Thanks Purdie, I was planning on using Miwax Wipe-on Poly for these. But it's basically the same process as tung oil. I know, everything at Home Depot is crap, but check out this article: http://www.wwch.org/Technique/Finishes/WipeOnFinsih/WipeOnFinishesp.htm

It's an article from fine woodworking magazine that compares different wipe on finishes. It did not include pure tung oil, but there are a a couple tung oil variations in there. The Minwax came out as the overall best in the test. I especially like the drying time of 3 hours. I'd like to apply a lot of coats, and using tung oil would take me a week. I've seem some great examples of finishes done with the Minwax stuff.

Here's what I'm wondering now: as far my knowledge goes (which isn't that far), the natural finished Ludwigs had maple as their outer ply. I was under the impression that "Red Mahogany" was just the name given to this finish, and not the actual wood used. From looking at the scratches on these drums, it looks like a light blonde wood with some red finish and then some black paint. To me, this looks like they sprayed a red tinted clearcoat directly onto an unstained maple shell. So when I strip them, I'll be left with a light maple. Does that sound accurate to you guys?

If that's the case, I'm thinking that I'll use some Transtint "Reddish Brown" dye and then Minwax Wipe-on Poly (or I could mix the Transtint directly into the poly). That should get pretty close to the original finish. I was thinking of veneering these only because I assumed these drums were originally wrapped, and therefore had a Mahogany outer ply that wouldn't look that great stained.

Sooooooo..... I guess I won't be needing that poll anymore.

Are these 4 ply drums? The BD is 6 ply, so that would make sense. The BD is the only one with a badge still on, and it has a late 70's serial of 1744149. They all have the same original finish, so I'm thinking they were probably part of the same set. I can't count the plies with the paint over the edges.

It is possible to remove paint down to the factory finish. People do it all the time on old cars to remove resprays to get to the factory paint so they can show of the patina. I have done this on cars and plastic parts that had been painted over the years.

If they were originally natural finish, It is possible to remove the spray paint and leave the original finish in a state that can be re-polished.

You can test a small spot in an inconspicuous spot like the bottom of the bass drum.

You can try lacquer thinner, goof off, easy-off oven cleaner, some slow acting non methyl ethyl chloride, past stripper, rubbing alcohol and other solvents if used carefully can get the paint off without too much damage to the underlying finish. The key is to find a chemical that reacts with the paint you want to remove and doesn't soften the underlying finish.

A lot depends on how well the paint job you want to remove was applied. If they did little or no prep, then it will be pretty easy. You would still have to do some wet sanding and polishing to bring the finish back and you don't know why they painted them in the first place. The original finish might be trashed.

Here is a good explanation that I found. Pretty amazing stuff.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76072&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=80

Thanks! Hopefully this will work.

If you try it and find the correct solvent and give it a go on an entire drum, make sure to plug all of the holes with some paraffin wax and seal the edges as well to prevent getting chemicals into the plies. Also mask off the interior.

It might not be worth the effort if you are wanting a pristine looking finish, but you might be able to preserve their vintage character if you take your time.

I'm going to try the Motsenbockers #4 graffiti remover. I have to do the interior as well, since they painted everything. But good idea on plugging the holes, I didn't think of that. Although the manufacturer's web site says this stuff is water based and hippie friendly.

I'll do 1 drum and see how the finish turns out. I'd like it to be pristine, but still know that its the original finish. So if I end up with something halfway decent, maybe I can polish it up and add a few coats of poly over it to get the gloss back.

Chances are all the drums are 6-ply, Potsy. Those 6-ply kits are a bit of a unknown quantity to many drummers. Those 6-ply shells from that era make great sounding drums. I sold a 6-ply kit recently that was one of the best sounding drum kits I'd come across in awhile. Good drums, great sound.

John

I don't think they're all 6 ply, the toms have reinforcement rings. I was reading this timeline that gave me the idea they could be 4 ply: http://www.ludwig-drums.com/features/hoamld/woodshellguide.php

I was looking at 1982 and saw that the 4 ply drums came with 6 ply bass drums. Also, I can't find "Red Mahogany" as a color option until the 1981 catalog. But now I notice that the 1982 is for Standard series, and these have classic lugs. This stuff is fun to figure out, but too confusing sometimes. Maybe they weren't together originally.

Potsy - figuring out anything the Ludwig company did over the years, including the serial numbers is always like having an itch you can't scratch! lol

John

If they have re-rings then they are three ply. No question.

Depending on vintage they would have had a dark mahogany outer ply. I doubt they were originally natural finish. That would be super rare.

Without seeing pictures I think you have a set that was wrapped, then stripped then painted.

It could be walnut or mahogany cortex finish which was counter top laminate. If so, you could strip away to your hearts content as you can't kill that finish.