All,
I cleaned my tuning slide on my Hammy and used a dab of vaseline to lub it as per Hammy’s website, and now the thing is slides really easily. Scarily easy actually. Is that normal? My Seery doesn’t but it’s made differently… Suggestions? Or am I just paranoid?
Thanks,
Tony
Too easy is bad, since the flute might just slide in and out while you’re playing.
Whether or not to lube depends on the maker, and since you mention that Hammy’s site gives instructions on how to lubricate the slide, then he’s a luber. Olwell and Abell (and therefore perhaps all flutemakers whose names end in -ell) want the slides to be clean, no lube. Grinter and Byrne (and by extension, all makers with r’s in their names) prefer graphite (because it also contains an R).
Personally, I like the action of slides which aren’t lubricated better. They grip well, but can be moved with a small amount of force. I think if your Hamilton slide is too loose, you might have too much Vaseline on the slide.
Stuart
When my Hamilton arrived, it had just the very lightest possible amount of grease on the slide.
Since then, I’ve neither added nor removed lubricant, but I figure the original is all but gone, and the slide works just fine.
I started out lubing slides but have since pretty much gone to dry slides on all my flutes…it seems to add to the ring of the sound a bit.
–James
Mine was half used. 
It was a used head, and body, but brand new slide and foot. So my Hammy is black and browned striped! 
Anyway it looked like there was dust or something in the grease on the slide, that’s why I cleaned it. Wish I hadn’t now. I’ve only added a slight bit of grease and I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to move when I play but I had been tapping the foot on my knee to help get some moisture out and if I do that the head slams shut and it didn’t do that before. Maybe I’m just paranoid… 
Cheers,
Tony
It’s too loose.
I’d probably take it apart and clean it off with paper towel (or something), and not put any more grease on the slide. You’re not likely to be able to get all the grease off without using rubbing alcohol or acetone, so I think you’ll probably be left with the right amount of hooey to make it the right amount of slippery.
Stuart
Yeah, what he said.
Loren
Tony,
I have a suggestion for a slide lubricant to use that may solve your problem. It was given to me by a well known flute maker from Ireland who shall remain anonymous (although I am open to bribes). He uses U.S. made Bolwax for his slides. What is Bolwax you wonder?? It is the wax gasket that a toilet sits on to seal it. This gasket wax/lubricant is cheap, available at any plumbing or hardware store. It comes in only one shape - round - but has the best consistency of anything I have yet found to use on a flute slide.
I know, I know, there goes all the romance out of “designer labelled” slide lubricants. Now you know why the prominent maker will remain anonymous.
Paul 
:roll:
<It was given to me by a well known flute maker from Ireland who <shall ,remain anonymous (although I am open to bribes). He uses <U.S. ,made Bolwax for his slides. What is Bolwax you wonder?? It is the <wax gasket that a toilet sits on to seal it. This gasket wax/lubricant is <cheap, available at any plumbing or hardware store
Paul - I think we all know who the Maker is, he also machines his flutes from PVC (and not Delrin) which is also used in the plumbing industry.
Am I close? 
Hi Eilam,
Don’t you think Glauber is such an astute person!!??
Paul
My Hammy used to slide really easy too (hmm…don’t take that out of context). While I was in Ireland, it got so bad that I couldn’t play it as the flute was veering from C# up to around Eb over the course of a single tune.
I took it over to Cillian O Briain’s workshop and had his little helper Maurice take a look at it. He stuck the headjoint in this weird doohickey and turned a handcrank a couple of times et voila! The tuning slide was much more snug.
Me: That’s perfect, Maurice.
Maurice: No, no. I think it needs just a little bit more.
Me: Are you sure? It seems fine to me.
Maurice: No, just a bit more.
Maurice: Hmm…
Anyway, it was a bit tight at first, but it’s fine now.
I use the bolwax stuff on my hammy as it slides too easy. Trouble is i’m running out and can’t find it here in Scotland. But it does a great job.
Willie
<Hi Eilam,
<Don’t you think Glauber is such an astute person!!??
<Paul
Yes, Glauber is a cool guy.
Paul, I didn’t know you had a Delrin/PVC flute as well?
Hammy told me to use a mix of beeswax and vaseline on the tuning slide. As my tuning slide still works well, I have not yet tried it however.
At the end of the day, as described above,
the maker can physically make the slide
more snug. Yes, Hooray for Beeswax!
Hi, I’m Cathy, and I’m in the sticky-slide-via-beeswax camp. Works great. Just take pure beeswax (I used a candle from the health food store), melt it in a pan you never want to use again, and add a few drops of pure (aka unrefined) linseed oil (available in art-supply stores). Then pour the whole mess into a foil-lined Altoids tin. When it’s cool, remove the foil and bingo. You’ve got a self-contained sticking unit. Anyway, a swipe or two with said block works wonders on slides or loose joints due to dryness, cool temps., etc.
And now for those who need to loosen slides … I don’t know Hammy’s opinion on this, but in the Boehm world if your slide is too tight, the generally accepted lubricant of choice is KY Jelly. It’s water soluble & wipes clean, so therefore you escape that icky petroleum buildup & associated crud.
And of course, people in drugstores really wonder when you buy 2 or 3 tubes at a time … 
Anyway, FWIW …
I’ve also had to use the beeswax-petroleum jelly combo for my Hamilton. A friend of mine received that advice from Hammy a few years back, passed it on to me, and it works great for my Hamilton on on all but the hottest summer days… but perhaps a bit more beeswax in the mix would cure that problem too.
I had a chance to chat with Hammy last summer and when it comes to flutes he REALLY knows his stuff… but of course that’s no surprise. After that I realized that everything to do with his instruments seems to have been done with definate purpose in mind… including the loose-feeling slide. I’m not exactly sure what the purpose is but I’m sure it was intentional.
All the best,
Wes
I get your hint, thanks! I realize i’ve been spending too much time here; i’ll try to cut back.
Continue to have the appropriate amount of fun!
glauber
Huh?
Did I just miss something here? 
Mary