Thanks for the warning! Did you get my PM reply regarding parts?:confused: I'm definitely going to need them after Christmas.

Thanks, Brian

Hi guys.....it's extremely rare that I post, but could not resist when steel wool and rust came up. I don't like to spend much money on products when household products work (most of the time they do). I have read of a solution, tried it, and discovered many were wasting time and money on tracking down obscure polishing products. Here's what I do, and it has provided beautiful results:

-For rusty chrome, I bought a big storage plastic tub (on sale as there was no lid) /////// or use a simple plastic pail (depending on the size of the parts) and I SOAK in Dawn Dish-soap and water for about 48 hours, then I brush each part with a toothbrush. You will be amazed at the beautiful shine that will result. Then, I bought a bottle of Turtle Wax "Chrome Polisher and Rust Remover". It comes in a short fat bottle and only costs $2 something at WalMart. I mixed that with a bit of water into a plastic tupperware container, then designated and dedicated a Microfiber Cleaning Towel - saturate in this polish. Use this to polish up the part - this will remove any remaining stubborn rust that the dishsoap treatment could not conquer - then allow the part to dry before rubbing off the wax. Then use another dedicated Microfiber Clean Towel to rub off the wax. When done polishing, replace that towel into your tupperware and seal it with the airtight seal for future use.

You are done - time to reinstall on your drum.

I have not yet tackled wrap polishing, but caved in and bought some 3M plastic cleaner and plastic polish as came highly recommended by someone. Of course, this was after I had tried a bunch of other stuff on some wrap - that did not yield the desired shine. I can let you know how it works once I get to it if you wish. PM me.

I pretty much never use Steel Wool anymore, except maybe on threads as Jonnistix has mentioned.

I had to post, as I rarely ever hear anyone ever talking about Dawn dishsoap and soaking.....though it IS on the page on this website that talks about many products and procedures for cleaning restoring. Look for it and you will find it. OM me if you can't find it. It will include pictures of the various products it suggests.

Good luck, take your time (do it right the first time) and the result will knock your socks off!

John

owner of 4 Vintage MIJs

I'm glad you choose to post your experience w/ dawn & rust removal, as I also had success with thus technique. I think the page you're talking about is the snare drum restoration article here: http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/how_to_vintage_snare.html and the quote is, "Bon-Ami + Dawn Dishwashing Soap -- Removes grunge, dirt, rust, or grease. Just get a bowl or plastic container and mix a little of both and put the parts in. You can add just a little water to make it thinner, then with the tooth brush or sponge clean the parts."

This and a little toothbrushing cleaned all the rust off most of my t-rods, screws, and wing screws, but didn't really work at all on washers. (Bonami- $2.75)

I tried (as per jonnistix recommendation on an earlier post in this thread) mineral oil($3) and turtle wax rubbing compound (borrowed crom a frient)w/ toothbrush, cotton & microfiber towels for cleaning and rust removal. I put all the parts on the underside of an old bass drum head, it was a great work surface and easy to clean. This with elbow grease, did a fantastic job on removing most of the mild to moderate rust and left the chrome & nickel plating shining...but it was messy.

I also tried a metal polish called Mass($5). It worked the best on my lugs w/ light rust, gunk & pitting. It left the parts shinier by far, than the other methods and was the most time efficient. I used an old sock for application, a cotton rag for 1st clean, & a microfiber towel for polishing(this method was also described in the restoration article above).

For my wrap, which was pretty nasty and scratched up, I tried ) Eagle One Wax as You Dry($4.50) as mentioned in jonnystix earlier post. It worked really well on the less scratched and yucky parts of the shell, but I wasn't happy with the overall results. I found Novus 2($5.50), recommended by various folks in various posts and articles) at my local Harley shop. This product was amazing for buffing out scratches, removing gunk, clearing away oxidation and restoring most of the lost color. I used the ) Eagle One Wax as You Dry to shine and protect as a final treatment and am VERY pleased with how the shells look. The bass drum hoop inlay jumps out really well after using both products.

Except where mentioned above, I bought all my products at my local, independent lumber/hardware shop. I probably paid a bit more, but I prefer to shopl local independent shops when I can. I also spent a bit more on products as I plan on doing this again, and felt it was an investment.

I'll post photos of the completed, well polished, and rust free kit in the next day or so.

Brian

Good job, Brian! We are not all 100% on restoration, just our each and very own unique experiences are what we share. I am glad you found what you could locally as I also shop close to home when I can. Nothing quite say's "I support my community" like actually shopping at the local shops and spending money with them if you can avoid Mal-Mart or the innernet.

Yeah, I used Bon Ami mixed into my solution the first time I tried it, but it was messier and the next time I tried it without - and had just as good results. I am not convinced that Bon Ami makes that big a difference.

I read on here today that someone else also used the green bottle of Turtle Wax "Chrome Polisher and Rust Remover". It is good to see that someone else has discovered it.....it's only $2 something! and works great.

Looking forward to the resulting pics!

John

Three questions towards the end of the project;

1. I've polished the shell with novus 2 & eagle one, and they look great...very shiny! The top of the bass drum has faded considerably, but it wasn't an issue until I installed the batter head & hoop.

[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc379/briandambrosiadonner/1966%20Star%20Drum%20Kit%20Project/IMG_1128.jpg[/IMG]

Is there any way to improve the color contrast here? I can live with it, but want to do all I can to bring it back fully.

2. Ive mounted the batter side bass drum head, a cheap Remo Encore single ply. Any tuning tips? Tune high, low, muffler, felt, pillow inside?

[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc379/briandambrosiadonner/1966%20Star%20Drum%20Kit%20Project/BassTuningTips.jpg[/IMG]

3. I have two Tama, tom mufflers from an 80's Imperialstar that I'm considering installing. Is this advisable?

Thanks,

Brian

Brian that is actually a good head for this shell. They are notorious for lower tones, so keeping it at what one might consider, as far a feel, in the medium range should get you a nice, fat, round sound out of it. If you like them to be cannons, go a tad lighter and it will blow out the windows!

As far as fade.....no way to fix that.

Hey Brian, your project is coming along beautifully! I love that wrap!!!

About the fading, I would agree with Jstix. Dont worry too much about it, it's kind of part of the whole vintage thing. Slight fading/mellowing is going to happen over time. And in your case, from what I can see, it is very slight - I don't even think it's really that noticeable.

That bass drum head should work fine, but I would use a felt strip under it. Maybe about midway between the center and the edge of the drum (running vertically, parallel to you bass pedal.) I would not install any kind of internal muffler inside the drum that wasn't already there. The felt will work just fine, and you wont have to make any permanent modifications. If you're not so into using a felt strip, you could try using a Remo Powerstroke 3 or 4 head on both sides. Other head companies have similar heads as well that will give you some ring control. I like the Remo PS3s.

I have found that I prefer a medium tuning with my MIJ bass drums. I find that they articulate best (for my ear and playing style) in the medium range. It's a nice, warm, round sound with plenty of thud.

Again, looks like your project is going really well. Please, keep posting pics!

Hey Brian - kick drum is looking sweet. Keen to see more pics of progress. I've been going the felt strip route for most of my vintage projects, MIJ, as well as my Ludwigs, and have been happy with results. Sometimes an added small pillow, or rolled up towel if still too open sounding. I like the old school look of the felt strips as well, and it's inexpensive. I buy large sheets at a local craft store, and it will do for several kits. Keep us posted.

First I must say, WOW!

Those are sweet! Nice job!

But, I'm afraid I will still use steel wool. Why? Well, because it's so much more manly than using dish soap.

Oh! Gotta run!

The Sponge Bob marathon starts in ten minutes! Don't want to miss that!