[Trombone-l] Lubricant details

[Fred Hudson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Al MacDonald" <alvinmacdonald at earthlink.net>

> Dennis Clason wrote:
>
> DC> Synthetics like Reka and Alisyn are silicone oils.  The exact
> DC> formulations on all of them are trade secrets.  You can get some clues
> DC> as to what is in them with a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer.
>
> Available at your local Rental City, of course.  Be sure to read the
> manuals first.
>
> Al MacDonald
> Denver, Colorado

Actually I had the Slide-O-Mix parts analyzed by Gas Chromatograph - Mass 
Spec. Not to try to steal trade secrets but just to satisfy my curiosity. My 
son is head of the analytical lab for a company that makes textile 
processing chemicals many of which are lubricants. I asked him to just 
report in general terms rather than a precise analysis. The white stuff is a 
very dilute solution of a  non-ionic (and therefore non-sudsing) surfactant 
of the ethoxylated hindered phenol type.

One possible explanation of the green slime that some have reported seeing 
when using SOM may be due to its surfactant properties. Yellow brass is very 
susceptible to corrosion by wet carbon dioxide forming green copper 
carbonate as a scale on the surface. Since we are continually pumping wet 
carbon dioxide through our horns every time we play this will eventually 
build up particularly on the inner surface of the outer brass slides. Red 
brass and nickel silver are less susceptible. This can be mimimized by 
swabbing the slides frequently but sometimes has to be acid washed to 
remove. The surfactant in SOM may be effectively wetting the carbonate as it 
forms and holding it in suspension resulting in the reported green slime.

There may be other explanations just as valid but that's my story and I'm 
sticking to it - at least until I get my Inductively Coupled Plasma Analyzer 
out of hock so I can analyze the slime. >;>}

Fred H