Posted by lubrication aficionado on February 11, 2001 at 20:31:33:
In Reply to: Tuning slides sticking posted by New Tuba Owner on February 11, 2001 at 11:03:22:
All slide greases have their problems. Lanolin can get really gummy over time, and is also kind of expensive. Petroleum jelly isn't very water resistant, and therefore tends to cause rust. Right now I'm using Mobil 1 Synthetic grease. It works pretty good on my tuba, which has fairly tight fitting slides.
As for alignment, you can more or less check this on your own. Just insert half the slide at a time (It may not be possible on some of the slides). If it works smoothly one at a time, but not when you use both, you've got an alignment problem.