Keeping steel snare shell shiny....

johnwesley

johnwesley

Silver Member
I'm sure I could google this for an answer but prefer hearing from you and your thoughts/ experience. Never owned a steel shell snare drum Currently thinking about getting one to keep my other metal snares company. Here's what I'm wondering. In order to keep it shiny, can I spray a coat or two of Rustoleum clear lacquer on it? Oh....it's chrome over steel, so what I'm doing is trying to protect the chrome. What do you think?
 
Poly is commonly applied to metal to protect it from the atmosphere and make it easier to clean. Here are a few things to think about.

It is usually applied as a mist or via a form of vapor deposition. Not easy to replicate with a rattle-can.

Steps are taken to ensure the absence of moisture. This sometimes involves baking (@~>200°) the part, or preparing it in an environment with industrial atmospheric controls.

My opinion is to NOT hit your snare with a rattle-can of poly, and to allow it to age naturally and gracefully. We all like shiny things, but applying a poly sheen designed for lawn mowers and patio chairs seems like a brutish approach to an overwhelmingly imaginary problem.
 
johnwesley said:
I'm sure I could google this for an answer but prefer hearing from you and your thoughts/ experience. Never owned a steel shell snare drum Currently thinking about getting one to keep my other metal snares company. Here's what I'm wondering. In order to keep it shiny, can I spray a coat or two of Rustoleum clear lacquer on it? Oh....it's chrome over steel, so what I'm doing is trying to protect the chrome. What do you think?
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As an ex car sprayer - no.
The only paint product to stick to chrome is epoxy primer - and you'd need to sand it down first! Is it plated with something else?
If it's stainless - it should stay shiny anyway.
You could protect it from fingerprints and humidity with an auto wax polish.
 
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The best way to address the maintenance of a steel snare is to buy a wood one instead. Nothing against metal snares. I just prefer wood.

I've never owned a steel, just a few aluminums. Now I play wood only.
 
If it's chrome, you don't need to do much. Chromium is a very tough coating. I certainly wouldn't spray it with lacquer or anything else.

Turtle Wax Chrome Polish & Rust Remover is one of the better, readily available chrome polishes I've come across. It cleans gently and seems to leave a protective finish (wax?) behind.
 
I must admit, about Premier chrome, I’ve just got an old Apk kit, the previous owner had not taken much care of it. Still, the metal snare drum looks as good and shiny as the Frosticles one, after 25/ 26 years in a basement.
Back to topic. I use car polish for my chrome. A specific polish for old paint. It works fine. Once in a while, I rub a little the metal shell. I should say that it’s exactly the same problematic as every metal drum hoop.
 
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Old school bikers often use Flitz on all their chrome parts. It's one of the few products I trust.

FlitzMetalPolish.png
 
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Frosticles said:
Gtechniq C2 Ceramic Sealant. Works wonders.

Premier 1036 Snare Drum by Kevin Frost, on Flickr
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Damn. That sucker is clean! I'm looking at buying an older model Premier steel shell snare and would love to have it shine like that. The drum I'm looking at is extra clean but not like yours. Also doesn't have a center bead. I have both brass and aluminum Premier snares but I've never had a steel snare and figure Premier is the one I want. I've not found a Premier drum that sounds bad and most sound awesome. Where do you get that stuff you used?
 
johnwesley said:
Damn. That sucker is clean! I'm looking at buying an older model Premier steel shell snare and would love to have it shine like that. The drum I'm looking at is extra clean but not like yours. Also doesn't have a center bead. I have both brass and aluminum Premier snares but I've never had a steel snare and figure Premier is the one I want. I've not found a Premier drum that sounds bad and most sound awesome. Where do you get that stuff you used?
Click to expand...

I use a car detailing specialist for all my products. Gtechniq is available through eBay & Amazon as well :)
 
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