Posted by Jay Bertolet on May 16, 1999 at 07:56:42:
In Reply to: Sandpaper on slides posted by Jon on May 15, 1999 at 21:45:00:
I ran into this problem on my tubas a few years back and I used ground pumice to loosen the slides. I can't tell you where to get it because the repairman that does my tubas gave it to me for the procedure. He told me that it would take longer than other methods but that the results would be better. Better means that the pumice works in a more even fashion, leaves no scratches, and is fairly easy to remove from the slides when you're done. That was the one big concern really, make sure you get all of the abrasive off when you're finished. Also, remember that you can always remove more metal if the slides don't move well after one treatment. It would be pretty hard (impossible) to add metal to the slide if you took too much off. Try to be very methodical in removing a little metal, clean and grease the slide, and then take a couple of days to determine if it is okay. Good luck!