I picked up an old Slingland duco snare and bass drum that I found at an estate sale earlier today. The heads on the 8-lug snare drum need replacing but the original Radio King calfskin heads on the bass drum are in really nice shape with absolutely no tears or rips. After doing a little research on the "Vintage Drum Guide" website I believe that these two pieces were collectively catalogued as the "Slingerland Ensemble Kit 8-N Swingster Ensemble."

I've attached a few pics of the snare drum I got (excuse the filthy appearance) as well as a pic of the kit from the "Vintage Drum Guide."

I've got several questions I'm hoping you "experts" out there might be able to help me with:

1. How did the Slingerland company decide which kits came from the factory with Radio King heads? Obviously the Radio King kits would have them but why would a 2-piece kit like this one come with them?

2. Is the shell of the snare drum I picked up today a 3-ply? I'm totally clueless when it comes to identifying plies.

3. What product would you suggest to clean and polish the duco shells of the two drums?

As usual, thanks in advance for your time and your help!