Some trombones have an F section accessed by depressing a rotor valve with the thumb.
With proper care, maintenance and a regular cleaning schedule, a good trombone can last a lifetime. Most trombones are simple instruments, with minimal tubing and pitch regulated by the tuning slide. The addition of a rotor valve speeds up slide-position changes in some difficult playing. It also adds a length of new tubing and twists and turns. The rotor valve component can make cleaning a trombone more difficult.
Instructions
1. Remove the main tuning slide. Swab inside of the main tuning slide with a brush and mixture of brass soap and clean, warm water. Dry the inside of the main tuning slide with gauze and allow to air dry.
2. Swab the open tubing left behind after the main slide removal using the same technique as in Step 1.
3. Hold the rotor valve in the half open position. Drop five to 10 drops of oil down the tubing. Work the oil into the rotor valve by opening and shutting the valve at least 20 times.
4. Put slide grease around the ends of the main tuning slide. Work the main tuning slide into the tubing until the interior of the tubing and the main tuning slide have an even coating of grease.
5. Unscrew the rotor valve cap. Place a drop of rotor oil in the center of the rotor bearing. There should be a small divot. Do not add more than a drop of rotor oil. The oil should sit in the divot and maintain a bubble shape through surface tension.
6. Work the rotor oil into the rotor bearing by depressing and releasing the rotor valve lever at least 20 times. Screw the valve cap back into place and depress the rotor valve several more times.
7. Wash the slide with a solution of brass soap and water. Clean with gauze. Wipe down the slide tubing with a clean cloth. Reapply slide cream and work cream into the tubing by moving the slide up and down through the full range of motion from first position to seventh position.
8. Use warm water for a full trombone bath if the above methods have not fully cleaned the trombone. Most bathtubs can accommodate a trombone when all slides are removed. Ensure you dry the trombone thoroughly after washing. Reapply all the grease.
Tags: rotor valve, tuning slide, main tuning, main tuning slide, slide with