Slide lubricant – what do you use?

[Ken Parsons]

I've used a 70/30 mix of anhydrous lanolin and cold cream on my slides for many years that works great, but wonder what other lubricants are used successfully. Any commercial products that you like, or any "home brews"?

[deanoaks]

It depends on the instrument I'm using. My go-to for instruments with tighter tolerances is the following though.

Anhydrous lanolin for my 1st and 3rd slides usually applied once a week to my first slide and twice a week to my third. Ultra-Pure heavy grease for my tuning slide and second valve slide. Then ultra-pure thin oil for my valves.
Works for me. I've heard Monster Oil is the latest and greatest lubricant, but I'm too stubborn at this point to change over.

[Voltrane]

Hetman 4 works perfectly for the 1st and 3rd slides. Hetman 7 for the tuning slide.
Not really interested in DIY lubricants!

[Croquethed]

Herco in the black tub for 1 and 3, Hetman 8 for tuning slide and 2.

[Ed Kennedy]

FYI Schilke grease (in the '70's) was 50-50 anhydrous lanolin and amber petrolium jelly. (( I caught grease duty occasionally)

In the shop where I work now, we mix our own with the lanolin and mineral oil, about 60-40 for 1st and third, straight lanolin on the other slides (unless it's really cold in the shop.)

[JayKosta]

Try 'drug store' Mineral Oil - it is a very pure petroleum medium viscosity oil - no taste, smell, or color. I use it on slides, and it doesn't make the inside 'gooy' mess that some other products do.

I also use in on valve pistons, a drop or 2 and spread around with finger tips. Of course the valves will be very sluggish with just that oil - so THEN put a drop or 2 of regular thin petroleum VALVE OIL on the pistons. As the thin valve oil evaporates (several hours of playing), the valves begin to get sluggish again, so just add another drop of valve oil to each one.

Jay
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[zaferis]

I like the Ultra-Pure lineup... products for all needs.. "Regular" slide lube for all slides - maybe a drop of lever oil or valve oil to thin out the 3rd valve slide.

However I've also been known to use:

5Starr Oil and Lube All- super fast, long lasting Oil, and the Lube is now a gel
or
Blue Juice oil (some don't like the smell) and SpaceFiller slide lube
(One plus with the gels is that you can apply it directly to the slide, you don't have to use your finger.)

I have tried Monster Oil's lineup. I think it functions very well but I don't like the odor-very industrial to me. And have noticed a yellow tint to the residue at the bottom of the valves and what happens to hit the floor - again an industrial impression.
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[jazzvuu]

Yamaha trombone slide cream. Good enough for a trombone slide, good enough for my trumpet.

[mm55]

50/50 generic anhydrous lanolin and generic white petroleum jelly. I made up a small amount, more than 20 years ago, and I haven't run out. I probably never will. I use it on all slides. For the third and first, I add a few drops of valve oil.
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[Tony Scodwell]

On all the Scodwell USA trumpets that are finished, I prefer anhydrous lanolin on the tuning and second slide straight from the tub. On the first and third slides I've found "Space Filler TS" to be optimum. It is just thick enough to allow free movement and lasts forever.

Tony Scodwell
www.scodwellusa.com

[dstpt]

I came across some Super Lube products in the Automotive section of Walmart several years ago. I get them from Amazon now.

Fast slides: Super Lube 51010 Oil (and add a little valve oil to cut it)
It has a needle-tip dispenser, which comes in handy for dispersing in hard to reach areas. Odorless.

Slow slides: Super Lube 21030 Synthetic Grease
Virtually odorless...very, very, very faint odor for the super-sniffers out there.

Both products last fairly long...not as long as anhydrous lanolin, which I tried for awhile during the past two years after reading up on it on previous TH threads, but I have some horns that will sit for a few weeks between playing them, and I found the gooey-ness of lanolin to freak me out too much! Ha! I even went the route of using it on some valves and found it very effective and long-lasting, but only if I played that horn frequently. I can let a horn sit for months with the Super Lube products, and if the slides were smooth prior to putting it away, then they will be the same when picking it up! Again, it does require a little more maintenance (a little valve oil more frequently) than the lanolin options, but I don't mind that hassle. As for using trombone products: As much as I want my fast slides to operate as quickly as a trombone slide...and I do...I just can't bring myself to purchasing products made for such an inferior instrument! Ha! I said it! (But truthfully, somethin' just ain't right about that....)

[tptptp]

For 50 years, I’ve used Vaseline on the tuning slide and the tiniest amount on 2nd, just hoping it won’t get stuck.
On 1st, a little Vaseline and couple drops valve oil every time I oil the valves.
On 3rd, valve oil only.
Always seems to work fine. Am I missing something not using the products you guys are using?
_________________
Craig Mitchell

[cheiden]

I use anhydrous lanolin on the main, 2nd and dump slides. For the first and 3rd I've had pretty good luck with Bach rotor oil, though I'm intrigued by Tony's use of Space Filler TS and may have to give that a try. FWIW, when I ran out of Bach rotor oil I tried Yamaha rotor oil. And while it works okay it seems too thin for the job.

Vaseline works for the slow slides alright but it doesn't last nearly as long and when it fails it can get crusty and slides can either leak or get stuck. Lanolin is very similar but with none of the downsides. Know that you can get Lanolin any place they sell baby supplies. Be sure to get the anhydrous gel and not the white cream.
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[ENTtrumpet]

My favorites are Hetman 4-6 depending on the tolerance of the slide.

[dstpt]

[tptptp]

[Trombacan]

Anhydrous Lanolin on main tuning and second slide and Schilke or Yamaha synthetic for first & third.
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"It's simple, it just isn't easy" - VC

[BRSpringer]

I’ve been using Resilience Oils Kick Gel for the last year or so. It’s synthetic, very smooth, and lasts longer than the two brands I used before, both of them two of the more popular names mentioned here.
Oh, and their valve oil is excellent, too.

[nkolisnyk]

A local shop here uses Yamalube engine oil, applied with a brush. They are a Yamaha trumpet dealer/service department. It works really really well, and one 1L bottle of it will last a lifetime.
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[cbtj51]

I've been using the Spacefiller product for a very long time. The Spacefiller TS outlasts anything else that I have ever used and only needs a drop or 2 of Spacefiller Ultimate Oil to keep it working extremely well for a very long while on 1st and 3rd slides. It is getting harder to find these days, though Musician's Friend has it in stock or available for order on a regular basis.
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