Bad drew,

A picture would help us to guide you. They are easy to dismantle. Once you have all the hardware off, depending on the condition of the wrap will depend on what's next. If the wrap has scratches then buffing with Novus 2 will help followed by Novus 1 then carnuba wax. The hardware, once again depending upon the condition will warrant the approach. A good soak in distilled white vinegar then a buff with chrome polish then carnuba wax may be all you need. Hope this at least helps to start you down the path. Once again, post some pictures and the VDF crew will chime in with lots of help. You also may want to check recent posts about cleaning parts. Check the threads in the Restoring Vintage Drum section. Great advice that members have tried lots of methods

Michael

Baddrew-- Michael certainly knows what he's talking about, so if you follow his advice,

you'll be good to go.. We just recently did a trade-off for a Pioneer snare drum

(jazz fest's little brother ;)) that he gave me, and the snare is in superb condition..

Almost looks like a museum piece ! But like he mentioned, you need to post pics

so as to determine how much, and what needs to be done..

Cheers,

Rob

IMO, if you are going to sell the drum, leave the cleaning to the new owner. Rather than embark on something you have no experience in, it may be best to leave it alone, flip it, make your money and walk away.

Thanks for the great advice guys, I have no doubt if I followed your directions that the results would be fantastic. But it also made me realize just how little I know about drums in general. Considering my track record, I think I'll just leave it to the person buying it to do the cleaning.

Good call.

It takes time and experience to dismantle and re-assemble the correct way.

ALSO, Note to all.

WHITE VINEGAR CAN TAKE THE CHROME OFF when parts are left in solution for too long.

Or discolor it very badly.

Watch it and do not go for extended periods.

No more than overnight and sometimes not even that.

Happy restorations.

If you are selling it, I am very interested. Please do not clean it.

Baddrew... First, Welcome to the forum!

You've received excellent advise concerning your Ludwig snare drum. I would have to agree with many that the best option for you would be to leave the drum as-is and let a new owner restore the drum. There are many here at VDF who I'm sure would love this Jazz Festival snare drum.

Best of luck with whatever you decide!

-Mark

Green glass

You are 100% right !

The distilled white vinegar can ruin the chrome.

I usually only soak for about 3 hours then rinse really well with water and then go at the pieces with the Mothers Chrome cleaner. and a coat of wax so they don't oxidize again on me.

I will be picking up a ultrasonic cleaner when I am back in the US in a few weeks and am excited to give that a try for those really roached out pieces. I will do a post like I did with the WMP yellowing removal trying a variety or methods for cleaning parts in the Ultra-S bath.

Michael

Thanks for the welcome Mark, I am so happy to be a part of this forum. I have definitely found the fountain of knowledge when it comes to vintage drums and know where to come for answers. I may even take up drums (just heard the collective groan of all the drummers I've worked with)

Drew