Cleaning slides

[Trumpetstud]

What is the best way to clean the slides on the trumpet! They are looking dark and I want them to shine!! Thanks

[huntman10]

Are you talking about the outside of the inner tubes? Plated silver, lacquer, or raw brass?

To get them really clean, soak in warm water with mild dishwashing liquid like Dawn. .Maybe put in a small amount of white vinegar to clean the buildup of lime or hatd deposits. Let them soak about a half hour or more, and run your cleaning "snake" brush through several times and flush with warm water.

If the inner slide tubes are dark, rub hard with old clean T shirt fabric. If that doesn't get the oxidation and buildup off those inner tubes, I actually use Wrights silver cream on the raw brass and rub hard with the T shirt fabric. It is a very mild abrasive that won't take off too much metal. Rinse off all the silver cream and run the snake back through to get all abrasive off, dry, and lubricate with good quality slide lubricant.

Your slides should work smoothly after this.
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huntman10
Collector/Player of Fine (and not so fine) Brass Instruments including
Various Strads, Yammies, Al Hirt Courtois, Schilkes,
Selmer 25, Getzen Eternas, Kanstuls (920 Pic, CG)
Martin Custom Large Bore, Lots Olds!, Conns, etc.

[Man Of Constant Sorrow]

^^^^^^ This.
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Sub-Optimal Hillbilly Jazz

[mike ansberry]

I know I am gonna catch a lot of flack for saying this, but I use brasso. I know it is a mild abrasive. I have been using it for 45 years and have not had an inner slide become lose in the outer, ever.
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Music is a fire in your belly, fighting to get out. You'd better put a horn in the way before someone gets hurt.

[Man Of Constant Sorrow]

NO flak from me.

Why, I have run disassembled horns through the dishwasher ... on the "Pot Scrubber" cycle.

Heresy ??
Pshaw.
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Sub-Optimal Hillbilly Jazz