Based on the 1937 Ludwig Catalog this drum is called the "Concert Parade Snare Drum" There was a twin strainer model called the "Twin Strainer Cheif"

[IMG]http://www.vintagesnaredrums.com/images/forum_images/1937_wfl_snare_th.jpg[/IMG]

Click for a larger image

My guess is that it was a wood finish underneath the paint. The only way to tell is probably to remove the badge. More then likely they painted around it. It is not always recommended to remove the badge, but when you need to remove paint and sand the shell it is probably safer to remove it very carefully. There is a section on the webs ite on how to remove the badge.

So the ideal thing would be to get some paint stripper and test it behind the strainer. Hopefully they did not sand before painting and the clear coat is protecting the original finish.

Please ask more questions about what you want to do and we can go into more detail on getting the drum back in shape.

The best thing is the strainer on this drum!! It is hard to find and makes your job much easier that is intact.

David

Webmaster

Hi David,

Thanks a million for the info, and especially for the original ad! That's great! As far as the original finish, I fear it is long gone. I took a look at the drum again today and it looks like someone painted the drum blue years before they painted it red. That being said, the badge appears to have never been removed from the drum, so I'll plan on removing it and checking behind it for an original finish.

Still, what do I do about the outer layer of wood, which is already cracked and peeling in more places than one? The layer beneath it (the main shell, I would call it) looks fine, but i'm going to have to remove and replace this outer wood layer before I do anything else. Any ideas where I can get new wood wrap/shell covering to replace this old outer shell? In fact, there is a similar layer on the inside of the drum which also shows signs of cracking, but I'd like to tackle the outside of the drum first.

As far as hardware goes, the original plating looks like nickel to me. Am I right on this? It's definitely not chrome.

Thanks for any additional advice.

Keith

Just read the original ad a little more carefully...says that the standard finish was mahogany, choice of hand polished color lacquer, or pearl. I guess that answers my question. Mahogany sounds like a nice choice potentially, although I might be inclined to go with a solid color wrap if I knew what the original colors for this drum might have been. Any help?

Keith