I recently stumbled onto a product for cleaning chrome that I want to pass on to all of you: Quick Glo. It claims to remove rust, clean, shine, polish and protect all in one application. And it really works.

I'm an old Slingerland guy, and I still have the 4-piece chrome over wood kit I bought in 1976. As the next few years passed, when I wanted more or different sizes, instead of trading in, I just bought more Slingerland chrome over wood drums. I was always obsessed by the look of these drums. When my quest for snare drums began in the late 90's, I would stumble across Slingerland singles in chrome that I would pick up too. Over the years, some of these drums were neglected and developed rust. As anyone knows who's had these drums, these drums are a maintenance issue.

When I decided to undertake a big clean in earnest, I decided to experiment on some inconspicuous spots on the shells to see what would remove rust without damaging the surface. I tried everything: auto chrome cleaners/polishes (Turtle Wax, No.7, Meguars), the metal polishes (Flitz, Simichrome, etc.), the home remedies (coca cola and aluminum foil, vinegar), rust removal cleaners (CLR, Barkeeper's Friend), light mechanical buffing, and combinations of all of the above.

Finally, on a Youtube search, I stumbled across Quick Glo on Jay Leno's Youtube channel for vintage cars. This stuff is amazing. It's better than everything else I tried. It does what it says, all in one time saving application. The best part is that it will remove most rust without damaging the rest of the chrome around it. If the rusting is bad, there will be pitting left behind, but it's far less noticeable once the rest of the chrome is brought to a high shine, which is easy with Quick Glo. I've got three drums left out of eighteen to refurbish and did most of them in a couple weekends. They haven't looked better since they were new.

It comes in two forms, heavy duty and fine. I use fine for the shells and heavy duty for rims, lugs and other hardware. Heavy duty will leave a mark on a shell if rubbed too hard. I further experimented by top coating with the metal polishes or car waxes after applying Quick Glo. I found this to be an unnecessary step. Quick Glo works fine by itself.

You won't find this in stores. It can only be purchased on line, although bike shops where I live in the Chicago area sometimes carry it.

I know this is a long rambling thread that sounds like an infommercial, but I have no financial or ownership interest in Quick Glo, and I had to pass this on. I've been polishing chrome for over 35 years. This stuff works.