I'm having problems. Earlier this year, I spent $27 to get my trombone repaired (spit valve problems). Marching band is about to start and now my slide isn't sliding. It feels like it's rusted or something and no matter how much slide grease I put on, it's hard to slide. I really don't want to have to send it in for repairs again. Any other suggestions?

Before you take it in, give it a VERY good cleaning. More than likely, you have way too much grease on there, and it is probably building up at the end of the inside of the outer slide.

Use either a snake or a cleaning rod with a piece of cloth on the end and warm water to REALLY clean out both the inner and outer slide. Then, when it's clean, use a SMALL AMOUNT of grease at the end of the slide, spray some water on it and it should work.

If not, you may indeed have rust on it, the dried grease buildup on the inside of the outer slide is permanent, or you may have a dent somewhere you might not be able to see.

What kind of horn is it? Depending on the horn, it may or may not be worth it for a technician to fix it if the problem is bad enough.

Good luck-

That's really good advice.. I had a similar problem with a trombone I was borrowing from the school. Another thing to try is to completely take it apart and soak the slide and the trom in a bath for a while. Then get a cloth and wipe it really well so that anything there is taken off. The kids at school had been putting so much slide oil on without ever wiping it off that it buit up inside the slide and made it stick..
Good luck

Thanks guys, I'll try that