Over Tightening Hardware

[Spontaneous]

How hard do you tighten your hardware?

I was always told to only lightly tighten your hardware otherwise the hardware will get very worn out. I tend to tighten my hardware on my toms very tight so they dont bounce around at all. I havent had a cymbal or tom fall yet, but some of my hardware seems to have a little bit of resistence behind it when i just tighten it a little bit.

[Beasty101]

Finger tight is always a good rule of thumb. tightening them to tight can strip threads which means having to replace or repair hardware..

[pastor_bob]

I've never had to crank on my hardware, and I've never had any problems with slippage. If you're having to crank down on the hardware to get it to stay put, you might have hardware that has seen it's better days.

[Spontaneous]

It's not really on my cymbals, more so on my toms. I just like to keep them very tight so they don't bounce at all and just to insure that the toms dont move. My drums, cymbals, and harware are all new. Maybe I just need to get a new tom mount.

[drummer]

On quality drum gear you have a lot of room to go tight. On cheaper gear, you have to be careful because they'll strip out on you faster (due to being made with cheaper metal).

[Beasty101]

Toms are gonna move..... unless there floor toms they will move some what. If you see them bounce a little that is ok... watch any pro semi pro or average drummer play toms will move slightly and bounce just a little. Ive seen quality gear become stripped over time.

Drummer I do not see much differance in quality gear and cheap gear when it comes to metal it self.... I think it has more to do with the threads being thicker along with other small factors, either way on both cheap and quality gear over tightening gear on a consistant basis is very bad.

[drummer]

Beasty, unless they've improved over the last number of years (I don't buy cheap gear anymore), the cheap sets would use pot metal much of the time. Maybe it's different now but the cheap sets I use to have when I was younger would always strip out real quick but my expensive ones rarely ever did.

[Scooter]

The only things I crank TIGHT are the ball-n-socket mounts and rack clamps.

[parttimedrummer]

everyone that has posted here is correct. Overtightening is bad. and the more you overtighten the threads, the sooner they wear out, strip and/ or break.

[quikstang2]

I tighten stuff too much. It's a habbit. My first kit, and several others I played, were all heavily used and had to be cranked to make them stay put. I have to constantly remind myself to take it easy with my new gear now. Fortunately damaging drum gear isn't as dangerous as stripping out the lug nuts on your car.

[DamageDrummer]

dude i tightened one of my boom stands too hard one time and now its very difficult to get it to collapse again because of the dented steel. quickstang is right....it can become a habbit, and if you do it too much you can seriously damage your gear.

when you are tightening cymbal clamps or tom claps WITH TEETH ON THEM, you need to make sure the teeth/grooves line up correctly, if not, your cymbals will fall no matter how tight they are, when done correctly, everything only needs to be comfortably finger tight...meaning if you have to put arm muscle into it, its probably too tight...finger tight means finger muscles only.

as for NON TOOTHED CLAMPS....those should be a little bit tighter than finger tight but not so much to where you are denting the steel, if you cant push the stand/clamp down, its tight enough.

[DamageDrummer]

Beasty, unless they've improved over the last number of years (I don't buy cheap gear anymore), the cheap sets would use pot metal much of the time. Maybe it's different now but the cheap sets I use to have when I was younger would always strip out real quick but my expensive ones rarely ever did.

i gotta agree with drummer on this one.... cheaper gear uses cheaper metal, its much easier to damage them. the better quality stuff is more expensive for a reason, they use better metal and use better materials to make their product, i do not buy cheap gear anymore because of this. i also dont buy cheap 550cc fuel injectors for my car anymore because i cracked 3 of them due to poor material quality. same scenario, the cheaper you buy, the better chance of a failing product.

[Warriorpoet]

......I think I will go with drummer on this one as well...when it comes to hardware especially....you do get what you pay for....I have had some cheap hardware in the past that has stripped easily....and some good gear that has not....and like Stang....I have a habit of over-tighening my hardware...especially when i am in a hurry....

[Larrysperf]

I never over tighten and I use locks on all hardware. Nuff said

[Bish]

I think I tighten things just to the "good friction" point.

If it slips, I go a little tighter. I never tighten to the point of crimping something.

[itchie]

china make some great stuff

but i don't think they have truly mastered threads and bolts yet ........

[audiotech]

There always has been that illusive point of "is that tight enough or should it be just a bit tighter"? I've been really lucky with drum hardware that I never stripped anything, to the best of my memory. Put a 3/8" or 1/2" socket wrench in my hands and that's another story. I also tighten screws much tighter than I would have to.

Just snug things up, but don't be over bearing on the hardware. With most of the better hardware you don't need gloves and pliers to tighten them down.

Dennis

[Beasty101]

Drummer So far my cheap kit has held up along witha freind of mine who also has a cheap intermediate kit with all stock hard ware. I never experianced any of the old cheap kits. From what I have heard and what I experiance with my kit quality has improved. With the exception of the small parts like nutts and fittings.


I still stand by what I said. To over tighten anything cheap or expensive is very bad both will come out with same results. Replacing equipment you should have not needed to do to over tightening.

[Guitarfool5931]

The only things I crank TIGHT are the ball-n-socket mounts and rack clamps.

Same here.