Slide Grease

[Msan1313]

I have been using Schilke for the past 3 years, but then I switched to Selmar slide grease. It works to an okay standard, where I have to constantly unstick the slide (the slide would get sticky to the non-moving part). I like the bottled stuff better, so what are my choices for a better grease?

[RickF]

I've had good success with Hetman's slide grease. Slide grease no. 7 works the best for me. It doesn't interfere with any type valve oil you use.

[GigaOrion]

I prefer Hetman's as well.

[Jrpetty24]

I personally like hetmans stuff as well as the bach(selmer) grease, but I have had a unique issue that seems to be happenings only to me with my Adams horn, while others using the same horn, grease, and oils do not have an issue. I have a problem where my slide grease will liquify after I apply new oil onto the piston valves. this has happened with le-blanc grease, hetman 7+, as well as bach(selmer) grease, and each time the same result. I am going to try and clean my horn and try another kind called zaja? Anyone heard of it or used it before. I also have hetman 10 I believe it is also called hetman Musical Instrument Grease(MIG) I may try that. My Besson doesn't have this problem and I have used hetman and like it.

[tampaworth]

I've used Superslick in the past and it doesn't seem to last all that long. Maybe I'll give Hetman's #7 a try!

[John the Theologian]

While I use the Selmer slide grease on my euphoniums-- including my new Mack Brass-- on my large bore trombone it seems too stiff so I use Bag Balm.

For those of you in urban areas, Bag Balm comes from Vermont was originally designed to be used by farmers on their cow teats and udders-- it used to say for veterinary use only. However, a women here in Iowa who had a talk show for farmers' wives began to tout its healing properties on her show for hands, etc. and sales took off. I use it on my chin when the Iowa winters and shaving take their toll. It's available here in the Midwest in most smaller communities and I assume elsewhere as well. It comes in a green square can. It's composition is petroleum jelly, lanolin and a bit of antiseptic. It works very well on tuning slides that are a little stiffer and it's inexpensive unless you buy the tiny little can-- the one that's about an inch square. The antiseptic might help kill crud that could grow on your tuning slide as well.

[carbogast]

I personally like hetmans stuff as well as the bach(selmer) grease, but I have had a unique issue that seems to be happenings only to me with my Adams horn, while others using the same horn, grease, and oils do not have an issue. I have a problem where my slide grease will liquify after I apply new oil onto the piston valves. this has happened with le-blanc grease, hetman 7+, as well as bach(selmer) grease, and each time the same result. I am going to try and clean my horn and try another kind called zaja? Anyone heard of it or used it before. I also have hetman 10 I believe it is also called hetman Musical Instrument Grease(MIG) I may try that. My Besson doesn't have this problem and I have used hetman and like it.

I've had this happen on my Sterling as well. I use Blue Juice and Hetman #7.

[Msan1313]

I have found great success using Hetman 5 and 7, 5 for my marching horn because it spends most of the time with slides oriented horizontally, and the 1st slide having a thumb ring for tuning while moving. It also goes on my trombone's tuning slide.
I use 7 for my concert horn
And I greased about 2 months ago and have used it every day, and yet the slides still move quite freely and I'm very pleased.
I also use blue juice oil and find the combination not conflicting at all.
Just a side note, the super slick trombone suff Tampaworth mentioned is quite good for trombone, their special solution works quite well

[SteveP]

A naive question perhaps but sincere on my part. I've never used anything but regular old Vaseline petroleum jelly. Is there a reason that this isn't a good idea? It does the job: the slides move freely in and out. Who could ask for more? Seriously, is there something that these other products do that I'm missing out on?

[davewerden]

A naive question perhaps but sincere on my part. I've never used anything but regular old Vaseline petroleum jelly. Is there a reason that this isn't a good idea? It does the job: the slides move freely in and out. Who could ask for more? Seriously, is there something that these other products do that I'm missing out on?

Nothing wrong with that. But I find that "real" slide grease is a little thicker, or at least gives smoother action and lasts better.

[ghmerrill]

I used to use anhydrous lanolin -- for many years.

About a year ago I switched to Dow Corning High Vacuum Grease. It's not cheap, but you need VERY little of it. And it lasts virtually forever on the slides.

Some are concerned about it migrating to valves, and the difficulty of removing it (it's heavily silicone based). But I've had no problem with this. It is very difficult to genuinely remove. So don't put it somewhere you will need to totally remove it from the surface. It's possible to remove it, but in my experience this requires actually soaking the surface in the solvent for some extended period of time (like maybe a week, depending on the solvent). Despite the fact that a lot of the spec sheets list some pretty hideous chemicals as solvents for it, I have managed to dissolve it in kerosene (ultra-purified lamp oil) by soaking over time.

Personally, I love the stuff. The 5 oz tube I have of it will probably last forever.

[tampaworth]

I've never used anything but regular old Vaseline petroleum jelly. Is there a reason that this isn't a good idea?

Thanks for asking this great question! Before encountering this forum I used Vaseline on my slides as well and it sure seemed to do the trick for non triggered and non actively-pulled slides. White lithium grease was recommended by a Tuba instructor and it was messy for sure and didn't smell all that great. I wanted to throw out one additional slide grease question. All other things being equal, what type of slide grease might best prevent slide inner leg discoloration?

[TigerBandBaritone]

Anyone tried the Bach slide grease? I put some on my horn this afternoon (recommendation from a service tech) but don't know what to compare it to. The horn is one I bought about 6 months ago but don't know what the previous owner used.

[ghmerrill]

I wanted to throw out one additional slide grease question. All other things being equal, what type of slide grease might best prevent slide inner leg discoloration?

Just genuinely curious, but I do wonder what "inner leg discoloration" refers to and why anyone would be concerned about it.

I don't think that either the anhydrous lanolin I used to use, or the Dow High Vacuum Grease I now use, resulted in any discoloration. But I also don't think I would have cared if they did.

[tampaworth]

Just genuinely curious, but I do wonder what "inner leg discoloration" refers to and why anyone would be concerned about it. I also don't think I would have cared if they did.

I suppose everyone has a different level of OCD regarding their instruments, especially newer ones. I'm sort of middle of the road. Some take it to the extreme playing with a cloth or leather guards. More an esthetic or protective concern, I've noticed a type of corrosion which occurs on the inner legs of certain slides over time and wondered what lubricant might offer the best anti-corrosive effect.