BGT,

Okay, I'm now sold onto switching to Simichrome, but finishing with a red rouge buff? I buffed some nickle-over-brass [FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Ludwig&Ludwig [/FONT]marching snare claws with red rouge and the nickle just buffed right off. Once I got down to the bare brass, I had to have the claws replated (opted for real gold! very expensive but looked fantastic!).

So the rouge buff is safe to use on a chrome finish, but not the softer nickle?

And how is the kerosene used with the buffing wheel? First the rouge, then the kerosene or vice-versa?

And for which music company did you do this work? (I've been looking for a gold flute for my wife just to keep her quiet about all the Dynasonics that have been arriving at the door lately).

Mike C.

Hey Mike,

The flute company is the oldest flute company in the United States. The William S. Haynes Company in Boston.

2013 will be our 125th year in business.

As far as the red rouge goes, we dip the rouge stick in a little kerosene just to make it a little soft and the kerosene is what gives it that little extra shine.

I'm kind of surprised that you got down to the bare brass even through the nickle.

I just did 2 Student Radio Kings both with nickle hardware and they didn't go through. Hmmmmmmm......, could be the plating was a little thin to begin with.

The tripoli compound which is used before the rouge is more abrasive than the rouge, but that being said you unfortunately got down to bare metal.

I have in the past got a little firm on a couple of chrome plated lugs and started to see a little yellow of the brass start to come through.

As far as a gold flute for your wife just be aware with gold running between $ 1,650 to $ 1,700 an ounce she's looking at a "couple" Dynasonics plus and then some!

We're making one for the most famous living flute player in the world right now. Unfortunately I can't drop his name due to contractual stipulations but he's Irish by birth if that helps.

But we'd love to have your wife indulge herself with a nice shiny 19.5K gold flute is she so desires.

But usually the Simichrome in most cases is enough to get a nice shine the buffing with tripoli and rouge is an added bonus if you can do it.

Thanks Mike and good luck with the projects.

Bill

Me i use the old school that you can mix up your self .be lots easyer ..Bar-K keeper friends ...if you ever heard of it

and i use Mother waxs and polishes ....Cool stuff to use ....on my drums rims and lugs ...

And i use on my old vintage Zildjians

i use the big can of Never Dull and a big can of the Street rods waxes and polishes by Wenol ....the comes in a can of $50 ...

That never harms my cymbals at all ....it's only how many times you polish your cymbals

Polishing new is a bit different than polishing old. One of the problems with old parts, is, it isn't the nickel or chrome that pits, although nickel does oxidize----it's the inderlying corrosive metal,that bleeds through pores ,gaps, cracks or tears in the plating; lifting and staining it , be it steel, aluminum or white metal; the most common structural metals on drums. You can clean the oxide or sulphide stains away but the hole through which that stain emerged is still there. The problem will return.

The polishing isn't the issue, it's relatively easy but I have been searching for years for a product that will seal those pores or fissures over , so that the return of the film and oxide is stopped, or at the very least will be retarded.

I tried Blue Magic recently---it claims to leave a resistant silicone layer. It polishes very well---in some cases, two applications have been needed but it works well ,applied with one of those soft cellulose fibre scouring pads, on especially, really old dull grey nickel----the stuff that has no shine left at all. I guess I will see what the return rate is, for the oxidation.. Does any one know of any other products that have the ability to block oxidation?

LOL

yea

Heck that is one of the reason that I stick with Mother's waxes and polishes ....

.....Mothers waxes and polishes works well for me .Just got to know how it works

Just used simichrome on a 1920s luwig nickel over brass snare. Results are amazing. Thanks for the tip!

Glad you liked it, here is my 1924 Ludwig ludwig before and after, with simichrome and the steel wool that I have. It isn't what you get at home depot!!

I am interested in this steel wool mesh. I am totally against using steel wool, but still open minded. I use to use simi chrome on my motorcycles when I was young. I havent head of it in years! I use nevr dull wadding and I also have a polishing wheel on one side of my bench grinder. I get all the different types of polish from lowes. It comes in a stick. Fine, med, etc.....it works very well for me. I also have a polishing wheel on a bench grinder at my shop. Sometimes when I am doing a big project I take the lugs and stuff to the shop and have Al polish it.. Is that cheating???lol Al is a guitar player and plays several gigs every week. Someone is always calling him to come play with them...He loves helping me. Al is the camera man in this Video I made.. Click here to see my video>>>>>

http://youtu.be/2QA8SaYZPiA

The Simichrome is famous among old car guys. I worked on vintage Porsches (1950') that had a lot of anodized aluminum. The Simichrome is considered to be the safest to avoid 'spider web' scratches.

Lately I'm into restoring pedal, hi hats, stands. The thing about those is that there can be some small to fine fine scratches in the chrome - they don't go all the way through.

Would the Simichrome + 1200 steel wool help with those?

I mean, some spots the chrome is just too far gone to work with, although I can usually 'clean it up' - but being the obsessive that I am, I'd like to get rid of as many scratches as possible.

Whatcha think? Simichrome + steel wool??