Good product for de-greasing lugs?

Bad Tempered Clavier

Silver Member
On the advice of some forum members I have bought some Tight Screw tension bolts; as they have a nylon insert that hugs the inner thread of the lug I need to de-grease the lugs which have been lubricated with a little 3-in-1 oil.

I'm assuming that regular white spirit will do the trick, but I just wanted to check that it won't be harmful to the nylon inserts (or anything else). Any reason not to use it? If so, what's a good alternative? Cheers . . .
 
I have never tried that so I cant say but I have used brake cleaner and it works very well.
 
Try a Q tip in the lug to see if you can get most of it out.
 
I'll use some denatured alcohol on a paper towel for the tension rods and Q-Tips saturated with denatured alcohol for the lug holes. Then I'll re-lube them after cleaning. I'll do this maybe every six months or so.

Dennis
 
On the advice of some forum members I have bought some Tight Screw tension bolts; as they have a nylon insert that hugs the inner thread of the lug I need to de-grease the lugs which have been lubricated with a little 3-in-1 oil.

I'm assuming that regular white spirit will do the trick, but I just wanted to check that it won't be harmful to the nylon inserts (or anything else). Any reason not to use it? If so, what's a good alternative? Cheers . . .

Why do you need to de grease them? The TIGHT SCREWS will still hold with oil on them.
 
re-lube them after cleaning

Why do you need to de grease them? The TIGHT SCREWS will still hold with oil on them.

Thanks for the responses: I raised the question because I ain't much of a chemist, but the manufacturer says on their website:

Will grease/oil harm my TightScrews?
Yes! IMPORTANT: Prior to installation, confirm that the nuts in the lug casings on your drums are free of any grease or oil prior to installing TightScrews. Lubricants will deteriorate the polymer inserts in TightScrews and reduce the friction necessary to keep them from backing out. If necessary, clean the female threads on your drum with a Q-Tip or similar item, dipped in an appropriate degreasing agent. Twist the swab in and out of the threads like a screw. Degreasing the threads will insure maximum life and holding power of your TightScrews and will not harm the threads on your drum.​

Now I have no experience of this product whatsoever but what the manufacturer says sounds logical hence my initial question. If someone can explain why the idea that oil might "deteriorate the polymer inserts" is misleading/untrue then I'm keen to hear all opinions. Quite apart from anything else a pack of 10 small TightScrew bolts is costing me just over 20GBP and I don't relish the idea of having to replace them every 6 months or so because the very thing that is supposed to keep them tight has been degraded by oil that I have put into the lugs.
 
Some lubricants certainly could attack the nylon insert in the tightscrew. This is why I always went the route of using a dry teflon lube spray on T-rods. It won't hurt plastics.

I have never tried that so I cant say but I have used brake cleaner and it works very well.

Brake cleaner is nasty stuff, and will probably destroy anything nonmetallic that it touches. Be careful with it.

I like the idea of denatured alcohol on a Q-tip, since it'll dry quickly without leaving behind residue, and I don't think it would damage the finish on the drum (with the exception of traditional Shellac, which is very alcohol soluable, even when cured).
 
thats funny, I have been playing well over 30 years. I have been tearing apart and cleaning up drums as well as restoring and building from scratch the entire time. I always put a small dab of Vaseline on my tension rods. It keeps things working smoothly, it makes it easy to tune since nothing is sticky. and none of my plastic inserts have deteriorated.

i don't buy it.

to clean the receivers I soak them in lacquer thinner.
 
Thanks for the responses: I raised the question because I ain't much of a chemist, but the manufacturer says on their website:

Will grease/oil harm my TightScrews?
Yes! IMPORTANT: Prior to installation, confirm that the nuts in the lug casings on your drums are free of any grease or oil prior to installing TightScrews. Lubricants will deteriorate the polymer inserts in TightScrews and reduce the friction necessary to keep them from backing out. If necessary, clean the female threads on your drum with a Q-Tip or similar item, dipped in an appropriate degreasing agent. Twist the swab in and out of the threads like a screw. Degreasing the threads will insure maximum life and holding power of your TightScrews and will not harm the threads on your drum.​

Now I have no experience of this product whatsoever but what the manufacturer says sounds logical hence my initial question. If someone can explain why the idea that oil might "deteriorate the polymer inserts" is misleading/untrue then I'm keen to hear all opinions. Quite apart from anything else a pack of 10 small TightScrew bolts is costing me just over 20GBP and I don't relish the idea of having to replace them every 6 months or so because the very thing that is supposed to keep them tight has been degraded by oil that I have put into the lugs.

If you really wanted to go whole-hog, you could disassemble all lugs and put the tuning bolt receivers in a cup of degreasing solvent, then pat them down and let them air-dry. All oil would be removed. You should be able to get the solvent at a hardware store.

I have used Tightscrews for more than 5 years and I never bothered to remove the oil that was in the lugs. By now it has probably dissipated and they work just fine still. I wouldn't worry much about it. I think if you consistently exposed them to oil over years, then it could be a factor.
 
Yeah, some lubes might deteriorate the nylon, so they're playing it safe by advising to clean the lube off.

I've been using TIGHT SCREWS since 04' what I've learned is if you use them dry (no lube) they're a real bitch to turn. That can also depend on the nylon insert and the lug nut, meaning they're all not 'exactly' the same in size, there's slight variations in the .000" range.

If you use lube, stay away from stuff like WD-40, BREAK AWAY, stuff that's about loosening stuck/rusted metal. I use a TRI-FLO type lube (any teflon lube) and ROYAL PURPLE SYNFILM wich is a synthetic lube great on tension rods and all metal threads.

Using too much lube on TIGHT SCREWS will increase the chances of the nylon insert separating from the tension rods channel, lot's of lube will make it easier for the insert to slide out. The holding power really isn't a concern, they just need to grab a little and there's no detuning, a small amount of lube won't affect holding power.

I prefer TIGHT SCREWS with a little lube as tuning is easier, when they're in dry changing heads can be a real chore.
 

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Some lubricants certainly could attack the nylon insert in the tightscrew. This is why I always went the route of using a dry teflon lube spray on T-rods. It won't hurt plastics.



Brake cleaner is nasty stuff, and will probably destroy anything nonmetallic that it touches. Be careful with it.

I like the idea of denatured alcohol on a Q-tip, since it'll dry quickly without leaving behind residue, and I don't think it would damage the finish on the drum (with the exception of traditional Shellac, which is very alcohol soluable, even when cured).

BTW alcohol will damage teflon, as well as some paint and lacquer finishes and some wrap finishes, been there done that. FYI brake cleaner is basically the same product as electronic tuner cleaner it just comes in larger cans at a cheaper price. It will not harm plastic, rubber, nylon, teflon, paint, or anything like that. You can even use it to remove grease from cloth without staining or bleaching as it dries completely residue free. Trust me I use the stuff for a living and its specially made to wash away grease and oil products from brake systems without damaging any of the plastic or teflon washers or bushings, any rubber or neoprene axle seals, painted surfaces or glues used to bond the brake material to the shoe or pad. Plus the aerosol can and plastic straw allows you to blast it into small areas and on a small scale basically pressure wash any grease, oil, dirt and or dust away.
 
i have to admidt i didnt know whn you said tight screws you were reffering to a product.

i know see what you are talking about. not surhow vasaline will effect them, i thought you were talking about the nylon piece hat holds the receiver in place.
 
I just checked my tuner and contact cleaners, I actually have 6 different brands that I use. 2 of the cans give warnings. The Kleen-All relay and contact cleaner warns that it can soften floor tile or craze polystyrene or low grade plastics. It also says "test on a hidden surface" if there is any doubt of its compatibility with the material you are cleaning. My Chemtronics Contact Clean 2000 also has a compatibility warning which says it may cause surface crazing on ABS resins, acrylics, polycarbonate and polystyrene based materials. So we really can't surmise that all break cleaners and tuner and contact sprays are really synonymous with each other.

The contact cleaners I use that do not have this warning are Tech Spray, DeoxIt D5, Cailube MCL, which is made for plastic moving faders and DE-OX-ID. The DE-OX-ID even states on the can that it won't harm plastics.

I really wouldn't trust spraying just any type of cleaners into areas where they can come in contact the finish or lacquer of the drum's shell. That's why I advised using denatured alcohol on a Q-Tip to clean the inside of the lugs. Better solution still is removing the lugs but that's something I only do every year or two, if that. It might be safe to use, but I personally wouldn't get "break cleaner" within 10 feet from any of my kits.

Dennis
 
Thanks for the advice: I never heard of Synfilm - looks like a good idea for the TightScrews. If they ever arrive in the post I'll know what to do . . . cheers again.
 
I just checked my tuner and contact cleaners, I actually have 6 different brands that I use. 2 of the cans give warnings. The Kleen-All relay and contact cleaner warns that it can soften floor tile or craze polystyrene or low grade plastics. It also says "test on a hidden surface" if there is any doubt of its compatibility with the material you are cleaning. My Chemtronics Contact Clean 2000 also has a compatibility warning which says it may cause surface crazing on ABS resins, acrylics, polycarbonate and polystyrene based materials. So we really can't surmise that all break cleaners and tuner and contact sprays are really synonymous with each other.

The contact cleaners I use that do not have this warning are Tech Spray, DeoxIt D5, Cailube MCL, which is made for plastic moving faders and DE-OX-ID. The DE-OX-ID even states on the can that it won't harm plastics.

I really wouldn't trust spraying just any type of cleaners into areas where they can come in contact the finish or lacquer of the drum's shell. That's why I advised using denatured alcohol on a Q-Tip to clean the inside of the lugs. Better solution still is removing the lugs but that's something I only do every year or two, if that. It might be safe to use, but I personally wouldn't get "break cleaner" within 10 feet from any of my kits.

Dennis

Very strange that a company would supply a tuner / contact cleaning product that could harm plastics considering tuners and sliders and most electronic products are basically built with plastic everywhere. As for brake cleaner I have used it many times on my equipment, I have used it to clean grease spots and grime off of my $5000 lacquered drum shells and have also used it to clean heads, I even keep a can in my kit bag that I use in place of contact/tuner cleaners due to price and size of can. My buddy uses it as well to clean the oils from your hands off of the neck, strings and bodys of his very expensive guitars for many years now with no adverse effects either. I certainly would not have suggested a product that I have not tried and or had good results with unlike alcohol which I have actually had some very bad results with.
 
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Very strange that a company would supply a tuner / contact cleaning product that could harm plastics considering tuners and sliders and most electronic products are basically built with plastic everywhere. As for brake cleaner I have used it many times on my equipment, I have used it to clean grease spots and grime off of my $5000 lacquered drum shells and have also used it to clean heads, I even keep a can in my kit bag that I use in place of contact/tuner cleaners due to price and size of can. My buddy uses it as well to clean the oils from your hands off of the neck, strings and bodys of his very expensive guitars for many years now with no adverse effects either. I certainly would not have suggested a product that I have not tried and or had good results with unlike alcohol which I have actually had some very bad results with.

I've been using denatured alcohol for many, many years as a general cleaning solvent from cables to cabinets to motor parts, to rubber pinch rollers of my tape machines. In fact I keep bottles in my garage, studios and electronics workshops. Every studio I work in has bottles of denatured alcohol for cleaning both rubber parts and tape head assemblies. You can easily overdo anything in terms of applying a one substance to another, so here again is why I suggested denature alcohol be applied to a Q-Tip and then the Q-Tip be inserted into the lug of the drum, I've done this for too many years to actually remember and I would not take a chance on the drums that I have if I thought that this was a dangerous tactic. If I could again buy Freon, this would also be a great mild cleaning agent since it evaporated very rapidly. I used Freon about thirty years ago when working in television to clean the quad heads of oxide on video tape machines.

In over 50 years behind drum kits, I never came home with grease on my kits, I never ever played in a garage, lol. Regular dirt and grime comes off easily with warm water and mild cleaning agent. Just don't leave the crime on your kits for 6 months before attending to the situation. It just comes down to what each one of us feels is the best and safest choice to solve a particular cleansing chore.

Dennis
 
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