drum care

Hey,
I have an old Nobel and Cooley snare drum circa 1988. It's black, 7" deep with the brass hardware. Well I hate to admit it but I have been out of drumming for quite a while and I have begun again and the my drums have taken a beating sitting in the northwest weather.
Here is my dilemma. How can I polish up the brass lugs? Can I use some fine steel wool on them? Also, I want to get new lugs, can I just get some after market brand or does N&C have lugs especially for their snares?
It is a great drum, I just want to clean it up as much as possible without destoying any of the drums integrity. Any suggestions would be great thanks.

I've only ever fixed up chromed lug casings. I use either a 000 or 0000 steel wool, and it doesn't scratch the chrome at all. I would think that you'd have similar luck using it on brass. Try it on a small section first to see if it would work without causing damage.