ACTUALLY, this thread will in fact be the building of a psychedelic red 5 piece. I started with the bass drum so I will have the double bass configuration, but have decided to go ahead and build a 5 piece Psychedelic Red Ludwig "throwback" set (similar to what Poppy did with Citrus Mod) by taking newly issued Ludwig wrap and putting it on a vintage set of Ludwig shells. In terms of hardware it will be a hybrid.

For my purposes there are 3 types of Psych Red:

1. vintage original wrap used by Ludwig 69'-76'(yrs approx)

2. Reissue Ludwig early 2000's

3. Reissue Ludwig approx 2008-?:confused:

**Bear with me I'm more the craftsman than Historian so have at it on the dates.

There will be one shell exception and that is the BD is a quasi-new keller 6 ply that I acquired with the wrap already installed. The other drum shells will basically be 3 ply Ludwig orphans. I have spent the last week working on the BD hoops so we'll pick up there.... (pics this evening) Falling Do

These hoops are early 70's Ludwig that have a butcher block inlay. I bought them because I've gotten interested in having the natural wood finish & I'm real burned out on plain ole black ones. After inspecting the hoops for roundness I start by sanding down the first layer of laquer and removing blemishes, smoothing dings etc. Next apply heat gun to soften up the glue & begin removing the inlay wrap. Once I get the utility knife worked under the wrap I switch to a flat screwdriver and rock gently while keeping the heat going. Eventually I will reach the seam & remove the small factory staples.

OK. Now that the inlay wrap is removed it's time to sand off the old glue remnants from the inlay groove. I take a piece of 60grit sandpaper and fold it up accordion-like so the strip is about 1/2". Then begin sanding off the old glue and turn the hoop clockwise as I go. This step is best done over a couple sessions: work all the way around the circumference & keep on moving, not staying in one spot too long. Try to avoid overdoing it on any one spot. Switch to 80grit & then 120grit as you go along. Pic#3 is after 1-2 passes & pic#4 is glue's all gone.

ALRIGHT. Done sanding (for now) & it's time to detail the hoops so there is a nice clean groove line all the way around the perimeter. This is easily acheived with a flat screwdriver by scraping while following the hoop's contour, there will be small remnants of glue that were hard to get at w/ sandpaper.Again grasp hoop in left hand and scoot it clockwise as you scrape with right hand. Keep in mind that later on the wrap inlay needs to be seated nice & flush to the outer edges: no bumps or high spots that a claw may snag on.

THIS is a pic of the bass drum & tom so you have an idea of the direction we are headed here. BD is the #2 wrap mentioned earlier and the '69 Keystone tom is the vintage authentic wrap. They match up as well as I had hoped for & have a kind of hypnotic effect. So now back to the hoops. Start with masking tape & follow the groove on one side and it will overlap on the other. Follow this overlap by scoring the tape with a fingernail. Then with the utility blade follow the contour around the hoop,cutting & stopping each 8-10 inches to peel off excess. If you're doing it right it will get this curling effect. In essence you just masked off the complete surface area of the actual inlay(which follows later) so that you can lacquer (or paint) the entire remaining surface of the hoop.

NOW the hoop is masked so run your fingernails around the groove so the tape is firmly stuck down. This is esp important when you paint to avoid having paint seep under tape. Remember the inlay must be a nice clean groove all around. Choose where you want the top of hoop by holding it against the shell to inspect for roundness & whatever looks best. I usually let it stand freely to check for balance. This set has some warpage and even a stress fracture from the kick pedal so I take that into account. At this point you will decide how the hoop will be mounted i.e front, kick side, top, etc. so get a visual image of what's next. Now begin to apply lacquer with brush. I prefer to hold the hoop in left hand and paint with the right. Continue to rotate as you apply lacquer(all the way around the inside, then do the outside.) TRY to get even coverage & inspect for runs, drips or errors. Now hang the hoop on a coat hanger(see pic) to dry.HINT:there will be a small dry spot where you were holding it-you can touch up that small area once it's on the hanger.

AFTER you have applied 2-3 coats of the lacquer & allowed it to cure according to product specs, you will need to carefully remove the masking tape from the inlay groove. PIC #1 is the pre-cut inlay strip fr/ Precision Drum. It's been cut just a hair less than 1/2" to be sure that it fits nicely into the groove. Again keep in mind where the TOP of hoop is & make a pencil mark at dead center of top. Take the strip of wrap & make a mark on the INSIDE, again right in the middle. Also make a pencil mark where this strip stops so you know where you are with applying the glue. Now apply the contact cement with sponge applicator to the strips, ensuring complete coverage. Do the same to the inlay of the wooden hoop & clean any excess with finger. This needs to set-up for 30 min so now's a good time to match up the seams where the wrap meets. THIS is esp important for hard-to-match finishes.

WELL, anywho, here's the final phase(after a long delay& many diversions)...flower Make a mark in the center of the hoop strip & a mark in the middle (TOP) of the hoop and apply the hoop strip from the middle out by pressing down as you go. Where the strip ends, take a utility knife and cut off excess. Then finish with 2 staples with 1 prong in each piece of wrap where they butt together. Pic3 is the finished hoops. Now we skip aways ahead to the finished drum.

Whew!! I got delayed on this project when I decided I couldn't use the current version of Psych Red on the remaining toms(just doesn't match up to my liking.

*Side note* [FONT="Book Antiqua"]I recently discovered a kit on eBay thet was the same year as this drum and learned that this was from a "limited edition" run but oddly it doesn't sport the special medallion badge that thay were made with! This finish (see pic #5)is discontinued by Precision NY so presumably not available at the retail level. For now, this will suffice as my add-on bd to my Psych red kit. Knowing me, I will end up buying a whole kit that matches this era & finish. OR I will end up selling this drum to someone who ALREADY owns that kit. I've only seen 2 kits of these in the last couple years so I guess I'm lucky I scored this shell! Thanks for following my thread.Mallet Player2([/FONT]

WOW!

Great news is I found a 16" FT & 12" rack tom in the same finish as the BD I put so much work into. SO, suprisingly, I'm back on track way sooner than I ever imagined. Here's the fledgling stage restoring floor tom. Walking

It is a '69, my favorite year for Ludwigs, but is PAINTED BLACK on interior. RaTs!! PIC below is filling 2 extra holes. UGGH! Just another casualty of the

70's. Any thoughts on removing the paint? Or leave it alone? What a headache...