Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

Hi. I have 3 drumkits to restore and decided to begin with this "Made in Japan" Tama Swingstar (red badge).

Sizes
Bass drum: 22"x14"
Toms: 12"x8" and 13"x9"
Floor Toom: 16"x16"

The wrap was painted black by previous owner, the real color is a kind of Blue. I need your help to remove the black paint and let the wrap shine.

The kit misses the bass drum spurs and the floor tom legs. The bass drum has 3 broken lugs and a broken wood hoop that I want to replace by the original.

The chrome is rusted in some areas but I think I can make it look good with cleaning and polish.
The shell interiors are OK and the bearing edges are fine, I think.

I took off all the hardware and I'm ready to start the cleaning process.
By the way, can you help me to identify the manufacture year?

Check the photos bellow.


http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psigaqttih.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psjnqci1of.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...pskm8e0wxz.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8yrsesdc.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psjnn9jmbr.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...pslh6jn4nk.jpg

[Edit] Broken image URLs fixed

Re: Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psh8smydnm.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6ixchu9b.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psvaazdqgc.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psahjtgjhs.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...pszog4pwwt.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psyujbfmhz.jpg

[Edit] Broken image URLs fixed

Re: Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psywalwraw.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psck7xjtrq.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psy0iolngo.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psp1rpcota.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psmt6hejke.jpg

[Edit] Broken image URLs fixed

Re: Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

There's always some imbecile who thought he'd make his drums look "cool" by painting over the original finish and totally destroying the drum kit's aesthetics.. With that being said, I would use Circa 1850 Soft Strip to remove the paint, as it is mild and won't ruin the finish that's underneath..
Btw, You have to re-size your pics, as they're taking up the entire page.. Show us the results when your done !
Good luck ;)

Re: Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

Are Tama lugs Ludwig copies? They look remarkably like some Ludwigs I have...

Re: Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

Thanks for the warning! I forgot to resize the pictures. It's fixed now.
I'll post photos of the restoration process later. Cheers

Re: Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

This Tama hardware is very similar to Ludwig

Re: Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

I have a 7 piece concert tom set of similar vintage also awaiting restoration. The silver wrap has delaminated from the inside out and needs replacement. Very rusty/scabby chrome and stands. UGH...

Re: Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

Nothing is impossible. Sometimes a good cleaning and polish is enough to let the chrome shinny. The problem here is the time you need to do it :)

Re: Tama Swingstar - Restoration Project
 

Today I tried to remove the black paint with synthetic thinner.
I started in a place where the paint was weak and I could see traces of the "blue" finish. The paint didn't come off easily and it will take forever to clean 3 toms and the bassdrum.
I'm thinking of use 1000 sandpaper or so to take it off easily but then I'll have to remove the scratches that caused dull effect, I think it will be harder to polish.
I read about Novus (3,2,1) but don't know what type of scratches it can remove.
Can you help me decide what to do? Thanks!

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7i1rrvha.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...pslsan2ioi.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8hihn5zj.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psft61xl0i.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...psq4eks2c8.jpg

[Edit] Broken image URLs fixed