Hi all,
Just got my hands on a 1972 Gretsch kit and am taking it all apart to clean up. This is my first step into vintage drums so please forgive me if I’m asking dumb questions.
All the internal screws and washers fit the Tom’s and kick feel and look like they have some sort of white coating on them that has built up with age?
I would have said rust - but isn’t that red and brown in colour. This is white.
So my questions are - what is it? And how do I clean it all off?
Many thanks,
Gareth
My best guess is that the screws and washers have some amount of Zinc in the steel?
I have dealt with this by cleaning and brushing them off with Dawn dish soap using a small plastic bristle brush and then polishing them with Flitz to sort of create a seal to prevent it from returning.
Those are zinc-plated parts, and they get that white corrosion over time (decades). It's a shame to clean it all off: 'Patina' is considered to be very important these days. But if the lugs etc are going to come off anyway, you may as well clean up the hardware.
As DanC said, zinc plated fasteners and the white coating is "white rust" or Zinc Hydroxide. It is caused by exposure to moisture. It is technically damaging to the corrosion resistance, but as long as there is no red rust, and you remove the cause of the moisture, I personally think you are better off leaving alone.
This paper goes into detail about it. It suggests the only way to correct it is to use a scotchbrite pad and vinegar or a wire wheel and then paint with a zinc rich paint. The other option is to get them replated.
[ame="https://www.orrconsteel.com.au/sites/default/files/White-Rust-White-Paper-200531.pdf"]https://www.orrconsteel.com.au/sites/default/files/White-Rust-White-Paper-200531.pdf[/ame]
If you can't live with the white rust you can follow those directions or try EvapORust which you can get at Harbor Freight. I used it on some rusty lug screws on some old Premier bongos and it got the rust of without any further damage to the screws and washers. I just soaked them and scrubbed them clean with a brass brush. I doubt there was much plating left but so far they have not rusted back.
