Well, about those tom legs... a very quick scan of ebay tells me that the ones I've got are the originals...keystone/60's/Downbeat style.

I am getting more finicky about original correct-type parts.

So...about those rims...

I'll measure the rim thickness on my 1967 Downbeat tonight. The kit's been in my possession since it was ordered on 4/4/67 so I can vouch for the fact that all parts are 100% original. I detailed it from top to bottom last year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30559980@N07/sets/72157629432619022/

I had removed the front reso BD head & hoop almost immediately so it was never used. Last year I removed the inlay strip and lightly sanded the wood on the batter side hoop, repainted to match the stored hoop as close as possible regarding color and sheen and then reinstalled the inlay using the original tiny staples. Then I repeated the entire process on the stored reso hoop, this time using the newly refinished batter hoop as a reference.

Aw, man...!

It's beautiful! A lot of patience and love went into that job, and it certainly shows.

It's all about the details, ain't it?

The 1967 Downbeat tom rims measure 1.6 mm in width.

When I reattached the WMP BD inlays, I used the original staples and holes as much as possible. Pushing or squeezing the staples in with angled pliers and padding was a test of patience. One hoop had about a 1/2" missing off of one end of the inlay so I rotated it to be under a bottom t-claw where it is not visible. Other than the consistent green tint to the pearl, the inlay gap's about it for flaws in this kit. For both the larger drums and the corresponding hoop inlays Ludwig used one long and one short length because the material width was not wide enough to make it all the way around.

Details, details...

I was going to say "you certainly went the extra mile," but it's more like the extra mm!

Using the original hardware is an incredible test of patience...

I am thinking of replacing the hoops, so the extra holes aren't in the equation.

Thanks for all your help!

btreat: what a great stories behind your kit! It was fun to read!

Thanks for sharing the pictures!

btreat: Fantastic looking kit. Great job.

You say "magnets do stick to shell & both rims so it's not brass". The magnet test distinguishes ferrous (containing iron) and non ferrous shells. Brass and Aluminum (Ludalloy) are both non ferrous, which is why the magnet test for drum shells is useless to distinguish the two.

But if a magnet really sticks to your shell just as much as it does to the rims than you may indeed have a shell made from steel -- as unlikely as that sounds. That suddenly becomes very special. You do say COS in your photo caption but the full impact didn't hit me immediately. I've heard about such shells which Ludwig experimented with when looking for a cheaper replacement for Brass.

Do collectors here know you have a steel shell Supra? Am I just behind the times?

Zenstat,

Well, I messed up when I stated that the 7/15/66 Supra-Phonic 400 snare drum shell was chrome on steel in a photo title. I just rechecked and all metal hoops had a strong magnetic pull. The snare shell, however had no attraction to the magnet. The photo title has deleted the COS reference and any other confusing captions have been corrected. Thanks for catching that error.

It's an interesting idea, though. I checked on-line and the theory of Ludwig experimenting with steel shells has floated up now and then, but without much proof of it ever happening that I found in a quick search over lunch.

The drum weighs a total of 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg) with both heads which is far less than a brass drum.

Before photo (before cleaning):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30559980@N07/7078618507/in/set-72157629432619022/

Bare shell with lugs (after detailing):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30559980@N07/8457346074/in/set-72157629432619022/

Ah well. That means you have one of the Ludalloy ones where the plating was done well. Sound great. Lighter to haul around. And looks great. All good.