Job well done. It looks great.

very nice drum----solid shell? strippers are mostly water soluble so easily washed off and i don't think they would hurt the heads but you will lose the tuck, for the heads. how about just painting them a wood tone ?

hmm possibly. I think for now I'll leave it and come back too it another time, painting it a wood tone may be the best idea though? Or maybe nail polish remover?

It is a solid shell yes. I'm not sure if all solid shells do this but it's been wrapped around twice making it effectively 2 ply. The reinforcement rings have just been done once though with a joint I cant remember the name of.

I started a thread about both a Sonor and a Trixon snare shell, that I discovered had the same shell construction. They were no where near as old as your bass drum but I never figured out if it constitutes a solid shell. I reasoned that it may have been a way of using existing technology and raw materials in the workshop , to make a solid shell. The thickness of the two layers , was the same as the plys in the plywood shells, so by using available plys and wrapping them ,it overcame the necessity for a steambender, which would have been necessary for a 5/16"( in the case of the German drums) shell, from dry stock. I have heard that Ajax did make solid shells, in the past but I don't know if this is what the reference was to.

If the heads were kept clamped down ---you probably could get that paint to disadhere by soaking the hoop area. I actually have at least one old 20" head here that was painted in the same fashion. I don't mind sacrificing it ---I'll see if I can get the paint to gently come off. If I remember correctly, mine looks like it was done with flat latex paint , though.I will report back.

Not sure I get what your saying about the Sonor and Trixon shells? Was it a 2 ply shell but the same thickness as say a typical 5-8ply? I remember hearing my drum teacher saying back in the very early days you did used to get 2 ply drums.

In regards to Ajax. Hawkes and Son merged with Boosey to make Boosey and Hawkes, Boosey and Hawkes made some Ajax drums. This was in the 1930's, here's one on eBay actually.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AJAX-B-H-Vintage-Snare-Drum-with-old-Premier-case-/181213156147?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Drums_Percussions_MJ&hash=item2a31255333

You sure you don't mind sacrificing your 20inch head? Vellum heads are hard to come by. Also what's a flat latex point?

That looks amazing! Love it, nice job! If you're not thrilled about removing the paint on the heads. Try using Rustoleum Almond Satin spray, it will look just like fresh calfskin and not refrigerator white.

The Sonor and Trixon drums were rolled like a jellyroll, so it was one long piece of thin veneer, wrapped around twice. Sounds like it is the same construction as yours. The entire shell is about 8 mm thick.

Ajax became a brand of Hawkes and Son in 1927. I was referencing older info. posted by a forum member that said the shells were solid back then. I don't know if that was the style your drum is in.

Sorry about the typo---I meant latex paint. It's water soluble , so may behave differently than what you have. ----this head , being painted, isn't of much value to me. Perhaps I could cut it into a reso head for a floor tom or something but it needs to be renovated anyway. I haven't done it yet----will get at it ---maybe today.

Sounds like it is the same as your Sonor and Trixon shells. Though the construction confuses me, I understand it's steambent, but what confuses me is how the join is done. On the inside of the shell you have a thicker bit then the rest, as if the piece of wood was thicker on one end then the other, so I guess like a one sided scarf join? Am I making sense? haha Is it like that on your shells? I can send a picture of it if you want?

Also thank-you for taking the time out to work on your spare head.

By the way where did you get these old EU snares?