remove hairline scratches from Ludwig BB's NOB?

[Drum Guy]

2021 Ludwig BB - nice but there's some hairline scratches right next to the badge as you can see, not sure if I did those or factory, but is there a way to polish away (so to speak) those annoying scratches? or is the nickel gone from that area and simply can't be cleaned up? Scratches are about 1 inch wide by 1 inch long...

seems the NOB scratches so easily - nothing crucial obviously, just annoying as it's only couple days old

 

[s1212z]

Was it B stock? I'm guessing if Ludwig could turn their B to A stock, they would do so. This is good to know as I was considering a BB, I see no reason to get A stock if it's bound to get scuffed so easily.

 

[Drum Guy]

I was told this was A stock and I’m genuinely not sure if I did it by mistake or if it came like that I don’t know

but either way the nickel plating does scratch pretty easily ...I just wondered if there was a way to reduce the eyesore that’s on there now

 

[Drum Guy]

so, here's a better image - it's basically just swirl marks, not deep at all, admittedly can only see it in certain light and it's 1"x1", just enough to make my nit-picking perfectionist trait activate.

surely there's some compound out there that can take out surface hairline swirl marks/scratches...has no one polished out swirls on their nickel plated snare before?

 

[David Hunter]

Black Beautys are notoriously easy to scratch. The black nickel plating is ultra thin. Here's what I recommend:
Remove all hardware and gently apply 3-in-One oil to the shell exterior with a clean cotton cloth. Wipe off excess; just leave enough behind to act as a sort of protective coat. It won't totally get rid of the scratches, but it should hide them pretty well.
One other thing: I'd avoid cheap (Harbor Freight) microfiber cleaning cloths. They can leave nasty swirls behind, even on lacquer finishes.

 

[Drum Guy]

yes I've seen a BB scratch as I just barley moved my finger across the shell ...shame as it's def one of the best sounding snares I have.

I will try the 3-1 oil trick and see what happens - thanks very much for your thoughts

 

[Bo Eder]

Maybe you should just Alex Van Halen it: break out the circular sander and give the whole shell that sanded down look?

 

[Jeremy Bender]

Some packs of cheap microfiber cloths feel rough to the touch.
I like the super smooth ones made for glass lenses. They're smaller and more expensive but what's it worth to you?

 

[Darth Vater]

Ludwig is high maintenance. No way around it. Always has been.

 

[larryace]

My suggestion is to not give a care about it, and try to forget about it.

I would try buffing it out with a great car wax like Simonize (don't use any type of automotive compound) and if that didn't work, I'd mentally let the scratch be and accept it as part of what goes along with owning it. It's just not worth it, fretting over looks, after something happened, nothing is perfect. If it sounds how you want and no one will notice it, that's the really important part. If you ever become a famous drummer, your fans will want to swirl the finish of their BB near the badge to emulate you.

Or put a Rick and Morty sticker over it. One of those.

 

[dezertryder]

+1 for the car wax suggestion. It will likely fill the scratches nicely, and protect the finish too. Chrome Polish would probably be a good choice as well. I've used it on lugs, hoops, and hardware with good results. Automotive type Polishing Compound may be too aggressive for that mirror finish, but works great on many finishes for removing surface scratches too. Automotive Rubbing Compound would be much too aggressive for your application,

 

[Superman]

My suggestion is to not give a care about it, and try to forget about it.
I'd mentally let the scratch be and accept it as part of what goes along with owning it. It's just not worth it, fretting over looks, after something happened, nothing is perfect. If it sounds how you want and no one will notice it, that's the really important part.

I agree with Larry. I too often let small things like that bother me. And it is not worth it. In the end, the sound matters the most and the minor scratches tell a story. It makes your drum.. YOUR drum.

 

[Drum Guy]

My suggestion is to not give a care about it, and try to forget about it.

I would try buffing it out with a great car wax like Simonize (don't use any type of automotive compound) and if that didn't work, I'd mentally let the scratch be and accept it as part of what goes along with owning it. It's just not worth it, fretting over looks, after something happened, nothing is perfect. If it sounds how you want and no one will notice it, that's the really important part. If you ever become a famous drummer, your fans will want to swirl the finish of their BB near the badge to emulate you.

Or put a Rick and Morty sticker over it. One of those.

All good and true - and I did apply a little 3 in 1 oil to area and rubbed off, it did mask it a bit, so that's good enough for me...

danke! much to all of you for your helpful replies. And yes, this ludwig nickel SO easily scratches, but the drum has to be the most versatile, wonderful sounding do-it-all snare you could get...and I have a dozen other snares.

Now if I can just kill this perfectionist trait in me

 

[larryace]

I have a set of lacquered DW's with an olive ash burl finish and when I see scratches down to the maple...I take a a black sharpie to them. My finish has streaks of black so it blends right in. No one would know it unless they were right on top of it and I pointed it out.

You could try putting some india ink on the swirls

 

[Darth Vater]

I agree with Larry. I too often let small things like that bother me. And it is not worth it. In the end, the sound matters the most and the minor scratches tell a story. It makes your drum.. YOUR drum.

No doubt about it. Just enjoy it. It's that first scratch that kills ya though!

 

[Capital D]

Not really a solution but an attempt to relate to your story and ease your feelings on the scratches.

I built a drum kit out of Keller Vintage Mahogany shells and sprayed a really nice looking satin lacquer finish on them. They were about a year old and looking as pristine as the day I completed them when my buddy came over and was playing on them for a bit. Well he managed to somehow knock my 12" tom into the snare hoop and cause the first ding on the tom shell. I was bummed.

Well, as I was complaining to him about it because now they'll never be the same, he said something to me that I thought at the time was insensitive to my plight. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that he was right.

He said: "These things will happen. The first scratch is always the hardest."

Now I feel like the scratches and dings tell my drums' story. Like war heroes showing off battle scars and telling war stories. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but that's the idea.

But he did buy me 3 12 packs the next day. Haha!

 

[Drum Guy]

Not really a solution but an attempt to relate to your story and ease your feelings on the scratches.

I built a drum kit out of Keller Vintage Mahogany shells and sprayed a really nice looking satin lacquer finish on them. They were about a year old and looking as pristine as the day I completed them when my buddy came over and was playing on them for a bit. Well he managed to somehow knock my 12" tom into the snare hoop and cause the first ding on the tom shell. I was bummed.

Well, as I was complaining to him about it because now they'll never be the same, he said something to me that I thought at the time was insensitive to my plight. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that he was right.

He said: "These things will happen. The first scratch is always the hardest."

Now I feel like the scratches and dings tell my drums' story. Like war heroes showing off battle scars and telling war stories. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but that's the idea.

But he did buy me 3 12 packs the next day. Haha!

so true, first scratch is the hardest - had a lacquered N&C 2019 solid walnut - beautiful - but those stupid screws they use on the throw off (instead of drum key fitting heads), while tightening one screw, the screw driver slipped and cut a small (but comatizing to me) scrape into the lacquer - snare was only a week old...man, I (we all) guess just have to consider it part of the deal.

 

[timmdrum]

Your drum doesn't have scratches; it has character.