Hello all! I wanted to share something that I hope will help any of you that find yourself in a situation I was in recently.

I recently bought a Slingerland Super Gene Krupa snare about a month ago that had obviously been neglected. There was rust behind the strainer and butt mechanisms. Somehow, there was even a rust ring around the bottom. I tried many techniques to get it off to no avail. So, my wife recommended I try using a Magic Eraser. So, I wet it with HOT water, wrung it out and went to work. As you can see by the attached pictures, it worked very well! Some spots required a little more elbow grease than others, but there's barely a trace of rust stains anymore. I used it on spots on my drums that I had given up on removing and it worked on those also! My wife says to make sure you get the kitchen and bathroom Magic Eraser, it has some type of soap in it...I didn't know there was a difference, but that's the one you want.

NOTE: The soap that the sponge is impregnated with will leave a hazy residue but it will wipe off easily with a soft, damp cloth. Try a small spot first to gain confidence that it won't harm your wrap/finish. When you're convinced it won't, wipe off all your spots.

[COLOR="Red"]UPDATE: I mentioned before that the soap haze will wipe off, but failed to mention that the Magic Eraser will make very light scratches on your finish...leaving a haze that won't just wipe off. I polished the snare with Novus 2, so I didn't catch this until I noticed a spot on my bass drum that I had wiped with the Magic Eraser that was hazy. I put a dot of Novus on a cotton rag and polished it right up. So, if you have stains or spots on you finish, get a Magic Eraser and Novus 2.[/COLOR]

I hope this helps you!