I think it does help. Look at your scratches and the video KO put up, it looks like the dip product and not solid brass under the finish.

http://www.pchrome.com/faq/ultimate-guide-chrome-plating/

If it's on the internet it must be true ;)

The site above isn't where I got my information (I studied up on chrome plating many years ago for something unrelated to drums) but does seem to reinforce what I had read and been told about the process. I just did a quick google search to make sure I wasn't totally out in left field on this and am sharing the results.

Interesting read. It touches on why Supra`s made early do what they do,...poor quality Chroming processes. The pinholes are what starts it all.

I was in one, and it stinks. But as far as processes, I only know what i saw on a few short video`s.

You can`t,...."not" see the chip in my mount, it`s thick. That`s why some day when I get a million dollars I`ll have it stripped and re-done.

Is there anything stamped under the buttplate? I had a 1970ish 6.5x14 here briefly that had the B stamped on the shell that was covered up by the buttplate.

It looks actually to be a bronze shell to me.

As far as plating, like Zen said, the order typically goes: (over aluminum) copper, nickel, then chromium. I have heard also that a layer of zinc before the copper is put on helps keep the aluminum 'reactiveness' at bay. Perhaps the REALLY good plated Supras & Supers (that are Ludaloy) have a zinc plate first (a 4 step process).

The look of the metal shown doesn't actually help distinguish an Alu from a Brass (or Bronze) shell. This is is mentioned from time to time as a reason the scratch test is not that diagnostic but here is a quick reminder of the pitfalls. This may be what is happening, but it's hard to be sure. Here's the scenario:

The Alu shell has plating layers (from inner to outer) maybe Zinc, then Copper, then Nickel, then Chrome. You scratch through the top two layers and get to the Copper layer where you stop because of an obvious color change. This doesn't tell you what is under that Copper layer. It tells you that you got to the Copper layer. That is also why if you think the Copper layer looks dipped you might well be right. It might look dipped because it is one of the plating layers. Or it might be that you can't really tell a dipped plate layer from the bare shell material in a photo with unknown lighting and color balance unless you have had a lot of training in photo based assessment The same goes for making an accurate assessment of the material via photos unless you have had training and evaluation supported by PMI testing. I've experienced similar problems with people who claim to be able to pick B8 cymbals from B15 cymbals from B20 cymbals 100% reliably just by the color. Perhaps in person (I haven't tested that) but not sufficiently reliably in photos which are taken under unknown lighting and color balance conditions.

Note that I am NOT suggesting that scratching go any deeper. This is not a nice thing to do to your snare.

My zinc layer info comes from several sources but I can't tell if they are truly independent sources. For my web site I always try and get two independent sources which is why I have lots of info which isn't yet published. The way the web gets used has made it hard to determine what is an independent source and what is a partial paraphrase of what somebody else posted. Since most people don't give their references "independent" is a tough call. Eventually we reach the point where there are enough partial paraphrase posts out there (with the attendant loss of crucial detail) that the bogus information starts to look real because of the number of times it appears. Case in point the years for blank serial numbers on Blue Olive badges. The history of the Alu vs Brass debate is littered with these sorts of issues as well.

Did I get weights from you for that 6.5" Terry? I've got a few weights from you in my spreadsheet. I might collect up a list to check it with you.

Zen, I’ll see if that drum is still here in town. My friend sold it to a different friend of mine. As far as any zinc plate info goes from my end, the platers at a place here in Chicago (they were in business forever) told me if you want a reliable plating on aluminum, you need to put zinc on before the copper. In any conversation about playing I’ve ever been involved in, I always regurgitate that story!

To really tell via the "scratch test" requires that you take a rat tail file to one of the holes for a lug and ream it out a bit. If the resulting shavings are silver then it's aluminum, if they are a gold tone then it's brass (or possibly bronze). A bit extreme but it does answer the question once and for all.

This is the story I've heard about how to do the test. I haven't yet heard from somebody who has personally done the test. Perhaps if somebody has done the test they could speak up about how many snares they have checked and how reliable the test is if you haven't got comparative samples of bronze, brass, and alu shavings. Also it would be comforting to know that the visual results had been confirmed with PMI on the resulting shavings or some other method which provides a gold ;) standard for identification of say bronze vs brass. I know I keep sounding like a scientist with a special focus on methodology and measurement, but it's because I am.

Yes it's not particularly scientific, and probably won't be much help identifying whether it's brass or bronze (although it's probably going to be brass if it's a gold colored metal). I guess the point is that due to the plating method you really need to cut through all the way to the base metal to see what it is. If done at a lug hole the resulting cut will be invisible when the drum is intact. Beyond that you just have to take it for granted that the drum should be aluminum but there is a slight chance it might be brass and the color of a shaving deep enough to cut through the plating along the edge of a hole should indicate which. Magnets won't stick to either metal so that test is meaningless although people still seem to go on about it whenever this conversation comes up.

i read all your comments with big respect, and i think although it´s only a drum (let´s hit it hard ;-), knowing of what you Play is interesting.

but there will be lot´s of guys out there who will just say, c´mon it´s a snare, if it sounds good, everything is ok, but for me it is more.

it´s like a treasure hunt for People 40+ ;-).

well cutting deeper is not the way i really want, it´s ok for me knowing that it might be a brass, or bronze, or a triple plated snare.

if i return to the start of this thread, the weight was this Thing that made me "??".

every Input is welcome, and i can learn a lot of your Inputs.

maybe there are still a few more to come ;-)

best regards from cloudy austria