcon New Zeland. He also sets a ultimatum for himself if he doesn't finish it.

"But I tell you this — if I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done."

http://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2019 ... w-zealand/

[greenbean]

Well... I often print USPS labels and drop packages off on the counter (without handing it to an employee). This means they put in the "out" bin and it goes out on the next truck. These packages generally don't get scanned until they land in the next major distribution center, often on the other side of the country. This can take several days and it can be disconcerting, but it doesn't usually bother me greatly since USPS has never lost a package of mine. But......... it doesn't usually take 6 days. Smart money says he lied. But only time will tell...

[dxhall]

Here’s the weekly update.

No Iron Throne for Daenerys, but it’s sheaths for me. They arrived today, May 28. Alert viewers recall that I ordered them on April 29. Mr. Slidebone got them to the post office on May 25, after telling me that he shipped them on May 16.

The takeaway? The community of people who play and deal in brass instruments is pretty small. We should do business with those in the community who provide good service and keep their word. As to those who don’t — well, I won't be a repeat customer.

[Burgerbob]

I got one of these at IWBC, the small bore one. I used it on all my horns when I got home. Wow! Really got some gunk out of all my outers. And biggest plus, it is long enough to get to the end of my contra slide. That last inch or so had never been cleaned.

[brassmedic]

[walldaja]

Thanks for the head's up about Dillon's. On order!

[ChadA]

I have both the SOM version and the ones from Slidebone. The Slidebone version seems a little thinner than the SOM equivalent and wore through from use. The SOM version seems to be higher quality.

I prefer either to the cheese cloth/rod for thoroughly cleaning the outers. They don't do anything for the crook. If your slide is really gunky, you might just be pushing crud into the crook.

[CalgaryTbone]

If you use the SOM version with the rod that they provide, they also include a brush that connects to the end of the slide to get into the crook. My only complaint has been that the red version for small bore horns doesn't seem to fit as tightly in my small/medium bore horns, and therefore doesn't do quite as good a job of cleaning out the inner slides on them. The blue one does a great job on the .547 horns.

[ChadA]

CalgaryTbone,
You're correct; the SOM version does come with the brush. I was more referring to the fact that the terry cloth sheath doesn't do anything for the crook. I like using the sheaths with a rifle bore cleaning rod that breaks down into pieces to fit in a pocket in my case. Marcus Bonna cases can't really fit a full-length cleaning rod.

[tbonesullivan]

$50? They are mostly around 30-35 today. I bought mine 10 years ago and the original blue sheath is still working fine. I just wash it a few times a year. It's saved me so much time and kept my slides happy.

The end brush is also quite nice. Combined with my Brass Saver brushes, I have very happy slides.