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Tips for cleaning your set.

kyle7863 - Wed, 12/31/2008 - 00:38 | 3,027 views

Just felt like giving some tips on cleaning your setup.

an easy way to clean drum heads (clear ones at that) is to use an ammonia free glass cleaner. just use a soft cloth. clean any smudges off.

If you have finger prints on all your stainless steel just grab a soft cloth and use any window cleaner ammonia or not. doesnt matter. just spray and clean.

cleaning cymbals is a little tricky. a lot of cymbal cleaners are made differently. and some cymbal companies do manufacture their cleaners to work better with their own cymbals. ( the metal combinations are different)

some will tarnish your cymbal and remove your logo.

i've heard that cleaning any cymbals made out of B8 metal will tarnish it and turn it green. thats what i've heard its not from experiance. I myself use trick cymbal cleaner it works wonderfully, just put some on a soft cloth and rub it on in a circular motion until it starts turning blackish. thats the dirt from the cymbal. just get a clean part of the cloth and polish it off. just keep rubbing until you see the shine.

For my shells i just use glass cleaner ( seems to come in handy eh?)

Oh and one more neat trick. if you use any ebony heads from remo and the logo is smudging and looks bad, you can use off bug spray to get rid of the logo. just spray it on and rub it until it comes off. dont worry it doesnt damage the head. we do this in our drumline to make our drums look cleaner.

thats really it if you have any other things just ask me. ill try to find an answer. Thanks.

Edit-
If you use sabian cymbals and you remove the logo you can buy an inking kit to re-apply one. heres the link to get it.(this also works if you have old faded out cymbals that you want to renew)
http://www.percussionsource.com/sabian/index.html

Zildian does not offer a logo renewal kit. sorry just the way it is.

Drummer Comments (3)

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BRUCEGUNN Says Re: Tips for cleaning your set.

Submitted On: Wednesday, Feb 16, 2011 - 5:53 PM

I use BarKeepers Friend for my cymbals.
http://www.amazon.com/Bar-Keepers-Friend%C2%AE-Cleanser-Polish/dp/B000V72992/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297896660&sr=1-1-catcorr

The trick is not rubbing too hard.

For cymbal stands and hardware the best stuff is called NEVR-DUL http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-One-1035605-Nevr-Dull-Wadding/dp/B000CNBI1A

Gets rid of rust and dirt. I have used this stuff on old hardware I've picked up at garage sales and made them look brand new.

And lastly, if you are careful enough you can remove dents from a drum head with a blow dryer.

bdrums777 Says Re: Tips for cleaning your set.

Submitted On: Wednesday, Jun 24, 2009 - 12:47 AM

i use the groove juice polish for my cymbals. it requires no rubbing and you just wash it off with a damp wash cloth. it works well on cymbal stands too. i have heard that spit of all things works really well as a drum polish. i read that from the founder of orange county drums who is also a drum tech. i luckily have a wrap finish kit that doesnt really require to be polished or rubbed down.

King Says Re: Tips for cleaning your set.

Submitted On: Wednesday, Dec 31, 2009 - 11:20 AM

Great advice! I had a friend of mine turn me on to the non ammonia glass cleaner a few years ago and it works great. I guess ammonia based products will mess up the head or hardware? Never made the mistake in using it yet so I don't wanna find out the hard way. The cymbal cleaners made by Zildjian and Sabian work really well as long a you're not sentimental about your logos cause like Kyle said they'll come off. Trick is....only leave it on for 30 seconds and then rinse with HOT water. That will prevent streaking but if you're not careful it will start to strip the brilliant finish so don't go overboard. I hate using the cymbal paste cause it's just too much work to get it out of the lathing. Good luck!