With my novice drum part questions, I sometimes feel like a troublemaker by questioning either the traditions of things or the ackerracy thereof.

In my recent search for a certain drum part (thanks Mikey - got it) - I ran into a good bit of confusion in my search for a bass drum spur mount wing bolt.

As I began my search on the web & ebaby, the terms used to describe this part were varied: wing nut, wing screw, wing bolt, T-nut...

I have only thought of it as a wing bolt - because it has wings & is "a threaded pin that screws into a nut..."

It is not a wing nut as some have called it : "a nut with a pair of projections..." as a nut is "a flat piece of metal or other material, typically square or hexagonal, with a threaded hole through it for screwing onto a bolt..."

It's somewhat understandable why some would call it a "screw" since it screws into the mount ["screw" as in the above cases, is the action "an act of turning a screw or other object having a thread."

9 times out of 10, a screw is "a sharp-pointed metal pin with a raised helical thread running around it..., used to join things together by being rotated so that it pierces wood or other material and is held tightly in place."

Am I being too particular on this? :confused:

With all of the parts that make up a drum, miracles of design & invention that they are - why might we be confused over screws, bolts & nuts? We handle them constantly in our refurbing, restos & cleaning.

If one was working on an airplane engine and asked for a bolt & was handed a screw or nut, wouldn't one scratch their head at being given the wrong part?

I guess we all get a little relaxed with these terms, but as the curators of such wonderful bygone devices as vintage drums, do the grand wizards of drummery have any wisdom for my (perhaps foolish) thought/question?

What is the proper term for that thingy???? electricit

Hmmmm - Understandable that no one wants to touch this, no doubt that the same sort of part from different manufactures have different names.

I was just curious what the actual name is from any of the long standing companies - in the interest of proper terminology, better communication & clarity.

In my digging around in the new parts realm - Pearl calls them wing bolts, Yamaha calls them wing bolts, Gibraltar calls them wing screws...

Another VDF fellow was seeking a ".... Ludwig wing bolt" for "straight telescoping spurs. Common on club date era sets" in the wanted section back in '08 - No one replied to his thread - but perhaps PM's him.

So, I guess that bolt & screw are both acceptable - to my nut brain NUT is not.

OK - that's it for me on the subject.

Silly I guess.....

I believe your definitions of screw (sharp point, course thread), bolt (blunt end, fine thread) and nut are technically correct. You are also correct when you say that in common usage screw and bolt seem to be interchangeable. If you go to your local Home Depot you'll find "Machine Screws" (blunt end and fine threads) that perhaps technically should be called "Machine Bolts". It seems to be more a matter of size than description, i.e., a 1/4" will be called a bolt, 1/8" will be called a screw. I'm not sure at what size a bolt gets demoted to a screw. I think the earlier post regarding the confusion between Tension Rods (special purpose bolts) versus T-Rods (also special purpose bolts) is more important to drum restorers. There should be no confusion between screws / bolts versus nuts, winged or not.

Nicely put GG!

Agreed that the earlier T-rod post is much more relevant to those in this forum.

- - I suppose that's part of the reason I posted this, in that with vintage drums of all sorts having so many specific parts, and we here being interested in the salvaging & restoration of drums for posterity's sake (as well as the love of the instrument & the business of buying & selling for some) - I'd think that the finer points of small (and necessary) parts would be a particular point of interest (i.e. attention to detail).

As you said "There should be no confusion between screws / bolts versus nuts, winged or not."

Dispelling said confusion would make moving through this really cool field that much easier.

Since this thread is akin to the Glossary of Terms (not just in a drumming sense - but w/ the history of vint. drums) - I'd think that nailing down the factory names of these small, yet brand specific parts, would be kinda important.

I've found that as I seek out parts for my '50s, '60s & '70s drums, that, while many parts are available,[like Slingy kick spurs for example, the 2 that I bought on eboy, while both Slingy & the same length, have different butt ends (the side you don't stick into your rug) - one is rounded & chromed, the other is flat-topped, conical & chromed] I think that those little differences should help us vintage nuts to:

• more clearly zoom in on the manufacture dates of our drums

• more accurately acquire the correct vintage parts

• help us to better spot problems when purchasing - such as misinformation

listed about what were looking to buy - (i.e. misrepresentation, scams)

I guess that I'd think it to be natural to be constantly tweaking our correct knowledge of things. Vintage Drums is a fairly new phenomenon - previously it probably focused on tree stumps from Borneo :)

I get the feeling here, with so many true gurus on the subject, that the preservation and restoration of this heritage is being raised from a "trekky" like gathering to a higher art form. I come here to get properly informed on the subject. The people here are truly amazing in their collective wisdom.

Apologies to Spock fans Mind Blowi

Regarding forum terms:

When I first visited the forum I was designated as a guest. I joined the forum and became a member. As time went on, I became a contributing member. Then an advanced member, senior member, and now a Vintage Drum Guru. I know that the amount of post I post determines what level I am.

My question is how is this calculated? How many posts change one's status?

I have always been curious about this.

Thanks!

Glad I read this

Member 0

Contributing Member 50

Advanced Member 150

Senior Member 300

Vintage Drum Guru 500

I know there are forums that take this more serious, but I left all of the original defaults and just added Vintage Drum Guru.

I never really spent time on these designations.

David

Thanks! Just wondering.

Ok, What is a Sticky? a designation of a forum thread meaning??????

SBP= Sky Blue Pearl, kind of a silver-blue color.

P ink-stamped inside Slingerland shells stands for wrap, whether it be pearl or sparkle, while M stands for laquer finish whether it be clear over the natural wood or color.

Glitter wrap is deeper and has more of a diamond-like shine (some having minute glass flakes [I've also known a few glassy-eyed flakes] embedded in it) than Sparkle. Although to my (maybe glassy?) eye, some colors look better in Sparkle. Corrections always welcome!! Eddie.