diff --git a/include/boost/python/slice.hpp b/include/boost/python/slice.hpp
index 99d8d8b0..6c54ad7b 100644
--- a/include/boost/python/slice.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/python/slice.hpp
@@ -18,22 +18,26 @@ namespace boost { namespace python {
 	
 class slice : public object
 {
+ private:
+    // Helper function to work around bugs in MSVC 6
+    BOOST_PYTHON_DECL
+    static object new_slice(PyObject*, PyObject*, PyObject*);
+
  public:
 	// Equivalent to slice(::)
+	BOOST_PYTHON_DECL
 	slice();
 
 	// Each argument must be int, slice_nil, or implicitly convertable to int
 	template<typename Integer1, typename Integer2>
 	slice( Integer1 start, Integer2 stop)
-		: object( boost::python::detail::new_reference( 
-		 PySlice_New( object(start).ptr(), object(stop).ptr(), NULL)))
+		: object( new_slice( object(start).ptr(), object(stop).ptr(), NULL))
 	{}
 	
 	template<typename Integer1, typename Integer2, typename Integer3>
 	slice( Integer1 start, Integer2 stop, Integer3 stride)
-		: object( boost::python::detail::new_reference( 
-			PySlice_New( object(start).ptr(), object(stop).ptr(), 
-			object(stride).ptr())))
+		: object( 
+         new_slice( object(start).ptr(), object(stop).ptr(), object(stride).ptr()))
 	{}
 		
 	// Get the Python objects associated with the slice.  In principle, these 
diff --git a/src/slice.cpp b/src/slice.cpp
index 273c8924..55f8e865 100644
--- a/src/slice.cpp
+++ b/src/slice.cpp
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@
 
 namespace boost { namespace python {
 
+object
+slice::new_slice(PyObject* start, PyObject* stop, PyObject* step)
+{
+    return object(detail::new_reference( PySlice_New(start, stop, step)));
+}
+
 slice::slice()
 	: object( boost::python::detail::new_reference( 
 		PySlice_New( NULL, NULL, NULL)))
diff --git a/test/slice.cpp b/test/slice.cpp
index 99b633cd..37d9e83d 100644
--- a/test/slice.cpp
+++ b/test/slice.cpp
@@ -37,17 +37,17 @@ bool check_string_rich_slice()
 bool check_numeric_array_rich_slice()
 {
     using numeric::array;
-    object original = array( make_tuple( make_tuple( 11, 12, 13, 14),
+    array original = array( make_tuple( make_tuple( 11, 12, 13, 14),
                                         make_tuple( 21, 22, 23, 24),
                                         make_tuple( 31, 32, 33, 34),
                                         make_tuple( 41, 42, 43, 44)));
-    object upper_left_quadrant = array( make_tuple( make_tuple( 11, 12),
+    array upper_left_quadrant = array( make_tuple( make_tuple( 11, 12),
                                                    make_tuple( 21, 22)));
-    object odd_cells = array( make_tuple( make_tuple( 11, 13),
+    array odd_cells = array( make_tuple( make_tuple( 11, 13),
                                           make_tuple( 31, 33)));
-    object even_cells = array( make_tuple( make_tuple( 22, 24),
+    array even_cells = array( make_tuple( make_tuple( 22, 24),
                                            make_tuple( 42, 44)));
-    object lower_right_quadrant_reversed = array(
+    array lower_right_quadrant_reversed = array(
         make_tuple( make_tuple(44, 43),
                     make_tuple(34, 33)));