Doug. first off Welcome to the forum, here is a link to a drum I did I found in the wood really. you can't find the parts your after at a hardware store, just clean the originals they will turn out better than you think they will. http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=12549

Doug,

I was able to find the interior lug screws and washers in the Ace hardware store. They had them in Brass and Stainless Steel. I got the Stainless so rust is never gonna happen to them again.

If you have to cut them down, make sure the left side of the hacksaw blade is on the right side of the tape you use to mark your length. You should run the cut ends over metal sandpaper after cutting (if nessecerry) and buy one nut for the screws to run the screw through before going into the drum to re-aline the threads.

You may or may not find what you need, but bring a screw and go try it, nothings` worse than rust traveling in the grain of your wood, it cannot be removed.

Washers are avialible in all sizes and metals.

Don`t treat the wood until you know what kind it is. Example,...If you have Rosewood,..it wont take finnishes cuz it`s loaded with oil, (it needs to be treated first) if you have Poplar,..you can swell it up cuz it`s very porous and will soak up too much product. (it needs to be sealed first)

There are many ways depending, on how to and what extent you want to clean the other hardware. I went to a auto store and got chrome cleaners, polish and wax. They also have the plastic scrubbers you`ll need, don`t use steel wool.

Definately post pics. before you begin so anyone here can see what you`re up against !!

Here's what I do to clean interior screws: put them in a zip-lock bag. spray a hefty amount of Easy-Off oven cleaner in the bag. Let sit overnight. Scrub, rinse & dry.

Here's what I do for rust on rims & lugs. Mix some Bon-Ami and Dawn dish liquid together until you have a nice paste. Brush the paste on with an old toothbrush and scrub with the toothbrush. Leave the paste on and let the parts sit for a day or two. Then scrub the paste off. Depending on how bad the rust is, you may have to repeat the process. Then use any chrome polish to finish. If some small spots of rust linger, I might very gently use a little #0000 steel wool. But the general rule for me is that steel wool is the very last resort for metal drum parts-- it leaves permanent scratches.

Awesome. What was your dilution part for the CLR? How long should I soak for? What tip tool did you use for polishing?

Thanks much!

Doug I used it full strength, and just used an old tooth brush, to work the parts over while it sat in the solution, Doug, I wasn't real crazy about the CLR just because it's to slow and if your not experienced with this type of thing, these products will permanently tarnish or burn the chrome finish, there is a product called Evapo rust I've not used it yet, but have heard good things about it, there are many rust removal products that are available to you.

Doug,..What are you gonna do to prevent the rust from returning after you have cleaned it off ?

Good question. I grabbed that chrome polish from Home Depot, but please tell me if there is a better way to prevent anything in the future. My basement is finished and is new construction so I am not worried about dankness and things returning from where I rescued these guys.

Tell ya what I did,

I noticed the last time I took my drums out of storage that the galvinized screws on the inside and the mount and spur bolts and nuts had begun to rust. Cleanning them in place would ruin my clear finnish inside so I had to remove them and hit them on the wheel. They came very clean but I decided that when the rust starts, the galvinized steel is failed and I`m gonna be dis-assembleing them often to clean the rust when it returns so it would be best to replace them with new. Within a few short weeks,when I got a chance to look, I had located the correct size thread but they were a little long, so I cut them down, sanded the ends, ran them through a nut that I bought with them and replaced all of the inside lug screws with Stainless Steel screws (blue box) then looked and found nuts and washers for the mount and spurs as well. The entire threaded rod spectrum is out there, from watch screws to bridge screws, it just requires time to find them and I was in no hurry !! I found mine in both, brass and Stainless, in metric thread cuz my drums are made in Germany. I didn`t buy the brass cuz they will strip easily. I will never have inside rust problems again. As far as the outside chrome goes, I can deal with the rusting if it occurs without have`n to take my drums apart. My hardware is primed, copper coated and then chromed so I have small pitting here and there but not rust yet. If I keep up with cleanning and carwaxing my hardware, wich I do when they`re set up, I can dely or prevent rusting.

The whole point I`m try`n to make is that I don`t have to Dis-assemble my drums to keep on top of the rusting issues cuz all the inside screws and washers and nuts are RUST PROOF !!

I have kept all the original screws/nuts/washers in case I need them in the little sack that I keep my drum key, wrench for the roto toms and nuts, papers, pipe screen and stuff like that !!

Ludwig screws/washers/nuts shouldn`t be hard to find in Stainless !!

As far as stands go,..a good long cleanning with chrome pollish and carwax every now and then will keep rust in check. If it gets out of hand,..buy new one`s cuz like brakes, rotors and tires, they`re made to move and ware and should be replaced when they fail !!