Cleaning the outer slide without a cleaning rod?

[PVH]

I usually travel with the slide-o-mix cleaning rod. I have found a way to fit one in all of my cases safely except one. I will be using that trombone soon and I need to have some way to clean the inside of the outer slide. Has anyone found a good solution?

I have seen that slide-o-mix makes a swab with a brush on the end that they call the “slide-o-mix multiwiper.” Has anyone used this? Will this actually go all the way through the outer slide and come out the other end? If so how does it work? Is there a better way to take old trombotine off the outer slide without a cleaning rod?

One additional complication - I need something that will work on an f bass sackbut slide. It seems like that slide-o-mix multi wiper would be almost long enough but I don’t see how it would push through the entire length of the outer slide.

Thanks in advance for any help with this.

Paul

[Bonearzt]

Not really an alternative if you're thinking about really cleaning the outer slide.
But if you just want to swab it out, you could tie some pieces of cloth onto some strong cord and weight the end with fishing weights.


Eric

[Posaunus]

Best trombone accessory I've ever purchased:
HWP Brass-Saver (pull-through soft brush with an 80"-long plastic lead ribbon). $15 or less.
https://www.wwbw.com/HW-Brass-Saver-Cle ... 65124.wwbw
https://www.amazon.com/HW-H-BSTB-Brass- ... B0002OVCYW

You can safely thread this soft brush through both inner slides (without fear of damaging or dislodging the lead pipe), AND all the way through the outer slide. [You may need to drag it through more than once to completely dry the slide interiors; if so, wipe off the brush with a clean cloth (towel or an old gym sock!) between pulls.] It's gentle and amazingly effective. You can also pull it all the way through the bell section (even with a valve) to remove condensation and debris. Since I've purchased these (I use the "Trombone" size for my small- & medium-bore trombones, and the "Tuba" size for my large-bore and bass trombone), I never use the old fashioned and relatively ineffective / possibly damaging metal coil "snake" brush.

And the Brass-Saver is small enough to roll up and store ins a plastic bag in your trombone case.
What's not to like?

[Conn100HGuy]

I have a brass saver, which is fine for removing the gunk in the crook. However, to really get the outer slide tubes clean, I've used a small-bore shotgun cleaning rod for years. It's 32" long overall, composed of 3 sections that screw together. And the tip that secures the cloth is plastic. I got mine at Walmart for 10 bucks.

[BGuttman]

I have a brass saver, which is fine for removing the gunk in the crook. However, to really get the outer slide tubes clean, I've used a small-bore shotgun cleaning rod for years. It's 32" long overall, composed of 3 sections that screw together. And the tip that secures the cloth is plastic. I got mine at Walmart for 10 bucks.

For an F Bass (no trigger) you will need two shotgun kits. You take one straight rod from the second kit so that the overall length is another 9 inches (225 mm) or so. I do this for my G Bass.

[baileyman]

I have a brass saver, which is fine for removing the gunk in the crook. However, to really get the outer slide tubes clean, I've used a small-bore shotgun cleaning rod for years. It's 32" long overall, composed of 3 sections that screw together. And the tip that secures the cloth is plastic. I got mine at Walmart for 10 bucks.

I use one with a 28g nylon brush to apply yamasnot directly to the inside of the outers. And I suppose it scrubs some crud along the way. I do remove the handle so it's only long enough to reach the end, since long rods look like the way people ventilate their crooks.

[BGuttman]

Just bear in mind. Paul wants to use this on a bass sackbut slide. It's about 8 inches (200 mm) longer than a normal slide and it's about the bore of a Conn 4H.

[baileyman]

28g fits a 4H bore. And it's about 8" I whack off the rod anyway, so maybe it would work for sackbut.

[Doug Elliott]

FWIW, in my entire career I have never cleaned my outer slide with a cleaning rod the way "everybody" recommends.

[bbocaner]

I got one of the HW brass saver things and all the fuzz kept coming off in my slide! I ended up throwing it away after using a couple of times.

[Burgerbob]

My brass saver did nothing for my outer slide, not like a cleaning rod will.

[greenbean]

FWIW, in my entire career I have never cleaned my outer slide with a cleaning rod the way "everybody" recommends.

Do you ever snake it out? Or run water through it? Spitballs? What do you do?

"Enquiring minds want to know..."

[Doug Elliott]

I have a set of industrial brushes that are 36 inches long, that I use with Dawn dishwashing liquid to clean both inner and outer tubes, and a snake to get in the crook.

[Posaunus]

I got one of the HW brass saver things and all the fuzz kept coming off in my slide! I ended up throwing it away after using a couple of times.

I've had my Brass-Saver brushes ("Trombone" size for my small- & medium-bore tenors, "Tuba" size for my large-bore and bass trombone) for nearly 3 years now, and haven't had that problem (fuzz molting) with either.

I usually follow the gentle Brass-Saver brushing (of both outer and inner slides) with a rod covered in an (appropriate-size) Slide-O-Mix towel sheath, to completely dry the outer slide interior before returning the slide to its case (at least every few days). My small-bore (red) sheath is showing some wear from being pushed through the sharp leading edge of the slide, and will probably have to be replaced within the year.

[Kbiggs]

Not really an alternative if you're thinking about really cleaning the outer slide.
But if you just want to swab it out, you could tie some pieces of cloth onto some strong cord and weight the end with fishing weights.


Eric

I used to do this. For a Bb horn, a piece of nylon cord longer than 36” (roughly the length of one leg of the slide), some fishing weights, and some old diapers that had been sewn together to be longer than 36”. I think Reg Fink has a picture in his Trombonist’s Handbook. You could do the same thing for an F-bass. Just make sure the cord and swab are each longer than the length of the slide tubes.

Years ago, a guy I knew took a dowel (again, longer than the length of the slide tube), drilled a hole in the end, and then inserted a test-tube cleaning brush, holding it in with glue. It’s similar to the SoM cleaning rod. I suppose you could do the same thing for an F-bass, but find a dowel that is a few inches longer than the slide.

FWIW, I used the Hetman Slide Saver these days for general maintenance. I put it in a mesh bag and wash it with a load of clothes to get rid of the hairs, lint and gunk. I wash it every other week or so, depending on demand.

[BurckhardtS]

I have a set of industrial brushes that are 36 inches long, that I use with Dawn dishwashing liquid to clean both inner and outer tubes, and a snake to get in the crook.

I feel like that'd do an even better job than the cleaning rod would.

Where do you get them at?