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PRE-WW11 WFL Bass and Snare found Last viewed: 8 hours ago

Posts: 21 Threads: 10

I came across an old bass drum at a flea market a couple of weeks ago and ended up buying it for seventy bucks. After seeing Mumford and Sons play on the Grammy’s last year I’m been thinking about picking up some old kick drum to play long with my acoustic group. The bass drum was in pretty good shape with what looked like all original hoops and hardware with one intact calf head and one that was cut. I dropped by my local percussion shop to have it looked over and to buy a new batter head to replace the cut one. The owner of the shop looked up the badge and it turned out to date in the 1930’s.

After I got it home I dusted it off and loosened all the tension rods, checked the hoops and reset the old calf head and added the new batter head. Everything seems to be working as intended.

Next I go on line to eBay to look around and happened to come across what looked like a matching 1030’s WFL 10x15 marching snare. It had the very same lugs, tension rods, hoops, badge and even two decent looking calf heads. I’m thinking, 10x15 might make a cool tom to match the bass drum. I picked it up for $100, so now I have both.

I’m been wondering about just how far I want to go as for restoration. It’s tempting to take them all apart and do a big number on them, but the fact is I really love the way they look now. They’re going on eighty something years old, they show their age well and I find that somehow comforting.

Anyway, I came across this vintage drum forum and thought I’d just share my little story. This seems to be a really nice forum filled with people who seem to also love their drums. I look forward to hanging out and learning some “old tricks” and maybe even find a drum or two….

Posted on 13 years ago
#1
Posts: 1118 Threads: 30

1. Welcome to the forum.

2. Pics are mandatory.

3. If you're comfortable with them as they are, "showing their age", then play them like that. There's no hard and fast rule stating that you must restore any vintage drum you get. If being left in their condition gives them that vibe you like, keep 'em like that.

1970 Ludwig Downbeat
1965 Ludwig Hollywood
1970 Ludwig Jazzette
Posted on 13 years ago
#2
Posts: 21 Threads: 10

caddywumpus

Thanks for the welcome and words of wisdom.

I took a few pictures of the drums today with my iPhone and transferred them to my desktop Mac and iPhoto, but I’m unclear as to what to do next. Could you or someone please advise me on how to include photos within my post/relies? Help would be greatly appreciated.

Posted on 13 years ago
#3
Posts: 21 Threads: 10

Pictures

1) Drums in my front room

[IMG]http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38909&stc=1&d=1328281352[/IMG]

2) View of finish and hardware

[IMG]http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38910&stc=1&d=1328281352[/IMG]

3) Snare finish and hardware

[IMG]http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38911&stc=1&d=1328281352[/IMG]

4) Badge on Bass drum (badge in snare is identical)

[IMG]http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38912&stc=1&d=1328281831[/IMG]

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Posted on 13 years ago
#4
Posts: 351 Threads: 14

Great scores on both counts.

A note about the Zephyr lugs: they had a tendency to strip, due to being made with a folded piece of metal. I respectfully suggest you grease all your tension rods and don't crank things up too high.

Shining the lugs would really make the set "pop"!

Posted on 13 years ago
#5
Posts: 21 Threads: 10

Fuse and Tubelugs

Thanks for the info. The suggestions are more than welcome and it’s fun finding these things out about a drums history. I’ll still be looking for input as I move forward though.

----------

I’m now in the process of researching how best to clean these two drums up. Would I be right in assuming that the lugs are nickel plated steel and perhaps even the claw rim clips too? If so, I think I’ll wait on those, because to really clean and polish the lugs I believe means taking them off of the shell so I won’t do any damage to the wood or finish.

So first I think I’m going to start out on the snare drum by putting the tension rods, rim clips, medal washers etc. in a bath of Dawn for 12 to 24 hours and use a stiff tooth brush to clean off the years of muck and then maybe use some 0000 steel wool to go over rust spots. Since the threads on the tension rods may need some extra attention, I understand that steel wool and more elbow grease may be required.

I trust I’m headed down the right track?

Once I get this much done, I’ll contemplate the lugs. And yes, I’ll take pictures for the “before & after”.

Posted on 13 years ago
#6
Posts: 351 Threads: 14

Sounds like a reasonable plan. The hardware is likely nickel over steel (NOS) on the lugs, and nickel over brass (NOB) for the rims.

Taking the lugs off & polishing them should be easy when the time comes.

Posted on 13 years ago
#7
Posts: 2212 Threads: 95

be careful with the steel wool, you will get tarred and feathered here for using it on chrome and such! Nice score, get some hoop mounted spurs for that kick, 30 incher???

Posted on 13 years ago
#8
Posts: 966 Threads: 213

Nice vintage drums. If you have not already found it, you may wish to view this thread:

http://vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=21298&highlight=levon+helm

For your restoration work, I have two recommendations. 1) don't use steel wool, not even 0000. I have used Cap Cod Polishing cloths, which I found at my local hardware store. After soaking and scrubbing your metal bits, let them dry and hit them with Cap Cod cloths. 2) When I was restoring an old Walberg & Auge marching snare, I ran into an old guy at my local woodworkers store who restores instruments for a local museum. He suggested General Finishes Orange Oil for the wood. It really brought out the character in my drum. [ame]http://www.amazon.com/General-Finishes-Orange-Oil-Pint/dp/B004CK7B3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328323600&sr=8-1[/ame]

...
'68 Ludwig Ruby Red Strata
'68 Ludwig Mod Orange
'58 Gretsch Starlight Sparkle
'69 Ludwig Clubdate BDP
'60s Ludwig Clubdate Black Lacquer / Nickel
'67 Trixon Speedfire Red
COB Ludwig Supra
Many projects
Bunch o snares
Posted on 13 years ago
#9
Posts: 21 Threads: 10

lucky

Thanks for the input. I was only going to use the steel wool to work out the rough shots on the tension rods and around their threads. They look pretty funky and rusty. I understand SW would be a bad thing for chrome, but to my knowledge there is no chrome anywhere on these drums. I’d also shy away from using any SW on anything with nickel-plating, like the lugs. I’ve been thinking about the spurs and will take your advise about looking for a pair of 30 inch’ers.

auto.pilot

I’ll look into your suggestion about Cap Cod cloths instead of the SW. They'd have to be pretty amazing "cloths" to wipe away some of the crap I see on this hardware. Also, thanks for the link with the Levon set. Beautiful! I also dig the thumbnail, is that your bass drum?

I do have a question about using the General Finish Orange Oil or any other type of oil on these shells as they are. It looks to me that both these drum shells have an old coat of hard finish on them (like shellac or whatever they used back then) that I believe is original. An oil-based product won’t penetrate that will it? Wouldn’t I use an oil on the shells only after I totally refinish the mahogany, if I even do that?

Sorry for so many question, but I gotta’ learn somehow….

Posted on 13 years ago
#10
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