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The badge will eventually need a new eyelet/grommet because I reused the original one which got all bent and beat up when I removed it. But the badge is in there and it ain't going anywhere; I'll just feel better if I finish the job correctly.

I'm happy with the way the shell looked underneath all that 53-year old laquer so I decided to leave it as-is. Eventually, if I need it I'll do a poly coat but I think it will be fine.

Looks great.

If the sound didn't change, I think you did the right thing.

If you were careful about your conservation, I doubt you impacted the collector value much and definitely extended the life of this drum.

Good job

You grossly devalued the drum in a number of ways: stripping the original finish, carelessly removing the badge, changing lugs, & leaving the shell unsealed, unprotected, & vulnerable to drying out.

Ouch.

Well I gave some mis-information. I did not change the lugs, I changed the tension rods. The snares are original also, I just used new cord. And I didn't "carelessly" remove the badge. I used the same grommet to reattach it and it looks crappy. I don't like it and I will be fixing that. But the badge itself is perfect.

That being said, I do think I'm going to stain/laquer the shell. The more I look at it it gives that unfinished appearance. But that's the easy part; all the hard stuff is already done. I just got impatient to have it back in one piece. And I'm not worried about "devaluing" the drum at all. I got it for free, and don't plan on flipping it. I know what the pioneer snares are worth.

Outstanding! You brought it back to life in a Stellar way! It looks great and adding a new grommet is easy. Are you planning on leaving it just the way it is now or will you stain and lacquer it? The wood grain is really nice, maybe just clear lacquer? Whichever, you have definitely increased the value tremendously, it looks fantastic now and one for the display case!

I think lacquering it will be smart, just to protect the finish. But that's it... I think I really like the way it came out. I appreciate the kind words!

Tub,

Natural Beeswax is a great product for protecting the wood and not giveing it a sheen. It will go on very wet looking, but it will dry completely without changeing the color or sheen. I use it on the inside of my drum because I don`t like the shiney look. It takes overnight to dry and more coats can be added with no sheen . Seriouly, it will look like a wet shell, but when dried, it will look like you did nothing to it at all. Be sure to get the natural beeswax, the man made flakes !!

Dont worry if it looks darker and wet, that will dissappear !!

It is applied best with a rag !!

Grometts are not re-useable, next time you wanna take one off without damageing the wood around it on the inside,...take a drill bit slightly larger than the hole, put it in the drill, DO NOT PLUG THE DRILL IN OR PUT THE BATTERY IN, then spin the collet by hand until you reach the wood. the ring inside will fall off and you can push the rest through !!