Brian, job well done! And Welcome! aboard as a member, not just a lurker! Those are some sweet looking "Semi-Pros". That is not the easiest wrap in the world to find in a complete kit. Did you get the snare as well? A matching woodie would make that kit pop on stage. Straighten out those badges and play them proudly. I see some young feet in the background of one pic, hopefully that is going to be our next drummer!

Hi Brian.

I was Eyeing that set on Ebay as well. I just had too many projects ahead of it!

You did a FANTASTIC job on that restoration. It looks great and when you get the tom tom arm, it will look even better. I'm curious tho...did you tackle the bearing edges? I rebuilt a Pearl Valencia set awhile back and I had to redo every single bearing edge to get a decent sound out of the set.

A job well done, sir!! Enjoy 'em!

Retro

Retro, FYI , this kit should be all round over, 3 ply with re-rings, like the old Ludwigs and Slingerlands, before they started putting any angle to them. So the only thing one should do to them, if they wanted to keep the original vibe and tone, is to lightly sand the edges to a smoother contour, using 100/220 grits, not changing the contour at all, rather just smoothing them out, as long as there is no damage. Any damage would need to be filled with plastic wood, then sanded back to AOC*, or routered to make them something they should not be.

These old drums don't take well to the router table as the wood is dry and extremely brittle. It takes a skilled hand and some other materials and time to change the AOC* of MIJ roundover edges, something most normal guys don't understand. I know how to do it, but likely won't be passing that info on to but a few woodworker types, such as Jeff (jccabinets), since he works with wood daily. It is a tedious process and involves a mess and a few days to do it properly...not for the uninitiated or novice woodworker.

Other than that, they should be left gloriously in their original state, only sanding lightly and repairing any dings, then treating them with a little wax or mineral oil, something along those lines, but oiling must be done gradually, not dousing them. Tung or linseed oil might be best for edges, but I prefer beeswax or carnuba, it doesn't make the wood swell up, just gives it a nice, smooth surface.

Many people advise against waxes, saying they make the heads stick in place...not so. As soon as you run a few triplets across them, the wax warms right up and becomes malleable again, making tuning a breeze.

6 or 9 ply shells, already cut to sharper angles, need entirely different care, and I still shy away from the router if at all possible. Sandpaper is almost always the way to go, unless the edges are chewed up badly, or you desire to change the overall characteristics of the drums.Coffee Break2

[COLOR="Red"]*AOC = Approximate Original Contour[/COLOR]

that's why this is the best site ...another restoration well done kudos and welcome

Thanks!

On the bearing edges I did the following:

[LIST=1]

[*]Lightly sanded with 220 as per jonnistix

[*]Applied a coat of wood hardner as per PurdieShuffleas

[/LIST]

As I tweak tuning and change heads I may wax...may not.

Everything sounded great last night!

Thanks for the kind words and the ongoing support in my earlier thread.

1. How do you straighten a badge?

2. Love to get a matching kit someday.

3. The young feet happen to be of my young bas player who just joined the 40 yr old club 3 month's ago;)

Thanks,

Brian

Thanks! Practicing is sooo fun now! D' Drummer

The kit is coming along great - I wanted to add that your ride in the photo likes very interesting- what is it?

From the O.P.

Nearly completed, (I will use the bass drum tom arm, actual spurs and bass drum cymbal mount when they arrive) this set joins my 1955 Ludwig 6 1/2x14" Contest Model Snare, 70's Zildjian A 13" hats, 2 recent model Zildjian A 19" fast crashes (one's a 'custom'), and my newly acquired late 50's Zildjian A 22" ride, to serve as my main home and gigging drum set