MIke, thanks. With the ring out, the head will fit over the shell, see pic, with the ring in, the head will go over the shell with a little bit of force. I am pretty sure the ring pulled away from the shell. One thing that that concerns me is the shell itself is coming apart at the seem, see last pic. Its only on the batter side and 80% of it is still glued. It will need some glue in it as well but I think I will wait and do it when I glue the ring back in.

One of the pics shows my plywood circle without the shims holding the shell round so you can see how out of round the shell is. It seems as though the shell is better after leaving it clamped in the round position all night. I think my circle and shim idea just might work.

Did you get my PM on the Slingy parts?

Jeff C

Jeff, I see now.This is the way i have fixed shells like this.I have have done first is remove both rings from the drum.Then open the shell at the seem to re glue it.You will loose the finish wrap but you will be able to make the drum round.I have used the round piece of ply wood in the pass glue up both ends of the shell place the plywood piece in the middle of the inside of shell.Put the shell around the plywood piece and clamp the shell from the outside with three stcrap clamps dont pull the clamps to tight.Under the clamps i used three 14" drumhead rims made of matel let the drum dry for 24 hours or so.Open the rings at the seems glue them back into the shell one at a time.Clamp them with small "C" clamps every inch or so useing pieces of a wood drum shell on each side of the shell..Let each ring dry for 24 hours or so..Oh yes i got your P/M s on the part's i will send you one later today...Mikey

Mikey that all sounds good except loosing the wrap, its origional and very good shape. On the plus side I would be able to rewrap the snare to match the bass and toms. I wasn't going to rewrap the snare because of the wrap being so good but the bass and toms need it for sure, and I did not want to use blue sparkle for the new bass and tom wrap.

Also, I am concerned about the seem in the shell. If the glue is still holding would I use steam to make it come loose? Then it sounds kinda scary getting it back together properly but,,no big deal? YOu have done this and its worked so that makes me feel good, just worried about it a little. And, one more thing, I am not the best at removing and re-installing the groment and badge, I hate to have to take it off. Any way I can fix this and save the wrap? Ever heard of the steam box? It might be my imagination but it seemed like the shell was better after leaving it clamped up in my circle and shim rig overnight.

Jeff C

I think your idea is the way to go! I would worry about everything coming apart if you were to steam the whole thing!

What about liquid hide glue, I have used it in the past with excellent results, long open time too.

That is what was used originally and you don't have to worry about any of the original glue residue!

Thanks I will look into it. Is it very runny/thin? That would be good for injecting into the cracks.

Im sure Mikeys way is the best, I just hate to loose the wrap and remove that badge.

Probably a bit stiffer than carpenters glue!

Jeff the original hide glue my son uses comes as a grain powder. You can add different amounts of water to vary the thickness. And it's best heated in a double boiler or it can just burn away. It's a bit expensive compared to the newer wood glues but the high dollar vintage repairs he does requires the original hide glue. He also builds a 59 LP replica where all original materials are used. Right down to the hide glue. On some repairs he uses a humidifier to re introduce some moisture into the wood. Making it a bit more plyable to work with. On my 60's 3 ply shells he showed me how to spritz a little water (with spray bottle) on the glued areas to help it wick into the cracks and crannys. I can pick his brain a bit on the hide glue for more details if you like. I'd hate to see you lose the original wrap. Something with the clamshell strainers I was wondering about is if the springs used in the butt and strainer put excess tension on the shell in certain areas. Making it pull the shell away from the rings. The CS butt end spring on my RK snare is pretty stiff. But I don't know enough about them and the drums in general to know if it was a problem or not. Anyway I'll be watching this one close and good luck!!

Thanks guys, I have the drum clamped up in my circle and shim set up and the head fits tight. You have to push it on, And its an Aquarian American Vintage head, arent those supposed to be bigger? As far as the hide glue goes, what would I gain by using it, sounds like alot of extra work heating it up and all. Why not just use regular ol Tightbond wood glue? Not saying I shouldnt use hide glue just wonder why.

Thanks again

Jeff C

My understanding (which could be all wrong LOL) is the hide glue will not creep under load in time where the more modern poly vinyl acetate yellow glues will. And the hide glues were as oem used back in the day. Hide glues can be had in 3 strengths but less working set time the stronger they get. Also the pia of preparing them is a downside. Other than the high tech aviation wood epoxys the hide glues seem to be the best overall and have stood the test of time. Many guys in the wood instrument repair fields prefer it. But like everything it has it's place. If I were repairing minor seperation the yellow glues get the nod. But for something like the ring joint and shell itself I think the hide glue would better suit the repair overall. I think your experience in the cabinet making field speaks volumes over my limited repairs. So I would go with something you know is proven and has worked well for you in the past whatever it would be. :)

You can buy it in a bottle, no mixing required! The reason I suggested it is for longer working time, which I thought was your concern!

I am a furniture maker and have used it on occasion when I needed more time for joinery on a few pieces I made.

Nothing wrong with conventional yellow glue!

I had a Slingy solid shell and every head I ever tried fit tight, sounded great nonetheless!