Ludwig Dude...

The white interiors from this era was nothing more than regular "ceiling paint", or something of that nature... and this info comes from Bill Ludwig himself! The reasons for it's application are varied, but the most oft heard is that the white paint "smoothed out" the interior ply and made it look uniform as Ludwig was building drums around the clock back then. A lot of the wood wasn't what you would call "stain/clear grade", thus the white paint made everything look nice/clean. And yes, it also sealed the inner ply as well, but that doesn't seem to be THE reason for it's use. Anyway,

Cleaning: This is best served with any ENZYME BASED cleaner as these tend to make white paint jump and snap... as in clean! ... and there is no softening of the paint film, regardless of base. The best I have found is called "Spray-9", and it is made by Knight Industries. This may be a regional brand, and not available everywhere, but I am not sure on that. Others have mentioned "Fantastic" as a nice cleaner along these lines, although I have used both and the "Spray-9" is without a doubt, superior.

Let me know if you can't find it where you are.

Tommyp

Hi Tommyp,

Thanks for the info. It was very helpful. Yes, I've seen Spray 9 in stores and I will pick one up ASAP. If I decide in the future to repaint the interiors, should I get a semi gloss white water based paint or oil based paint? Which of these 2 did Ludwig use back then? Also, how many coats of paint should I apply?

Thanks again,

Ludwig Dude

Ludwig Dude...

Ludwig was using plain old ceiling paint back in the day... inexpensive! ... and the finish was pretty much flat. It was also water based... not oil. Should you want to freshen up the interiors after trying a cleaning regimine with the "Spray-9", it will be pretty easy to do:

Because the white paint is already present on your drums... ( a plus! ) ... it will be a simple matter of getting yourself a quart of ceiling white, and putting on a fresh coat. Your existing paint will function as your primer, which makes it easy. I would paint it on using a foam brush, and there are a couple reasons for this:

The foam brush WILL NOT leave any brush marks/strokes, plus it puts on a nice, even, light coat of paint... and ... they are inexpensive, and no clean up is required. When you are done... toss 'em out!

I have in fact done many interiors with foam brushes using different paints/clears... they have all come out exceptional. Hard to tell that they weren't sprayed. So there you have it!

I think that you will be amazed with the "Spray-9" though... especially on white. The drums should look brand new... and the "Spray-9" will probably remove some of the black marks as well. Oh, I wanted to mention this:

I also us 3M Scotch Brite pads with the "Spray-9"... BUT! ... it has to be the WHITE Scotch Brite pad as this one is pretty much NON-ABRASIVE. There are FIVE grades of Scotch Brite pads... the white pads are the ones you will want. They don't scratch, but they have just enough of a texture to really clean well... especially when used in conjuction with the "Spray-9". Have a clean rag to wipe up the "goop" that the "Spray-9" and Scotch Brite pad leaves behind. Voila! Nice and clean looking interior!

Tommyp

Thanks a lot for all the tips Tommyp! I will start on the cleanup this weekend after I purchase all the materials.

Ludwig Dude

Just found this old post full of great info. Since it's 4 years old I'm wondering if people still think it's OK to repaint white Ludwig Keystone interiors as opposed to just cleaning them and leaving them original. Thanks.