Looks great! I'm really glad that kit ended up in the hands of someone bringing it back to top condition like that.

Thanks for the kind words Dan. I hope to have some time to start on the other drums this week. We'll see!

For dirty coated heads I have real good luck using "magic eraser". You just wet the sponge with clear water and start lightly rubbing. After about 10 min the head is completely clean with no damage to the coating.

I'll have to try those. Do they hold up well?

The ones I use are called "Quick Eraser Sponge". I get them at the Dollar Store. A packet of 2 is $1. I can clean 2-14 coated batter heads with one sponge. I've cleaned heads that I thought I would have to throw away and had real good results. I like them because no hard scrubbing is required and it does not remove any coating like Dawn dishwashing soap does. Don't use them on clear heads though. It's cause them to be cloudy looking.

Thanks for the tip Gerald. I'm going to try them on the original Rogers tom heads.

Very nice job, it looks new.

Those hoops did not come apart at the original seam. The original joint was a lap joint, the 2 ends were tapered and lapped over each other and glued. Kind of like a scarf joint.

The hoops you have were broken, I have seen this many times. Drums get abused over the years: dropped, sat on, overtightened, crushed, you name it. It's tough to fix them once they are broken in that way: the surface area at the break may not be sufficent for the glue to hold the ends together once they are on the drum and under tension. But, it might work out ok, looks like you did it right.

Worst case you pick up a couple of solid 22" hoops for which the inlay has already be discarded or lost, refinish and install your inlays. Definitely solvable in the long run. Also, the current version of red onyx is close enough to use as inlays without them looking different from the original material.

Randy 73,

This add should put a smile on your face:

[ame]http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROGERS-RED-ONYX-KIT-toured-w-BILL-HALEY-AND-THE-COMETS-restored-22-13-16-14-12-/321444032117?pt=US_Drums&hash=item4ad78eae75#ht_1856wt_1153[/ame]

Wow. Will be interested to see if the seller gets a bid at that start price.

I've been busy and haven't finished mine yet, but shouldn't be too much longer.