jpmcbride
60 posts
Jun 21, 2014
10:35 AM
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I have an older Hohner 270 and have been struggling with the slide. It seems to be a real balancing act between the mouthpiece being tightened enough to not leak, and the slide sticking. Any advice? Is there anything I can lubricate the slide with? And if so where should the lubricant be applied?
Any advice is appreciated!
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Jim McBride
www.bottleoblues.com
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GMaj7
444 posts
Jun 21, 2014
10:54 AM
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Set it w/slide down in a saucepan with about 1/2 " of tap water and let it sit there for a minute... Then exercise the slide back and forth a bit... That will probably fix the problem.
If not, it may be exceptionally dirty or worst case, the slide is bent.
Shoot me an email if this doesn't fix it.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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WinslowYerxa
629 posts
Jun 21, 2014
11:00 AM
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Have you disassembled the slide package and cleaned it? If not, I'd start there. Saliva and the various sticky things carried on human breath can act like glue.
Lubricants are controversial, and many veteran players insist that a little water is all you need. Others use various substances - vegetable oil, vaseline, even trombone slide oil. The potential downside to all of them is that they can creep into the reed chambers and gum up the valves and/or collect particles of other stuff. Rancidity (vegetable substances) and nasty taste (trombone oil) are additional problems.
One mod you can do is to take the short edge of the U-channel (aka slide cage) - the part that is between the mouthpiece and the slide - and file the underside edge nearest the button. The idea is to break the edge that scrapes against the top of the slider, and also to create a slight increase in clearance just at that one spot.
When you re-tighten the mouthpiece screws, tighten one until it binds, then back off a quarter turn. Then do the same for the other. You can fine tune further using this procedure; it's a controlled way of achieving optimal tightness.
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Winslow
Plunge into the SPAH Experience, August 5-9, 2014
Last Edited by WinslowYerxa on Jun 22, 2014 1:11 PM
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Tuckster
1432 posts
Jun 21, 2014
11:33 AM
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I've had success with trombone slide oil. You use only a tiny amount and wipe off the excess. I notice no taste. Do what Winslow said first before you resort to the oil.
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jpmcbride
61 posts
Jun 21, 2014
10:01 PM
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Thanks for the advice. I had already cleaned it but was still having issues with sticking. Loosening the screws 1/4 turn was just right ... no leaks and the slide moves well enough.
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Jim McBride
www.bottleoblues.com
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STME58
932 posts
Jun 21, 2014
10:33 PM
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Bill Watrous advocates the use of cold cream and water on the trombone slide. I wonder how that would work on a chrome slide?
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Piro39
70 posts
Jun 22, 2014
7:44 AM
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Get a shallow tupperware container and put only enough water to cover the mouthpiece because your 270 probably has a wooden comb and water will ruin the comb. Put a little dishwashing detergent in the water and let soak for maybe 15 minutes occasionally moving the slide back and forth. You also might want to back the mouthpiece screws off a little when doing this. Remove from water when slide is free and rinse the mouth piece using clean water with a paper towel so it won't taste like soap. Next thing to do is shake all the water out with the slide open and also pressed in. You might also want to press the slide partially in and put a tooth pick in just far enough so it holds the slide partially open. This way air will dry all the chambers. I follow this procedure after every playing session and rarely have to remove my mouthpiece and slide mechanism.
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