Stick Grip Product

I've used this blue stuff for other purposes (potting electronic components) and it seems pretty durable. As far as sticks are concerned, if the finish is kind of satin-like (like Pro-Mark's Bill Bruford model that I use), I just dip the butt end in some high gloss polyurethane (a couple coats). No change in balance at all.
 
Thanks. This stuff looks just right. Or the stuff from Stickstuff. I play fairly hard and I sweat and that combined with the usual stresses of live playing . . . this ought to do the trick.

And no effect on weight or balance of the stick?

The amount that covers the stick is minimal and will not affect the balance.
 
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/va...y_name=19349&product_id=2363&variant_id=38051

I found this product in Ace Hardware that is used for coating tool handles, etc. and decided to try it on some sticks instead of tapes and other products. I bought the 14 ounce can which is approximately 6 inches tall, and the process is just opening the can, stirring the product, and slowly dipping the stick in the can and slowly pulling it out. I put paper clips around the tips first and then after removing from the rubber product, and letting them drip into the can for a while, I hung them on the clothes line in the garage to drip on some paper. They dry completely in four hours. It also appears that I could do all of the sticks I own with one 8 dollar can. I will post picture tomorrow to show the final result. The first pair I did are dry and they feel great, and didnt add significant weight and maybe 1/100th of inch to the diameter if that, I couldn't feel the difference. It is also sold in several colors if that is important. Stay Tuned.

Edit...this product looks like paint but has just enough grip to it. In the second picture you can see some of the product dripping off of the butt end of the stick, but i took a Qtip and just wiped it off.

This stuff looks amazing, especially for the drum keys but can not find anything like it in the UK. Are there other options or where do you suggest i look? I've looked in the major big DIY shops and nothing.
 
I am surprised that you have trouble gripping your Regal Tip sticks. One of the reasons I use Regals is the grip factor with them, and I hold them pretty loosely. I rarely drop a stick. Mind you, I don't perspire much either, which may help.
 
Sex Wax!

Sorry, just been dying to say that in a forum.

Actually, didn't realise it was used by drummers. Saw some in a local music shop and had to ask.

Luckily I just don't sweat much when playing. When I drop one there is nothing that would have stopped it happening!

I'm guessing with the blue grips you don't do rim clicks with the butt end of the stick?
 
Sure...you can hardly tell the difference in sound with it or with out it
 
Oh wow, GD, thanks! I'm so glad I found this thread. I'm going to stop by Lowe's tonight on the way home to see if they stock this. If this works well on the VF 5A maple sticks I was using a while back, I'd happily start using them again.

I see that it comes in a spray-on version as well.
 
Well I'll be dipped!

I picked some up at Lowe's on the way home last night and dipped a few different pair, some Jojos, some Weckls, a pair of 55A, 5A and maple 5A. I had always first judged these sticks by the ease of the grip - so now I was able to actually judge the *stick*. The maple 5A were indeed the best of the bunch, for me.

Thanks again Grunter...
 

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Here is a shot of my arsenal. I think all manufacturers are represented from My Manhattan
7A's down to the Rikki Rockett Bottle Rocketts. They feel great when playing and I haven't quite used half of the product yet.


I like how the blue matches the Regal Tip E-Series.

I tried this stuff a few years ago as a grip and I found it to be just the same as the Zildjian Dip. I don't care for it at all, it just chewed up my hands and was painful to play with. I used Ahead grip tape most of the time and that works out fine for me.
 
Maybe I'll just dip my hands!

Just a question, does it leave a paint smell on the stick or on your hands after you've been playing?
 
I can't use regular sticks very well, when I get tired near the end of a song and I'm doing fills, I lose my sticks without some kind of grip added to them.

I did this the other day with 2 pairs of sticks. I really like it, very economical compared to promark stick rapps, etc. I bet you could do 10 pairs of sticks with one can, costs 8$ up here in Canada. That would cost me 75$ in stick rapps.

The feel is great, I think it reduces shock a bit too. My hands are all callused from work so I don't get them from drumming.
 
Sorry for reviving an old thread, but I have a question:

Does the Plasti Dip stay long on the Jojo Mayer signature sticks? Or any other painted sticks, for that matter? Or do I have to get rid of the paint using sandpaper first?

Oh, and have you used the spray version of Plasti Dip? It should solve that "short container" problem discussed earlier.

I really like the Jojo sticks but they're slippery as hell, and I want them to have that Zildjian dip grip feel.

Thanks!
 
old thread but I need to chime in. I decided to try some plasti dip on my sticks. I bought the spray. this stuff works perfectly for what I need. I use promark stick wrap for grip but I think this is even better. The stick wrap will get kind of soft and smooth over time, this stuff remains tacky. I was in a rush for a gig this weekend so I only had one day to apply this for the first time. I did only one coat. During the gig it did wear off where my thumb was, so I will use more coats in the future. cant wait to spray all of my sticks!
 
sand the lacquer off of the sticks before spraying them

ahh thank you for that tip! I got this idea from you and this thread so thank you. It really works well and I will use it from now on. great idea.
 
Do to another thread where Guntersdad mentions Plasti Dip, I did a few of my own experiments, which I now discover with this thread, a little overlapping. So I’ll keep it short… possibly.

I use the Zildgian 5A Maple Green Neon dipped. They work perfect for me. Their dip coating does come off over heavy use. I just peel it off and still have a very good stick available.

From Lowe’s, I picked up a can of the Plasti Dip (Black) and Neon Orange & Gloss spray can of Plasti Dip.

The spray product experiment: is OK… it goes on very thin. I wound up spraying 3 times just to have an opaque cover over the wood grain. I must have sprayed 4-6 more times to get some thickness. This is not an efficient way to use this material… especially a round stick. Way to much wasted with over spray.

The dip can experiment: I had two different kinds of sticks. The prior neon dipped sticks and new sticks standard finish. Regardless, I took 220 grit sandpaper to all the sticks. Apparently I did not get enough gloss off the new sticks. The Plasti Dip randomly adhered to the stick. Lots of run off and bare spots. It looked horrible. I immediately knew I did not sand the entire stick to bare wood. Let the dip dry, and peeled it off, sanded more thoroughly and tried again… Worked beautifully.

So as others have stated, the can is short and not deep enough to get the grip area I wanted.

I went back to Lowes, bought a 24” X 1-1/2” PVC pipe and two end caps (the other cap to close up the pipe for future use). I cut the PVC to length, to cover the stick. Sanded the cut end and just pushed on one end cap. I then poured the Plasti-Dip into the pipe. I am trying to maximize stick coverage with minimum material. The trick here is how far to fill the PVC pipe. Because of the slightly larger pipe opening, once you start to lower your stick into the pipe, the volume of the stick pushes material up and out. Too much and you get overflow. The other trick is to pull the stick straight up from the PVC tube. Any touching on sides will cause imperfections on the stick. I simply held the stick by Tip/Shoulder, pulled straight up and out and immediately turned the stick upside down. I pushed the tip into the soft ground to let dry. I also had Styrofoam in the garage that seemed to work.

One dip seemed to be fairly close to the factory dip. I did try dipping twice and while not bad, I think just a little too thick.

Screwups: I made plenty. Many times I did touch the side. This made the dipped material area uneven and could feel that in my grips. A few times the very butt end of the stick accidentally touched another drying stick and put the slightest disruption in the material. This was more than enough to distract me, as small as it was. The great thing about this material is let it dry and peel off. Start over to get it right.

Lastly I tried spraying the dipped sticks with the gloss spray. While the stick looks good and shiny, I found the feel of the coating in my hands undesirable. I won’t be using it.

Bottom line: I think the Plasti Dip comes reasonably close to the factory coating from Zildjian. BUT!!! I can be uber picky and take note that Zildjian has a slightly spongier feel, which I like. That spongier feel is gentler on my hands and I now know what people mean by the dipped stick being rough on their hands.
 
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