Tension Rods Getting Stuck…

[RyanLovesDrums]

On one of my older snares I bought used, the tension rods are not screwing in and out easily in one area. The area is usually where I’m just starting to tighten the head after I just put it on(or when I’ve almost got the rods off when taking the head off). I’ve greased up the tension rods but that doesn’t help. Anybody have any suggestions?

 

[amosguy]

Tap for the lug, and die for the tension rods to clean up the threads.

 

[RyanLovesDrums]

Tap for the lug, and die for the tension rods to clean up the threads.

Sorry not sure what you mean. What do you mean by “tap” and “die?” Also I have quite a bit of lithium grease on the rods. Should I try to remove that?

 

[Rich K.]

Try other tension rod or inserts. The rods or inserts may be an odd thread.
What kind of drum is it?

 

[RyanLovesDrums]

Try other tension rod or inserts. The rods or inserts may be an odd thread.
What kind of drum is it?

It’s a Yamaha. The guy I bought it from had the heads on pretty tight and I’m thinking maybe he never hardly changed them. It’s still had the stock reso head on it.

 

[Rich K.]

It’s a Yamaha. The guy I bought it from had the heads on pretty tight and I’m thinking maybe he never hardly changed them. It’s still had the stock reso head on it.

Should be standard 12/24 rods. Try some different rods. If they still bind, maybe the inserts got messed up. Replacing them should a cheap and easy fix.
PS... are you running out of threads on the rods?

 

[RyanLovesDrums]

Should be standard 12/24 rods. Try some different rods. If they still bind, maybe the inserts got messed up. Replacing them should a cheap and easy fix.
PS... are you running out of threads on the rods?

Some of the inserts are pushed into the lugs and others are sticking out of the lugs. Maybe there’s a problem with the inserts too. What do you mean by running out of threads on the rods?

 

[Rich K.]

Some of the inserts are pushed into the lugs and others are sticking out of the lugs. Maybe there’s a problem with the inserts too. What do you mean by running out of threads on the rods?

Sometimes the threads don't go all the way to the washer/head of the tension rod, so if the head is over stretched and you try to make the head tight, you can run out of threads

 

[RyanLovesDrums]

Sometimes the threads don't go all the way to the washer/head of the tension rod, so if the head is over stretched and you try to make the head tight, you can run out of threads

I just ordered a new Snare side head. Maybe that will help.

 

[xtranoise]

Sorry not sure what you mean. What do you mean by “tap” and “die?” Also I have quite a bit of lithium grease on the rods. Should I try to remove that?

Tap & die are what are used to "cut" threads. You "tap" a hole to cut threads in it; in your case it would be used to "freshen-up" the threads already in the inserts. Likewise, you would run a tension rod through a "die" to clean up threads on the rod. You can buy tap and die sets at places like Lowe's etc. Just be sure it is the correct "thread pitch" for your tension rods/inserts (12/24 someone else said)

 

[CherryClassic]

I just ordered a new Snare side head. Maybe that will help.

Well, maybe! We know it's an older drum and some lug bolts are sticking. What I would do is tear it down all the way. Lay out all the parts, get them clean and check for minor problems. Figure out why some lug threaded inserts are sticking out and some don't. Clean them inside and out and replace springs if needed and wrap them with cotton to keep them from rattling around inside. You can probably find the springs in a hardware store.

Check the lug bolts, some may be bent, or the threads may have been stressed. Thread the bad/sticking bolts in a different lug, if it sticks it's bad. It would be better to replace the bad ones or all if their looking bad. OR the inserts could be bad.

Clean and polish the shell, the rims and all the parts then reassemble it to perfection. Clean the lug bolt threads with a soft cloth using your thumb nail in the groves coated with lithium grease and wipe off the excess.

If the heads are hard to tune, especially if tunning down to a lower tone I would replace them both.

Good luck with your drum and enjoy,
sherm

 

[Loud]

Tap & die are what are used to "cut" threads. You "tap" a hole to cut threads in it; in your case it would be used to "freshen-up" the threads already in the inserts. Likewise, you would run a tension rod through a "die" to clean up threads on the rod. You can buy tap and die sets at places like Lowe's etc. Just be sure it is the correct "thread pitch" for your tension rods/inserts (12/24 someone else said)

Just a reminder…, DW and PDP use a different thread pitch than other manufacturers. The tap and die set hopefully includes both, if you have both types of drums.

For “most” people, buying replacement rods and lugs makes more sense. The set will be rarely used. It’s mostly great for perfectionists although slightly grippy threads can be a benefit to some who have rods loosen during playing lots of rim shots. In the past, some have said they like slightly rusty rods because they are less likely to loosen during playing.

 

[RyanLovesDrums]

Just a reminder…, DW and PDP use a different thread pitch than other manufacturers. The tap and die set hopefully includes both, if you have both types of drums.

For “most” people, buying replacement rods and lugs makes more sense. The set will be rarely used. It’s mostly great for perfectionists although slightly grippy threads can be a benefit to some who have rods loosen during playing lots of rim shots. In the past, some have said they like slightly rusty rods because they are less likely to loosen during playing.

Yeah everything is normal when tuning it up it’s just this one area shortly after you first put the rods on where they’re hard to turn but after that it’s smooth sailing

 

[Squirrel Man]

Sawzall

 

[Loud]

Yeah everything is normal when tuning it up it’s just this one area shortly after you first put the rods on where they’re hard to turn but after that it’s smooth sailing

It may be easiest to try a Pearl or similar tension rod into the Yamaha lug and see what happens. The lug seems fine.

 

[Loud]

In general, any time two dissimilar metals touch, they create an electrical potential and corrode very slowly.

Were the bad areas where the rods and lugs were previously screwed together and stored? I could imagine a snare being stored with the batter very loose and the rods mostly screwed out. Over years, corrosion forms at metal to metal connections.

 

[RyanLovesDrums]

In general, any time two dissimilar metals touch, they create an electrical potential and corrode.

Were the bad areas where the rods and lugs were previously screwed together and stored? I could imagine a snare being stored with the batter very loose and the rods mostly screwed out. Over years, corrosion forms at metal to metal connections.

I think it’s on both the batter and reso side that the rods do that-where they are really hard to turn in a certain area and then it’s fairly normal after that. This snare is from the 90s and still had the stock reso on it. The guy I bought it from told me it was all original and he gave it to me tuned pretty tight, he was a heavy-hitting RnB drummer. Maybe he just left it tuned tight all the time and never changed the heads and something got corroded?

 

[Loud]

I think it’s on both the batter and reso side that the rods do that-where they are really hard to turn in a certain area and then it’s fairly normal after that. This snare is from the 90s and still had the stock reso on it. The guy I bought it from told me it was all original and he gave it to me tuned pretty tight, he was a heavy-hitting RnB drummer. Maybe he just left it tuned tight all the time and never changed the heads and something got corroded?

You probably want to keep it all original. Maybe chrome polish, if you have some already, and a toothbrush could clean them up with the least amount of damage.

 

[Loud]

Or balled up *wet* aluminum foil