My Blaemire/Ludwig project

Mendozart

Platinum Member
Okay guys, I've been holding out long enough over here. You may remember the posting of Jerry Jenkins monster Blaemire kit, and his Mod Orange Blaemire kit. Well, he stumbled onto another lot of shells and I was able to purchase 7x10, 8x12, 9x13 toms, 16x16 floor tom, and 6.5x14 snare drum shells, all virgin. There was no bass drum shell available, so I picked up a 14x24 6ply Ludwig bass drum, and stripped it, then re-wrapped to match the kit. All the Blaemire shells had a red wrap on them that we stripped off. These shells were initially made for a guy named Andy Florio, but he never ended up bulding the kit, and passed away quite awhile ago. His name is actually tagged in several of the shells. After the stripping of red wrap, Jerry and I had quite a bit of sanding to do, to get the glue off, and smooth them out. I was going to try and finish them in their raw green finish, but the shells were not consistent in color, so a wrap was in order. The snare would remain in it's raw finish though. Jerry did all the drilling and wrapping, and I had most of the Ludwig hardware that would be used, I did have to purchase the hardware for the 10" tom and the snare. Here are a few pics along the way, and the final pic is at a gig I did this past weekend. Obviously, I owe Jerry many thanks for helping me put this one of a kind kit together.
 

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I am jealous! That final kit looks for all the world like a classic luddie. But it's stealthily hiding fiberglass Blaemire shells that will confound listeners. "Why is that kit so loud??" And it looks great in white!

Very cool! I wish I had beat you to it.
 
Hi Greg,

That looks like it was a huge under taking. Looks like it turned out great.

You must be very proud of those tubs.

Well done!!!
 
Who is that space alien sanding that shell?
I had no idea creatures from space were into drums.!!
:)
One of the drum gods sent him down, said he did good work. ;-)

That kit does look beautiful very nice looking indeed!
Thanks drumhead, she did turn out pretty nice.

Hi Greg,

That looks like it was a huge under taking. Looks like it turned out great.

You must be very proud of those tubs.

Well done!!!
Thanks Fred. It was quite the project and it was very cool of Jerry to let me dig right in on the build. To me, it is more than just a good looking kit, it is very personal because I was able to see every step of the way, and I know what went into them. The drums sound sooo good! I am very proud of them indeed.
 
Who is that space alien sanding that shell?
I had no idea creatures from space were into drums.!!
:)

Well being in SoCal, it seems George Lucas has sent none other than Plo Koon himself.

Mendozart, I do not envy you trying to navigate the Jedi Union rules on skilled labor. What a nightmare!

Although you can't argue with the results of good Jedi craftsmanship. Nice work, Plo. Nice work, indeed.
 

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I have obtained (though clandestine underground sources), a recording of this white Blaemire Ludwig kit...
 

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Cool kit mate. It's one of those kits where you think 'I really want to play that!'

You've got more guts than I have though balancing the shells on the edge of the pool like that :p
 
Cool kit mate. It's one of those kits where you think 'I really want to play that!'

You've got more guts than I have though balancing the shells on the edge of the pool like that :p

They would not be damaged by water. They are fiberglass after all.
 
I have obtained (though clandestine underground sources), a recording of this white Blaemire Ludwig kit...

Thanks for posting that trkdrmr.

The kit looks great! Thank you for wearing proper PPE while working on the drums. I am the Safety Manager where I work and being fairly new to this field and I have a hard enough time making everyone wear it at the plant, but at home......Once again Thanks!

Yeah, Jerry's pretty good about doing things safely. You definitely don't want to be breathing in that fiberglass.

WOW!, very cool so I am not the only one that takes on huge projects.

Great job, and I love the wrap machine,

Thanks rman. Jerry definitely has that wrapping thing down pat.

Cool kit mate. It's one of those kits where you think 'I really want to play that!'

You've got more guts than I have though balancing the shells on the edge of the pool like that :p

Like trk said, they are fiberglass, so it won't matter if they get wet. Jerry does get a little silly with the pool shots though. ;-)
 

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The kit looks great! Thank you for wearing proper PPE while working on the drums. I am the Safety Manager where I work and being fairly new to this field and I have a hard enough time making everyone wear it at the plant, but at home......Once again Thanks!

Same here, in the military we have to wear breathing apperatus, eye protection, steel toe boots, ear defenders and gloves to do anything with machinery.

"Complacency is all fun and games until you get a lung full of fiberglass dust."
 
I'm lovin all of these restorations. It kinda makes me want to buy beat up drums and make them new again.
 
I'm lovin all of these restorations. It kinda makes me want to buy beat up drums and make them new again.
I'll tell ya, there's no better feeling than bringing some drums to life. These shells have been sitting for years, (1973) without any holes drilled in them. Now they are wearing some hardware, and making some music. :)
 
I thought I would post a little snippet, for those who are not familiar, of some of the history of the Blaemire shells, and who made them famous. Allen Blaemire was a mechanical engineer who worked for the Navel Undersea Center in Pasadena, CA.,which is where he first saw a tube made of fiberglass. He was also a drummer, and thought he might be able to make drums from fiberglass. He was actually making these out of his garage. Now, Hal Blaine was part of the "wrecking crew", some amazing musicians who dominated the studios in the 60's & 70's. He played on 40 # 1 hits. Here's a link to a recent documentary about them.
http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/trailer.html Hal had a "monster kit" constructed, which had 7 Blaemire concert toms running across his '65 Ludwig Blue sparkle kit. This was the precursor to Ludwig's octaplus kit. Now, my shells weren't the actual drums Hal Blaine played, but they are from that golden era of hand made fiberglass shells, made by the one and only Allen Blaemire.
 

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