Removing the wrap from old Ludwigs?

NerfLad

Silver Member
Has anyone tried it? I might be crazy enough to do it to mine if the outer plies look nice. If it helps, my years are '67 and '69.

Nerf
 
I've done it with the intention of re-wrapping. Used a heat gun to melt the glue and soften the wrap, and used a putty knife to loosen the wrap, and managed to pull the wrap off without much damage to the shell--pretty easy. I will say, though, that it took quite some time, and when the mahogany ply was exposed, it had a ton of glue in the pores, and there was discoloration of the wood in the areas where the glue was thicker. Glue-removing agents didn't help much. You might be able to sand it down, but be careful not to sand all the way through the outer ply, which I've heard is common in first-timers.

Good luck. Start a thread and let us marvel at your process. :)
 
I'd be careful using heat. Those old Ludwigs will go up in flames pretty easy. I had that happen once. It's was very quick, and only burnt up the wrap, not the shell. Scared the daylights out of us. The re-wrap instructions said to watch out for this, and they weren't kidding.
 
II have done it on a Tama Swingstar from the 70's.
Some of the 1st ply of wood preferred to stick to the wrap and it did not turn out pretty.
I do however not know if Ludwig is gluing their wrap on.
Anyway I think you have to be extremely careful.
Another option is perhaps to sell the drums and then buy the finish you like.

Jorn
 
I'd be careful using heat. Those old Ludwigs will go up in flames pretty easy. I had that happen once. It's was very quick, and only burnt up the wrap, not the shell. Scared the daylights out of us. The re-wrap instructions said to watch out for this, and they weren't kidding.

this happened to me as well, smoke then poof!
Be mindful that the old Ludwig wrapped drums were built to be wrapped, not finished. they have a small overlap in the outer ply where the bottom lip of the wrap sits to keep it flush. that overlap wouldn't look good as an outer ply. and the old glue is a nightmare to remove.
 
De-wrapping can be a real pain. In the case of your mixed years, I think 67 shells will be mahogany exterior, and 69 shells will be maple exterior. So you're gonna wind up with unmatched shells, once you de-wrap.​
For adhesive removal, I use Jasco.​
 

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I was told by Joe Partride of Famous Drum Co. that the best way to de-wrap an old Ludwig is to stick a match to it. The cellulose covering will indeed incinerate quickly but it's such a fast thing that no damage will occur to the shell. I tend to believe what Joe tells me because he's been doing it for 40+ years.

Just take it outside before you set it on fire. ;D
 
I've done the burning method......accidently and it does work,but keep an eye on it.On some drums ,because Ludwig used the 100% glue method,some of the mahogany wood may come off,and that is unavoidable in some cases.You must go VERY slow to avoid that.Sanding slowly must also be observed,as that outer ply of mahogany is very thin,compared to the much thicker poplar middle ply.

Remember,Ludwig also used a scarf joint with part of the wrap,going into the scarf joint,so,thats where the de-wrap stops.Don't try to get that last piece of wrap out of there.The seam WILL come apart,and now the shell is useless.They only stopped using that building process in 68-69,and is known as the Ludwig hump.

Lastly,unless the wrap was damaged beyond repair,there's no way I would re-wrap a 60's vintage Ludwig drum.If you don't like the color,sell them to someone who does,and buy a kit who's color you do like.

Steve B
 
Not sure what year they stopped using hide glue, but I'd take some alcohol. Put it on the seam first. If its hide glue, the glue will crystallize and the wrap will pop right off…

I've used this on some Standards without a problem...
 
I was told by Joe Partride of Famous Drum Co. that the best way to de-wrap an old Ludwig is to stick a match to it. The cellulose covering will indeed incinerate quickly but it's such a fast thing that no damage will occur to the shell. I tend to believe what Joe tells me because he's been doing it for 40+ years.

Just take it outside before you set it on fire. ;D

When mine went up, it was very quick and short lived. Just like you are saying. I don't remember any shell damage, but we were recovering them with wrap, so if it did get damaged, I might have forgotten. It seems like I've heard of others who deliberately did it that way.
 
Lastly,unless the wrap was damaged beyond repair,there's no way I would re-wrap a 60's vintage Ludwig drum.If you don't like the color,sell them to someone who does,and buy a kit who's color you do like.

Steve B

Agreed. Just curious.
 
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