Bee's wax- get it at any hardware store. I use this for bearing edges.

Re-Percussions' 'Glide' is a mixture of Bee's wax and lanolin - good stuff for bearing edges.

Parrafin doesn't penetrate bearing edges but should be OK for t-rods although it won't prevent corrosion.

I use Vaseline on t-rods after a soak in Dawn liquid followed by the thumb nail. Vaseline is petro-based and tends not leach away like oil.

Probably anything mentioned above works OK if used sparingly.

+1 on the bees wax.Most K-Marts.Walmarts have it and craft stores.I use it on t-rods and bearing edges and have been for almost 40 years.A little goes a long way.Also clean out your lug inserts on occasion ans chase the threads with a blind or bottoming tap,CAREFULLY.If you're the nervous or high energy type...avoid this procedure.

Soaking hardware in Dawn for 24 hours works great also.I have found a krumpeled up piece of aluminum foil works great on cleaning t-rod threads.Its way softer than steel and really gets into the base of the threads, better than anything else I have tried.

Remember.... go slow and don't force stuck t-rods or screws.Sometimes a little heat from a hair dryer or a few drops of WD-40 left overnight will work wonders.

Steve B

it is really a good idea to lubricate all of the threads and all moving parts on a drum kit. it used to be done routinely but as competition heated up and market shares decreased ,that became one of the sacrifices companies gave in order to economize. oil ,unfortunately doesn't have enough grip to evade the isues of detensioning. grease is better especially intermittent movement grease(it's very thick and a bit syrupy in texture, so it goes back and forth with the movement---great on footpedals,hi-hat pull rods,muffler threads,throwoffs). i've also used wax and it is really good on threads because it lubricates and is a bit sticky so the threads so won't loosen with vibration-------the one i got a long time ago was actually machinists cutting lubricant but it really is a type of wax. there is also a type of very sticky grease called damping grease. it is used for stopcock valves,vaccum valves, gas valves. it has a bit of a clutching action ,so stops threads from loosening. i've seen a lot of worn threads on drumkits from being repeatedly worked dry . nothing will keep a kit working like new than lubricant and a little goes a long way. most reasonably sized towns have an over the counter power transmission jobber fairly close so, a lot of these can be had at such a place and they are available on ebay as well.

+1 on Vaseline for tension rods. I'll have to try the Dawn soak next time.

+1 on waxing the bearing edges. I keep an old candle specifically for that purpose.

What exactly does waxing the bearing edges do for the drum? Never done that either…not yet anyway.

Bee's wax seals/lubricates the bearing edges and allows the head to shift into place easier as it seats.

On vintage, dried out bearing edges, Re-percussions' 'Glide' does a great job of bringing them back to life.