TROMBONE KIT

Brass Instrument Snake

A snake is a bristled brush at the end of a long cord. Most snakes are bristled at both ends. The first step is to pull out all of the slides from the instrument and clean the inside with warm water and mild dish soap. Insert the snake into the bore of any accessible tubing to clean out any grime and deposits. On the trombone, pay particular attention to the lead pipe and the hand slide (inner and outer) with scrubbing action. This area tends to build up quickly. Rinse when done and let dry. You may visually inspect the inside of the tubing against the light to make sure all of the grime has been removed successfully from the inside. Repeat if necessary.

Slide Oil

Please do not confuse slide oil for trombone with valve oil for trumpet! The action of a piston and slide are different and require a slightly different oil to be used. This oil goes on the long, main handslide. Just a drop or two on each fork of a clean, dry inner slide will then be worked in manually. Some companies make spray applicators which can provide a more even coating and are quicker to apply. Any exces will run to the bottom and can be blown out of the water key. The handslide should feel very smooth and not have any sticking points or snags. If after being cleaned and oiled, you still feel stickiness or anything other than a smooth slide, it is possible it needs to be taken into the shop for slide work.

Slide Grease

The slide grease is only for use on the TUNING slide behind the bell of the instrument. Do NOT use it on the main hand slide for any reason. A very light amount should be used after being cleaned and dried. The excess can be wiped off with a spare rag or cloth.