Author Topic: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.  (Read 28416 times)

Re: Keeping It Clean?
« Reply #25 on: October 29, 2012, 03:45:41 PM »
Someone on the vDrums site posted some nice before/after pictures of their cymbals dressed with 303 protectant. 303 potects the rubber, does zero damage, makes the rubber look good, and it lasts a long time.

 It does produce a matte instead of gloss finish, but that's more a matter of personal taste rather than right vs wrong (I happen to prefer the matte finish--on cymbals and my car--but I know others prefer a gloss look; to each his own).





On the vDrums site, did he mention why he took a picture of a different cymbal? The marked up, top-right cymbal in the "after" pic is the same as the one dead center in the "before" pic
DM10(BlueJay)/DM8/iO, SD3; Shure SE215, Simmons DA50, Alto ZMX862, Focusrite Scarlett; Tama SpeedCobra, VF 7AN, Roc-N-Soc;
DIY: Tennis Ball Drum Riser, Cymbal Felt Beater, Footswitch Cymbal Choker[url]

Offline Trondster

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #26 on: October 29, 2012, 03:58:29 PM »
On the vDrums site, did he mention why he took a picture of a different cymbal? The marked up, top-right cymbal in the "after" pic is the same as the one dead center in the "before" pic
I'd guess that they both looked the same, that he cleaned one of them at first, and took a picture of both the one he had cleaned and the one he hadn't cleaned?
DM10 Pro kit with dampened rack, extra crashes, mesh heads, Gibraltar stands, P2002C and a dream cherry snare by Diamond Drums.

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #27 on: February 08, 2013, 10:15:14 AM »
I finally got around to trying the bottle of 303 protectant I bought... it does a good job on the Alesis cymbals. Unfortunately I haven't had as much time to play recently and didn't have time to properly document the results.

It didn't cover up all signs of wear (it's not *magic* afterall), but definitely looks as close to "like new" as possible. Much better than just wiping down the cymbals with a damp cloth.

I may switch to sticks with nylon tips now, because looking closely at the rubber I can see how over time the wood tips cause some minor erosion of the rubber. Just cosmetic though... no difference in how they play.
E-drum setup: Alesis DM10 Module, S&S Industries Stinger XL snare & Stinger P1 toms, Alesis DMPad cymbals, Roland PD-8 & KD-7, Gibraltar rack/hardware, Tama hardware, Hart Maxxum/Magnum Mesh Heads, Roland KC-350 amp, Audio Technica ATH-M50s headphones

Offline pbear5

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #28 on: February 09, 2013, 09:13:27 PM »
FYI Cole-Parmer has a great chemical compatibility tool--if you are ever wondering if a specific chemical will damage a specific material: http://www.coleparmer.com/Chemical-Resistance

Unfortunately I don't know if the Alesis pads are natural rubber, neoprene or other material. 

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #29 on: July 24, 2014, 10:16:15 PM »
I'm switching to nylon tips, week old set & the highhat looks raw already from using wood tips.
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #30 on: September 27, 2014, 11:25:43 AM »
Just scored a 32ounce bottle for $22 shipped on Amazon! 10more left if anyone wants to get some
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Offline Sal

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #31 on: September 29, 2014, 09:29:27 AM »
I'm switching to nylon tips, week old set & the highhat looks raw already from using wood tips.


Worried about nylon on the mesh heads?
Here this whole time I thought you were the troll with a heart of gold. Instead you're just a troll with a real troll's heart.

Offline bmealer

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #32 on: September 29, 2014, 05:44:25 PM »
Just scored a 32ounce bottle for $22 shipped on Amazon! 10more left if anyone wants to get some

I'm in for one!  Should have it in a couple of days.
Alesis DM10-X, Remo Silent Stroke mesh heads, 682drums cone conversion, Tama Speed Cobra double pedal, Pork Pie Big Boy Drum Throne, Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones, PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL, Studio One Producer, Superior Drummer 2

Offline Trondster

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #33 on: September 30, 2014, 03:46:12 AM »
Worried about nylon on the mesh heads?
Nylon works great on mesh heads - no worries there. :)
DM10 Pro kit with dampened rack, extra crashes, mesh heads, Gibraltar stands, P2002C and a dream cherry snare by Diamond Drums.

Offline Sal

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #34 on: September 30, 2014, 09:31:45 AM »
Worried about nylon on the mesh heads?
Nylon works great on mesh heads - no worries there. :)


Good to know. I rarely use nylon tips (since I always used coated heads on my acoustic set), but if they keep things clean on the e-drums, then I'm all for it.
Here this whole time I thought you were the troll with a heart of gold. Instead you're just a troll with a real troll's heart.

Offline bmealer

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #35 on: October 04, 2014, 09:20:46 PM »
I just wanted to say that I am quite happy with the results of the 303 Protectant.  I have applied it to both the Alesis cymbals as well as Roland.  It made a significant difference on both types and they look  like they are new again and are not greasy.   
Alesis DM10-X, Remo Silent Stroke mesh heads, 682drums cone conversion, Tama Speed Cobra double pedal, Pork Pie Big Boy Drum Throne, Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones, PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL, Studio One Producer, Superior Drummer 2

Offline bmealer

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #36 on: October 22, 2014, 11:21:49 AM »
Be very careful when applying this to your cymbals!  Apparently they are more sensitive than I thought.  I thought I was careful not to put too much on, but I may have gotten a tiny amount of liquid between the rubber and plastic on my cymbals.  It could be coincidence, but shortly after putting on the 303 Protectant on all my cymbals, the 14" DMPad choke went out on Crash 1.  When I swapped to the other 14" DMPad, it didn't work either.  Thought it could have been the cable or module, but plugged in the 16" Ride and it worked perfectly.  ARGH!   >:(

I don't have a need to choke cymbals very often.  When I do, I will use the Stop button on the module as a work-a-round until I buy another cymbal.  I'll just use the bad one as an additional non-chokable cymbal.
Alesis DM10-X, Remo Silent Stroke mesh heads, 682drums cone conversion, Tama Speed Cobra double pedal, Pork Pie Big Boy Drum Throne, Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones, PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL, Studio One Producer, Superior Drummer 2

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #37 on: October 22, 2014, 11:50:32 AM »
I'm going to have to say pure coincidence.

Sucks about your choke tho
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #38 on: January 24, 2015, 03:29:33 PM »
I got my 303 today (ordered online for store delivery from Cabella's, since auto parts stores didn't have it) and it works great!

Important to note to spray onto a cloth and not directly on the cymbal pad.  That way you won't get any into the wrong areas.

Offline Khes74

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #39 on: January 24, 2015, 06:38:44 PM »
I'm so interested about the coating companies like Roland put on their cymbals. I know it's gum rubber but gum rubber is sticky and Roland cymbals are not tacky at all.

Offline Dobly

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #40 on: January 07, 2017, 11:26:11 PM »
Sorry to dig up such and old topic.. But I was just searching the site for info on cleaning the rubber on my cymbals and I found this thread.

These images has been used above as an example of how good your cymbals can look once cleaned with 303 Protectant.



The issue that struck me with these images is how differently they are exposed (photographically). As an example look at the color of the wall in the two images above. The 2nd image is less exposed. Hence, the cymbal looks more black.

I took the liberty of downloading the 2nd image and adjusting it's brightness to approximately the same as the 1st image.

Here is the first image again.



And here is my adjusted image.



Looks to me like the cymbal is cleaner in the 2nd shot. But that is about it.


Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #41 on: January 09, 2017, 04:57:16 PM »
It's very difficult to photograph black cymbals if all you have is a simple camera phone. The 303 protectant works very well. Cymbals go a little gray after using them for a while when the oils in the rubber is gone. I've used 303 protectant on Alesis, Roland & Yamaha cymbals. I can personally attest to it's effectiveness. I am currently using a DTXtreme III kit and use 303 protectant every few months on the cymbal when I notice the rubber looking a bit dry where your sticks hit it the most.
Yamaha DTXtreme III with DIY drum pads

Offline Dobly

Re: Keeping It Clean, and Luster on Rubber Cymbal Covers.
« Reply #42 on: January 09, 2017, 06:48:47 PM »
It's very difficult to photograph black cymbals if all you have is a simple camera phone. The 303 protectant works very well. Cymbals go a little gray after using them for a while when the oils in the rubber is gone. I've used 303 protectant on Alesis, Roland & Yamaha cymbals. I can personally attest to it's effectiveness. I am currently using a DTXtreme III kit and use 303 protectant every few months on the cymbal when I notice the rubber looking a bit dry where your sticks hit it the most.

That goes for any camera. Cameras try to attain a nice mid grey when the decide how much to expose a shot. So when you put a black or dark object in front of it they tend to up the exposure to make it 'grey'.

That said that is opposite to the two images above. The 2nd shot was just plain darker.

Anyway, thanks for the tip. I'll give this 303 protectant a go.