Yes, those lugs exceed my expectations. On picture, they do look quite cheap. IRL, they feel very sturdy and well made, exuding quality.

So what's that Zephyr kit like playing? Please tell us.

/Magnus

My 7X14 WFL has 8 lugs. I'm still formulating a plan for refurbishing it. The original strainer is missing, but the holes perfectly fit the Small Pioneer throw of 1959 (3/4 of this strainer was already on the snare). The shell was originally Black/Gold Duco, but was housepainted black at one time, & looks very sloppy.

I have many vintage snares that have come w/ skin heads(batter & slunk), but find the sound a bit tubby & the response slow. I like skin heads on toms & basses , but find that for snares a combination of the old & the new works best, i.e., Calf top & mylar snare side. The only other Zephyr drum I have is a 9X13 which was painted gold. I see a pattern in all the WFL's in this thread, serious flaking, loss of original finish, & repainted shells.

It's a mixed bag right now. The floor needs a complete restoration, and then I'm not sure how I will proceed with matching it to the white lacquer finish of the others. So, the bass sounds great, the two rides are ok, however with not a lot of tuning range.... they have the almost flat bearing edges of the day conducive only to the calf skins they are wearing right now. So, good and fair overall, they are what they are...

kevins, interesting that your experience with snare drums and calf heads parallels mine - except that I have yet to try calf/calf on a real vintage drum. But your finding leaves me little hope of success in this regard, well, I can definitely live with calf top/plastic bottom...

tdennis, so, that kit is yet to be played. You are correct in that all are WFLs are flaking. However, I am now in the midst of doing some restore work on my drum. I have put all metal parts in vinegar to remove rust, and - lo and behold - I was actually able to remove the lugs from the shell without any further flaking occurring. I was very careful, but what paint is left, sticks... I have polished (by hand) the shell carefully, and it now looks quite nice.

The metal parts come out fine from the vinegar bath. I have also polished them, using a very mild polish for metals, including nickel. It's amazing how the rust comes off after a night in vinegar. Below are some pics of what I have done so far:

First, a before and after of the strainer.

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/Strainer_before.jpg[/img]

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/Strainer_after.jpg[/img]

Here is the butt-end.

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/Butt_before2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/Butt_after.jpg[/img]

Finally, here is a pic of the interior with heads removed. It is quite clear from the picture that there is no significant colour difference between the re-ring and the inner ply, suggesting that the inner ply is not mahogany, but maple. Do you agree with me here?

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/WFL_interior.jpg[/img]

I will post some more pics once I have cleaned and remounted all the hardware on the drum.

/Magnus

It's been my experience too, that the older hardware has great potential to clean up very nicely.

It was built better to begin with.

OK, so here is the final part to complete my picture essay on this WFL drum.

Having spent part of the week-end cleaning up the drum and its hardware, here are some pics showing the best I can do. Compare them to the pics in the beginning of the thread to see the difference - if any.

Overall, the drum looks very clean now. I finished today's session by removing from its reso flesh hoop a Kalfo reso head that I don't use and tucking it on a batter side flesh hoop instead. I hope this will work and that the head won't break immediately, but as I cannot foresee that I have any other use for this head, I will give it a go as a batter...

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/WFL_Above.jpg[/img]

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/WFL_Frontal.jpg[/img][img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/WFL_Side.jpg[/img]

Here are a couple of close-ups showing what could be done to the nickel parts, as exemplified by a rod and a lug, a clip and the rims.

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/WFL_Lug.jpg[/img]

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/WFL_Rod.jpg[/img]

By the way, after removing both heads and having seen the inside of the drum extensively, I am now convinced that the inner ply is of a different, more reddish, softer wood than the maple re-ring. The colour difference between the two woods is slight, but these are certainly two different species of wood. The drum would then fit the description of the School Concert exactly.

/Magnus

The inside & outside plies of my snare are definitely Maple. I can even see a bit of shiny birdseye in the interior grain. However, the 9X13 tom has a mahogany interior. (BTW, you did a fine job on your snare). These Zephyr lug snares were made at a time when WFL was struggling. The Zephyr lug was a budgetary design. But I believe they are a good lug because they were pressed out of steel. Most other lugs that did not have swivel nuts (tube lugs & early L&L lugs stripped out because they were made of a softer material, but the Zephyr lug is quite strong, & holds it's threading. I can also see by studying the wood snare finishes that they were applied w/ out a primer coat, & therefore flaked away over time(another budget decision). My 9X13 tom shows another way to save money. The bolts that hold the lugs & hardware onto the shell are held on the inside by simple pieces of steel spring instead of a full size hex nut & washer.

All mahogany interiors on mine.........

What do you think about this?

http://www.laurelandhardy.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/9a_3a.jpg

The same?

The movie Jitterbugs released by 20th Century Fox, 11 June 1943

What a great potential story!

Mike Curotto