Thanks John. The family did want it re wrapped and doing an original restore is definitely impossible. Ive picked out a green sparkle wrap that is pretty much exactly the same as the original. The original wrap is going to be kept and put inside an old bass drum i dont use for safekeeping. I have to again stress that the wrap is destroyed and beyond any repair. There is large sections of it missing and it is so brittle that it cracks a little every time the drum moves. The drums themselves are now "mechanically sound" and I have all but 1 part which I can get later down the track hopefully. I think no matter what I do, there are gonna be people who will disagree unfortunately.

Wado - They're your drums and you plan to keep them. If the wrap is roached and you'll be happier with fresh wrap, then follow your heart. The actual 'history' of the kit isn't going anywhere.

As an American, I have never been face to face with any Drouyn drums. My first impression of them is that they are the Gretschiest drums I have ever seen! The shells are twins for Gretsch Jaspers, the lugs are a fatter, more exaggerated version of the Gretsch design. The Gladstone style leg mounts on the floor tom, even the Pratt style muffler inside the bass drum... it all screams, Gretsch, Gretsch, Gretsch.

If they sound anything like their American counter-parts, you'll have an awesome sounding set of drums to enjoy for many years to come. Can't wait to see them in their new suit! Great find.

John

Ok guys I have had a change of heart and am no longer going to wrap the kit. Im just gonna get it looking as tidy as possible with the original wrap on. Something about it screams personality and its definitely grown on me and now I just cant bring myself to rip it off. Now with that out the way, I can get stuck into the kit asap. Its been a long time coming I know but I just bought a new car so my Mrs has had my balls firmly in her handbag. Cant wait to post progress now!!!

Awesome!

As a vintage guitar guy, I definitely think it is cool that you are going to just clean it up and get it playable. That's the rationale in the vintage guitar world, you fix everything that affects its usability and function, but leave the cosmetic issues.

Fun social side effect of having beat up original vintage gear, you will probably meet a lot of drummers when you gig them who are curious what the heck such a beat up kit's story is! They may not bat an eye if they were restored and perfect.

To me, every bit of cosmetic damage is part of its history. You can ALWAYS change your mind later, but you couldn't if you rewrapped it, no going back then.

So after a very long time of gathering resources and debating over what to do, I have finished the snare. Its easily the best condition of all the drums in the set but keep in mind that a 60 year old kit left in the rain is not going to come up pristine no matter what you do.

I started by stripping everything and fixing the wrap where the seam had lifted and shrunk. I couldnt get it all the way back but its hardly noticeable.

Then I used car polish to get some colour back in the wrap and Im pretty surprised by the results. Its more green than orange/brown now so I call it a rare win.

I gave all the hardware a soak in fairy (dawn) detergent and then the usual vinegar treatment. I cant stress enough not to leave lugs like these in these types of solutions more than a day.

Once it was all as clean as I could get it, I reassembled everything. (Note: If you are ever dealing with these lugs, be careful when tightening the screws as the back end of the lug is prone to cracking. Do the screws up evenly and be patient and you will be fine.)

The last photo is so you can get an idea of the beautiful original colour under the lugs.

As a fan of green sparkle I think the snare looks fantastic. Kudos for bringing the original wrap back to life.