> Solves the problem

:D

Can't wait to see it all put together and ready to whomp!

John

PS - Even if the rods are running true straight through the posts, there shouldn't be any rattle at all when you play the drum.

Yep don't fret the 8 lugs bass. I have a 12"x22" 6 lugger and it tunes up fine. I was worried it would not but it has such a great sound. I run old calf on the reso and Evans EQ3 clear batter. Boomy!!

Mitch what a cool project. Great job as always and you really get things done pronto!

Thanks Glenn I do get the bug and become rather obsessed. It helps move things along!

John you are correct - no rattle yet and I installed Slingerland tension casing washers [interior] all around, lifting the posts to where the rods slide through much easier. The washers are nickel plated, from the 40s...sweet! Actually there was some rattle when I tapped the drum with my hand during washer installation, but played with the kick pedal it hasn't returned yet...

Here are pics of the finished drum. Well I plan to get in there and reinforce the join but it's darn solid as is so time to play it now...

The black paint on the shell, from the 30s, turned to tar during the stripping process, scraper had to be aggressively wiped after each pass. What a pain but it's done. I also removed most of the old varnish from the surface, leaving some in the grain to keep the rustic vibe. Enjoy!

Looks fantastic Mitch! You are a real crafty guy. If you lived here I think we would get along very well.

Nice work!

The drum came out AMAZING, Mitch! Great project to watch and learn from. You did a really pro job on that thing.

And... PLEASE be careful removing paint from any vintage drum. Those old paints had lead in them. I wear face mask, rubber gloves and I work in a well-ventilated area whenever doing any kind of paint removal from an old drum. It's a fun hobby, but follow all the safety precautions at all times. Some of the stuff we work with while doing drum renovations is toxic. Take care of yourself, I want you around for the next project!

Great work, buddy. I'm impressed.

John

...and here it is with the Club Date toms. Together at last! Now all I need is a cheap unwrapped mahogany outer-ply 16X16" Ludwig floor tom. The idea being - 22BD, 20BD, 14FT, 16FT, and just the 12" rack tom as I don't covet 9X13 toms. Shells for large and small venues...

Oh and BTW the cut-down kick sounds just like you know it should - amazing!

I have no doubt we would have some good times Jeff! I do believe I would be bringing copious amounts of beer to your shop...thanks! :)

Thanks John! I'm super happy with it!

Thanks for the tip wrt old paint - didn't really think of that. Next time for sure! ...Because I have no doubt that when I find that 16X16 floor tom, it will be painted black lol!

And here finally is the re-sized pic of the skin after re-ring removal. You can imagine how I was feeling at this point - "yeah, so...here's my kick drum, whaddya think?" lol.

If I had any kind of shop and a few simple forms, I would be hunting down odd/over-sized bass drums and making awesome 22" bass drums out of them for resale. There's a lot of these old student kicks out there, and they aren't generally worth much, especially if you have to get 25" calf heads for em...

Well I finally made this bass drum a ten-lug. True, there are a bunch of holes around the middle now but the drill bit used is only 1/8" so they should fill and disappear nicely...

Had a couple sets of Slingerland NOB single-flange rims, put one set on the rack tom and boy did it improve the sound! Also looks ultra cool, like a stock car rim lol.

I put gaskets under the rack tom lugs to offset some tension-rod splay caused by the absence of wrap [shell is smaller diameter without wrap]. The gaskets are from some Ludwig CS toms I have [scheduled for cut down from power tom sizes], two-to-a-lug, and cut short at the back [narrower] end to fit. I also had to open up the casing sleeve holes but the shape is a perfect fit...being Ludwig and all. :)

Mitch