This vintage drum restoration project began a number
of years ago when I responded to a local newspaper ad and purchased
what was essentially a 1964 Ludwig Downbeat set in black diamond
pearl (BDP). The set was in marginal shape--the 14- by 20-in. bass
drum was peppered with 16 unoriginal holes. A peek inside the bass
and toms revealed that the original white "Resocoat" interior
paint had been sullied by an awful pinkish-tan enamel. The resonant-side
bearing edges had suffered from stints as "concert toms."
And, reinforcing rings on the resonant side had been stripped and
stained dark brown. A "collector's set," it wasn't.
Due to the rare sizes and fact that very few vintage drums surface
in my rural stomping grounds, I bought the set despite its flaws.
The price was fair, and I figured the included cymbals and a mostly
original, matching, Downbeat snare made it a good deal. The snare
had been spared from the yucky interior paint and still sported
its factory date stamp: March 2, 1964. Just three weeks after Ringo's
first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Ludwig's Chicago factory
was surely buzzing the day this set was born!
As I was carrying the drums to my truck, the natural light revealed
an ugly yellow-green hue in the BDP wrap. I thought it might be
a 40-year coating of cigarette smoke--a common condition for club-weary
drum kits. However, after I got the drums home and did a little
preliminary cleaning, I soon realized that the yellow was there
to stay. It was some sort of thick varnish or shellac that had been
applied in many coats and yellowed drastically with age. Getting
it off was going to be tricky, because conventional paint removers
would no-doubt ruin the plastic wrap.
I sent a plea for help to the amazingly accessible and always accommodating
John Aldridge--vintage drum authority and editor of this publication.
I explained my problem and he recommended a tamer stripping agent--Formby's
Conditioning Furniture Refinisher.
I began experimenting on the drill-devalued bass drum. The product
seemed to work well at full-strength on the interior paint. Per
the instructions, I applied it to #0000 steel wool and rubbed gingerly.
The horrible pink coating came off fairly easily. But, it was impossible
to remove it without also going through the original Ludwig "Resocoat"
white. I'd hoped to return this drum to original condition, but
conceded that the interior would have to be repainted. I visited
the local building supply outfit with a clean and original '60s
Ludwig tom, and the paint staff mixed up a near perfect match to
the Resocoat.
Continue to page 2:
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| Garish yellow-green
hue of this 12-in. x 8-in., 1964, Ludwig BDP tom was caused
by multiple coats of varnish, which had yellowed radically
with age. Footprint of baby lugs shows how BDP should look
because phantom painter did not remove them. This heavy
coating of varnish was a challenge to remove. |
Click Here
Side Bar Article BDP Wraps |
