Old late 60's Ludwig Snare I'm going to rebuild...

Drummertist

Silver Member
First off, I don't have any pics yet. I'll have some pics by the end of the week.

I just wanted to give some background on the snare. It's an old marching snare that I found in the attic of my uncles house (it's his snare. let me have it) with keystone badge and, I think, cherry finish. Looks to be 3 ply with wood hoops that are stretched and contorted (it was streched over the side of the snare). The shell is slightly out of round by 1/8 of an inch and the bearing edges are going to need to be re-sanded. All hardware is still there and just slightly rusted except for the snare release which I had a P85 put on (want a p86).

Questions about doing this:

Is there a way I can take off the Keystone badge attached to the metal ??air hole?? so I can sand?

Is there a way to fix the hoops or should I just buy new ones?

Can I fix the shell from being out of round or is 1/8" not enough to worry about?

Whats a good way to sand the shell? By hand or machine? Ideas?

Should I just sell it like it is (it really is a mess)?

Should I just search the forum and not be lazy like I am?
 
I will tackle one question. 3M sells sanding pads that are basically sandpaper on a sponge. They allow the sponge/sandpaper to take the shape of whatever you are sanding and not cause flat spots. They load up pretty quickly and you have to smack them on something to knock out the dust. They come in a few different grits and should be available at any hardware store. I used them on 2 drums that I worked on.
 
well, if you're trying to sell it, I wouldn't put too much effort into it, since marching drums from any era don't typically fetch very much on ebay, especially not the ones in bad shape. Cherry finish and wood hoops? Is it possible someone refinished this drum at one time? I've never heard of a cherry finish on an old Ludwig keystone badge marching drum.
However some of them did have a mahogany finish, especially the ones from the 60's. I've never seen one with wood hoops either, although it could have been specially made for a special event or something. I would just get new metal hoops.

1/8" out of round is probably not too bad for some of the old 3 ply shells. Alot of them tended to have a hump where the wrap went under the shell seam anyway.

The old lacquer finishes were not like today's, so it shouldn't be too hard to get off. Get a sanding block, and some 80 or 100 grit sandpaper, or the blocks work good as well. I wouldn't go the machine route, as they are hard to control and can damage the wood if you're not experienced. You might be better off just wrapping it. It might cost a little more, but it's a whole lot less work, and can look more vintage. What size is it and what type of lugs does it have?
 
There are grommets and a badge installation tool on Ebay. Just search for them.

I also agree with the point or should I say fact that the marching snares do not bring much in resale. I myself have a NOS 70s 10x14. I am going to cut it and make two usable snares out of it and have them match my Ludwig restore when I do it.
 
Here's the pics....Man I late with them....
 

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Here's some questions:

Does it look saveable?
Can I get the rust off the lugs and stuff...and how (easy home remedy???)?
The bearing edges are a mess...how do I recut them with Ludwigs 45 degree bearing edge?
What can I use to sand off the finish on the inside and outside? I'm having a hard time with just sandpaper alone.

I'll be getting some ludwig triple flanged hoops for it, a P-86 Throwoff, some new snare wires (which kind???), and I'll be getting some weatherking heads for it once I'm done. The snare is a 6 lug design. When I did tune it up even with the bent hoop, I loved the sound from it. That's kind of why I feel bad for it. It's like a homeless puppy just needing some fixing up.
 
I have got that exact drum same finish and all sitting in my closet. Do you have the wood hoops for it?

It is a single tension drum and the bearing edges look just like they are supposed to. DO NOT cut double 45s or anything on it, maybe just lightly sand the edges a bit to smooth them out
 
I do have the hoops for it, but one is bent to where it hangs over the side of the head. I also still have the original ludwig box it came in too...it's a little misshapen however.
The resonant side hoop looks very roughly cut where the snare wires go to the throwoff. Why are all the holes and cuts etc. in this drum so rough...as in why do they still have splinters and stuff. It's like it was a very cheaply made drum back then too.

I THINK I FOUND IT!!!! Here's a website with all vintage ludwig snare information....
http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/ludwig_snare_drum_catalog_pages.html

I think its a 1957 Prep Model Parade Drum....
 

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