Take it into a place where they allow cigarette smokers and then let it sit around the smokers for a few years. It will look perfect in no time.:D

Seriously...the pattern looks pretty close, but the colors are definitely different. But it really doesn't look that "off" because the pattern is so close. Looks like you did a really good job with them from what I can see.

Hey Poppy,

Doesn't look bad at all. Nice job!

As mentioned 40+ years of smoke or exposure to oxidants in the air do a number on blue pigments. Many pigments are susceptible to oxidation and thus fading. If you keep the lights low and the big tom in behind the 16" no one will care, they will be so impressed with the whole kit and it's vintage beauty. In other words the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.... Now go and enjoy the sound of the whole thing Clapping Happy2

I still need to put the last 2 lugs on over the seams and put heads on it. my sonor floor tom should be here tomorrow. It was described as a 151/2 head so I will have to wait to see what size it really is before ordering heads. I am going to order new heads for the ludwigs and the sonors. Musicians friend has remo pin strip heads for a 20" floor tom. I just need to get all my sizes together. I hope the sonor tom matches.

Nice job - Is that wrap taped or glued? As for matching perfectly... don't sweat it. Even vintage pieces from different kits rarely match perfectly. Some pieces were kept in cases while others sat "out" and were exposed.

Just get yourself a big ol' 22" to 24" Zildjian ride to place between the two floor toms. The shadow it casts over the toms will help them to blend in better on stage :)

I had/have the same problem with my champagne sparkle kit. The Leedy FT has more pink in it than the other drums. Nobody seems to care though once they hear how they sound.

There was no way to match an old Ludwig Marine Pearl. They fade so uniquely, certainly the only 2 standard available marine pearls in that pattern wouldn't have worked. Don't sweat it, it looks like you did a nice job.

How big a swatch did they send you ? You need a good 4"-6" square piece to really judge. Those teeny 1x2 swatches don't tell you much.

Thanks for all the kind words Guys. The wrap has he hy-bond tape. It had to come in 2 pieces because of the 20" size. I also ordered the same wrap for a brand new lud wig snare I got of off ebay. The new snare has the same lugs the vintage luddys had. I suppose Ill go ahead and rewrap the snare too. Ill see how this snare sounds. I have 10 snares already, but I wanted a wood one for this kit. 8 of my snares are metal. All I ever see at pawnshops. A few of them are extremly nice too. I have been in the auto upholstery business since 1976, Covering things comes sorta natural to me , but I am wise enough to seek advice when covering ssomething unusual or different like drums. I'll post pics when the floor tom is completed,

This site is a god send for me,

Thanks again guys!!!

Poppy

I just had another thought. Perhaps when I clean and polish the old luddys the new wrap may match a little better. Do y'all think thats a possability?

The sample ws about 1 1/2 X 3

RE: Cleaning the old wrap... It's been my experience with sparkle wraps (different than pearl wraps??) that they lighten up a bit. Not a whole lot, but you can see a difference. I use Mothers glaze/sealer on my drum shells. It's a polish and wax together. The polish is great for removing small scratches, swirls and other imperfections in the wrap. The wax in the product also helps to fill in and hide said imperfections.

In some cases, you need to go over a spot a few times, if the scratch is deeper say. Just go easy though and NEVER use a buffing wheel or other mechanical method. Take your time and be patient and you'll get good results.

Again, I've not worked on pearls before so maybe someone with more experience here can chime in. I assume you've read the section of the site dealing with restoring/cleaning wraps?

Yes I read the section about restoring drums and It was very informative. I will just have to see how the original color does when I clean and polish it.

Thanks for your help. This site rocks!