How do you clean your hardware?

And don't leave it in an unheated garage. Cold damp weather and nights mean condensation which is death to chrome - it's microscopically porous to water molecules. (I used to be in classic car restoration) I have a 20+ year old Yamaha Stage Custom and the chrome is perfect - because it was kept in a bedroom.
 
Thank you, as I see aluminum foil is very useful
Yessr - the main thing is, after you get the coke/rust reaction to form the muddy grime, be sure to have a container of clean warm water to clean off (I lightly use Dawn dish soap in this phase) and then dry with clean rag making sure to dry thoroughly.
 
Even my new-ish stands get dirty after 2-3 years of gigging. Sweaty hands packing up at the end of a gig, beer spillage, flying sweat while playing, dust & stick material, you name it. Spend an hour or two with a tooth brush & some rags and you'll be blown away how dirty they were and how clean when finished.
Thx, Do you put some products(nevr-dull or these kinds of stuff) on your toothbrush, or you just pick up a clean toothbrush?
 
And don't leave it in an unheated garage. Cold damp weather and nights mean condensation which is death to chrome - it's microscopically porous to water molecules. (I used to be in classic car restoration) I have a 20+ year old Yamaha Stage Custom and the chrome is perfect - because it was kept in a bedroom.
I have my kit in my bedroom too, but I live like 500 yards from the sea and I used to gig very often so probably it is in these conditions for these reasons.
 
Yessr - the main thing is, after you get the coke/rust reaction to form the muddy grime, be sure to have a container of clean warm water to clean off (I lightly use Dawn dish soap in this phase) and then dry with clean rag making sure to dry thoroughly.
Of course thank you!!
 
'm going to use aluminum foil, and if it doesn't work I will use nevr-dull hoping I won't ruin my hardware. Thank you, I didn't know how to use aluminum foil to clean chromes.
The aluminum foil, used with water, creates a paste as it rubs the debris off your hardware. Because it is softer than chrome, I won't ruin the chrome.

Nevr-Dull is not abrasive at all. It consists of wads of cotton, lightly soaked in a petroleum-based liquid. As you rub the hardware, it removes tarnish and light debris. When you wipe off the residue, the chrome will shine like new.
 
What about using WD-40 to clean tension rods?? I saw a rdavid video on yt where he explains it
That's the video.
 
The aluminum foil, used with water, creates a paste as it rubs the debris off your hardware. Because it is softer than chrome, I won't ruin the chrome.

Nevr-Dull is not abrasive at all. It consists of wads of cotton, lightly soaked in a petroleum-based liquid. As you rub the hardware, it removes tarnish and light debris. When you wipe off the residue, the chrome will shine like new.
Thank you a lot!! As I said, First I'm gonna try with aluminum foil, and if it still dirty I'm gonna you nevr-dull
 
I have my kit in my bedroom too, but I live like 500 yards from the sea and I used to gig very often so probably it is in these conditions for these reasons.
Sweaty fingerprints are corrosive too, so another good reason to keep it clean.
I live right on the coast too - west coast, north atlantic. Wettest, windiest winter of all time just gone. ?
 
Sweaty fingerprints are corrosive too, so another good reason to keep it clean.
I live right on the coast too - west coast, north atlantic. Wettest, windiest winter of all time just gone. ?
I live in Sicily, Italy, so here winters are hotter than yours but of course today all seasons are a lot hotter than the old ones
 
What about using WD-40 to clean tension rods?? I saw a rdavid video on yt where he explains it
That's the video.
That's a little eccentric...
WD40 is a good cleaner but does not remove rust! Also you should use a BRASS wire brush or you're gonna rip all the chrome off your threads and they'll rust even quicker.
I think the best lubricant and antirust coating for the threads might be simple vaseline petroleum jelly (Maybe more experienced gear heads have an opinion on this?) - much cheaper than greases and dry lubes and clear so less likely to stain clothing I think. They'll finger tighten nice and smooth too.
 
When I was 10, we moved to a house on the beach in Del Mar, California. My mother paid $125 per month for this 4-bedroom house, owned by Desi Arnez. We “took care of it” for 10 months per year, and would move out for two months while Desi (and his wife, Lucille Ball) housed their guests there, and they all would go to the horse races at the Del Mar Racetrack. The house is long gone now, replaced with some muti-million dollar mansion, about 5 blocks from Bill Gates’ new home.

My bedroom had windows that opened up to the Pacific ocean, with the beach 15’ away. Our first year there, I got my first drum kit from a pawn shop. Within months all the steel parts were completely rusty. It didn’t help that I would take my drums out onto the sand at low tide and play them with abandon (looking back, I’d do it again).

My first attempt at removing the rust was using steel wool and WD-40. It was then that I learned the shrapnel and flecks of steel wool also rusted, and would leave little brown stains (”freckles”) all over my drum shells. Over the years I tried Turtle Wax Polish (coarse), Brasso, and even jewelers rouge (both coarse and fine). All attempts were futile. They never looked the same as when I first got them.

I don’t think even the aluminum foil method would’ve helped.
 
That's a little eccentric...
WD40 is a good cleaner but does not remove rust! Also you should use a BRASS wire brush or you're gonna rip all the chrome off your threads and they'll rust even quicker.
I think the best lubricant and antirust coating for the threads might be simple vaseline petroleum jelly (Maybe more experienced gear heads have an opinion on this?) - much cheaper than greases and dry lubes and clear so less likely to stain clothing I think. They'll finger tighten nice and smooth too.
I agree with you, WD40 it's good but it doesn't remove rust, for the tension rods I use white lithium grease, but I have vaseline too so this time I'm gonna use it. Thank youu a lot!
 
When I was 10, we moved to a house on the beach in Del Mar, California. My mother paid $125 per month for this 4-bedroom house, owned by Desi Arnez. We “took care of it” for 10 months per year, and would move out for two months while Desi (and his wife, Lucille Ball) housed their guests there, and they all would go to the horse races at the Del Mar Racetrack. The house is long gone now, replaced with some muti-million dollar mansion, about 5 blocks from Bill Gates’ new home.

My bedroom had windows that opened up to the Pacific ocean, with the beach 15’ away. Our first year there, I got my first drum kit from a pawn shop. Within months all the steel parts were completely rusty. It didn’t help that I would take my drums out onto the sand at low tide and play them with abandon (looking back, I’d do it again).

My first attempt at removing the rust was using steel wool and WD-40. It was then that I learned the shrapnel and flecks of steel wool also rusted, and would leave little brown stains (”freckles”) all over my drum shells. Over the years I tried Turtle Wax Polish (coarse), Brasso, and even jewelers rouge (both coarse and fine). All attempts were futile. They never looked the same as when I first got them.

I don’t think even the aluminum foil method would’ve helped.
That's bad, so you've never managed to remove dust, hadn't you?
 
I've used chrome polish on my hardware, as well as car wax on the shells. I haven't cleaned a cymbal in ages. Brass polish isn't the tool anymore, given the protective coating on the newer cymbals. Most of my drums are in both hard and soft cases. I'm a weekend warrior, when I have a gig which is rarely these days, so my cleaning regimen is a bit less than others.
 
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