Pitted, tarnished, scratched or just plain old grungy. Cleaning the chrome pieces is the most tedious of all restoration. Mainly because there are so many little parts and pieces that need attention.

   Lugs, mounts, rims, etc. all require individual attention. Most pieces can be easily cleaned with some chrome polish but others require some more aggressive action. One thing to avoid is the use of harsh abrasives. Too often steel wool or a wire brush is taken to a part because it’s easy and quick but you want it to look good so take the time to choose the right tool for the job. Many abrasives will scratch the chrome, including the finest steel wool and if you don’t take the time to remove the piece of hardware from the drum you could damage the surface of the most precious part, the shell. Now you’re stuck removing scratches from the shell surface (not a lot of fun).

   Steel wool, wire brushes and the like are fine for some parts but I’ve seen many hazed shells as a result of careless use. Springs, nuts, bolts, etc. are fine for steel wool and major rust or corrosion may require the use of the same. If you are using steel wool, select the finest grade that will do the job, the fewer scratches you have to remove later the better.

   Pits and scratches is a tough one. Pits or scratches in the chrome are sometimes deeper than the chrome itself. If it’s gone that far a good chrome polishing and hoping for the best is about it (rechroming parts is expensive). A lot of minor pitting can be reduced or may come out with polish and a five foot rule is a good tool in judging the results, if it looks good from five feet away, why bother. As far as I’m concerned, that goes for scratches in the shells too.

   What to use for cleaning? Almost any good chrome polish will work. One of my favorites is Mothers metal polish but it is a little expensive. I also use Novus #3. Although this is recommended for heavy scratch removal on acrylic surfaces, it works great on chrome. Its abrasiveness being designed for acrylic is just right for light to medium chrome cleaning and leaves it nice and shiny. Also those blue paper shop towels have a low scratch value and work very well with most polishing compounds. A polishing wheel or other powered tools are fine but be careful not to get to aggressive and keep your mind on what your doing they can grab the piece right out of you hand and send it sailing. For heavier rust or pits you have to resort to a more abrasive material, steel wool, wire brushes, or other types of abrasives, sometimes even chemicals such as naval jelly, or the like , will yield good results but try to avoid these if possible.

   All in all most chrome polishing can be done with the piece attached to the drum. If it requires some more aggressive care, remove it as to avoid damage to the rest of the instrument. One last thing, don’t be overly critical the musician always sees the tiniest flaw in his instrument. The audience never knows. They’re looking at the guitarist anyway.