Hi folks,

Yesterday I started the cleaning and restoration of the 1966 Black Diamond Pearl Super Classic which I had shipped over from the US last week.

Bass drum: serial: 296139 stamped 14 Feb 1966

Floor Tom: serial 298204 stamped 14 Feb 1966

Tom tom: serial 296288 stamp unreadable

Snare: serial 305168 stamped 30 Apr 1966

The Supraphonic cleaned up quite nice. There is visible pitting (especially the area behind P-83) and the obvious scratches here and there but all in all, I'm happy with the result. Strainer and muffler are in A+ condition and most important, it sounds fantastic !

The Floor tom was next. On this one the trickiest part was to take care of the lifting of the seam. It was the first time I did a repair like this but being well prepared and informed (thank you VDF), a fairly easy fix. Once this was all glued back together the only thing to be done was a good clean and polish and boy did it clean up well. All put back together it's hard to distinguish it from new. After a good polish and wax, the black Diamond Pearl came to life in all its glory. The depth and gradations are just spectacular.

Tomorrow, I'll do the 13" tom.

For the bass drum, I'm waiting on the arrival for a piece of BDP to repair the damage probably caused by a heat source. Luckily it's located on the back bottom right but obviously I want to do the best possible job.

All tips and suggestions are welcome on this one.

Later more,....