Restoring my first vintage snare!

Pass.of.E.r.a.

Gold Member
Hey everyone!

So this afternoon I purchased my first vintage snare, a 68’ Supra from my local music store that had bought it from a school that no longer had a use for it.
Now, the shell itself has quite a bit of pitting and needs some cleaning so I was wondering what you all use for that sort of thing, as well as the badge has come loose so I was wondering if there’s a way to mend that with glue or something. I know f-all about this kind of stuff and wanted to use this as a chance to reconnect with my drummer world community as I have been lurking more than posting as of late.

Hopefully this thread will turn into a before/after success story and not a “what not to do” thread.

….It also came with a musty old case with a red velvet interior and a slot for some drumsticks. Very cool! (And a recorder cleaner that some kid shoved through the vent. Haha)

Thanks for your time and suggestions!

-Jonathan
 

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Honestly, when you said "quite a bit of pitting" I was expecting a drum with significantly more pitting than that. That actually looks pretty mild from what I can see. There's no reason not to take off all of the hardware and give it a good cleaning and polishing. A mild cleaner should help get the gunk off the shell, and maybe a bit of chrome polish if it still isn't shiny enough. Just make sure everything's completely dry before you put it back together.

New heads and snare wires seem to be needed, so I'd get those. I suggest getting a Remo clear Ambassador no collar snare side head. 5" deep Ludwig snares don't have an awful lot of room before you can bottom out into the lugs, so the extra room the no collar head buys will come in handy down the road, especially if you like a high pitched snare side.

Enjoy your new drum! :)
 
Here is a quick clean up I did a few weeks ago on a Supra I scored. Dawn, water, and a wheel scrub brush. Yours looks great and you got a recorder cleaner! 20191006_103356-1008x490.jpg20191006_140854-1008x490.jpg
 
It doesn't look too bad. You can soak lugs and tension rods in warm water, vinegar. Some will use WD40 on rusty tension rods. Let it soak over night either way. I've personally used a drum shell polish from Amazon, a stainless steel cleaner peeps use on kitchen appliances, and you can get NEVR DULL wadding polish. Really convenient. I'm a little OCD. I would have also went at it the same way.

I'm also interested in what others would suggest for the "loose badge". You often see adhesives used by the OG makers right?
 
I was expecting much worse as well. That's a nice looking Supra!

Use some crumpled up aluminum foil to scrub off any rust spots on the hoops. And as everyone else already said...take that sucker apart and soak it in Dawn dish detergent for a little while. If the sticker residue doesn't come off, try some Goo Gone or similar adhesive remover.

I used Brasso for my Ludwig Vistalite restoration and it worked great. The hardware looks so much newer now.

How loose is the badge? It appears to have been spun around a lot, judging from the marks on the chrome underneath. If it's not totally loose, I'd just leave it the way it is. But if it doesn't stay centered by itself, maybe someone can suggest an adhesive you can use to keep it in place.

After a good cleaning, all you need are new heads top/bottom, (Ambassador Coated and Ambassador Snare Side), and new wires. I got PureSound 20 snare wires for the Supraphonic I bought recently.

Here's my Vistalite restoration thread with before/after photos.
https://www.drummerworld.com/forums/index.php?threads/1970s-ludwig-vistalite-jelly-bean-kit.165710/
 
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Hahaha ok, point taken. Thanks for chiming in everyone, I think I got a better deal than I originally thought.

I will eventually end up cleaning it, but I just want to play it at the moment so that can wait.

I picked up an evans snare side and UV1, puresound custom wires and the new ludwig strainer for it. The original one's lever (which I'm not throwing out) is bent at almost a 90 degree angle which makes it a pain in the ass to put in a case.

@IBitePrettyHard
The badge spins freely, but due to how it's bent or something it does seem to rest mostly right side up, so for now it'll just be left alone.

-Jonathan
 
I recently cleaned up a steel thrift store snare drum with aluminum foil and diet coke, worked really well... Took off all the rust and some of the minor pitting, looks pretty good imo. New heads and now I have (another) cheap snare drum. :D
 
I recently cleaned up a steel thrift store snare drum with aluminum foil and diet coke, worked really well... Took off all the rust and some of the minor pitting, looks pretty good imo. New heads and now I have (another) cheap snare drum. :D
I'd be scared of that messing with the chrome or something. Hopefully it doesn't damage your drum long term!

I’d go at it with Nevr-Dull. You’ll be pleased with the results.
I'll give it a try!

-Jonathan
 
I recently cleaned up a steel thrift store snare drum with aluminum foil and diet coke, worked really well... Took off all the rust and some of the minor pitting, looks pretty good imo. New heads and now I have (another) cheap snare drum. :D

You don't need the coke. Foil and warm water does the same thing without the sugar, caffeine, and acid. Seriously, it works well and won't get sticky. Works wonders for chrome too.
 
Nope, no damage to the drum... The foil is the abrasive, the diet coke is the lubricant (also mildly acidic). The foil is softer than the chrome, so shouldn't hurt it. Diet coke isn't sticky like regular coke and doesn't really leave a residue, but if you're really concerned, wipe down with a damp towel (water) and then a dry towel.
Came out shiny and clean. It's actually a decent DIY method.

It's worth a try... do it on an inconspicuous area and see if you like it.



I'd be scared of that messing with the chrome or something. Hopefully it doesn't damage your drum long term!


I'll give it a try!

-Jonathan
 
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Diet coke isn't sticky like regular coke, and the mild acidity aids the cleaning process. Any possible residue wipes off with water, but if you don't use a lot, there's not a lot of clean up. I had a small plastic tub of soda, and dipped the foil in that.
I put down towels to catch any mess, but didn't really need them.



You don't need the coke. Foil and warm water does the same thing without the sugar, caffeine, and acid. Seriously, it works well and won't get sticky. Works wonders for chrome too.
 
You don't need the coke. Foil and warm water does the same thing without the sugar, caffeine, and acid. Seriously, it works well and won't get sticky. Works wonders for chrome too.

Yep! Warm water and crumpled foil is part of what I used on my 68 Supra. I was a little leery but tried it on an old pearl hoop first. Worked fantastic on any and all rust ??. Change out the foil often or when turning grey or black .
 
Just found these on my phone . They may show up out of order or sideways, but you can see how the foil and water took care of the rust on MY 68 Supra. Especially on the hoops and strainer. Take your time and go slow . I was leery about using foil also , so I tried on some old junk chrome hoops first . This was two years ago and still looks the same today with no ill effects. Use dawn and warm water and like a plastic coated scrubby sponge first for dirt and grime.







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You don't need the coke. Foil and warm water does the same thing without the sugar, caffeine, and acid. Seriously, it works well and won't get sticky. Works wonders for chrome too.
Foil & water? Like wet sanding, but with foil? Is any electrolysis involved between the dissimilar metals?

Back when I worked on bicycles, it was a few blocks from the Pacific ocean. We'd get a few bikes every week where the seat post (the part that raises & lowers the seat) was stuck in the seat tube (the bike frame) from the salt water creeping into that joint where the two parts connected. The remedy: turn the bike upside down, remove the crank arms, crank shaft & bearings, and pour a half-can of Coke® into the seat tube. Wait a few hours and the seat tube slides out easily.

I stopped drinking Coke® the day I was taught this.
 
I, also, only use it for cleaning. ;)

Foil & water? Like wet sanding, but with foil? Is any electrolysis involved between the dissimilar metals?

Back when I worked on bicycles, it was a few blocks from the Pacific ocean. We'd get a few bikes every week where the seat post (the part that raises & lowers the seat) was stuck in the seat tube (the bike frame) from the salt water creeping into that joint where the two parts connected. The remedy: turn the bike upside down, remove the crank arms, crank shaft & bearings, and pour a half-can of Coke® into the seat tube. Wait a few hours and the seat tube slides out easily.

I stopped drinking Coke® the day I was taught this.
 
Foil & water? Like wet sanding, but with foil? Is any electrolysis involved

Yes, exactly. The two metals create a chemical reaction in the water. The water becomes a white and paste like cleaner. When the "paste" gets dark, redip the foil. It all wipes off with a clean cloth.

Over50drumguy, your snare is gorgeous. I can see my reflection in the photo!
 
Yes, exactly. The two metals create a chemical reaction in the water. The water becomes a white and paste like cleaner. When the "paste" gets dark, redip the foil. It all wipes off with a clean cloth.

Over50drumguy, your snare is gorgeous. I can see my reflection in the photo!

Thanks ??. It came out soooooo much better than expected as there were a couple of good rust spots. It’s a 68 that I’ve had for 40 years ! Seen a lot of action and still looks great .

I also used the method on my 70’s Ludwig chrom-o-wood 10 and 12 concert toms with same good results . 4 of the pics were too big to post , but you get the idea


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IF YOU USE FOIL, BE CAREFUL. If there is any questionable chrome plating, the aluminum foil CAN, flake it off. I had this happen to me in the last year at some point.
 
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