Yes

No way to tell actual force, not all drummers tune their drums the same way. Most things are made for "normal use", which is ambiguous. Yes, a 10 lug vs an 8 or 6 would require less tension, under "normal use", then again, define "normal use". I've known guys to crank down 10 luggers to an extreme.

I don't know if any one has ever done a study on lug tension, if anyone knows, please post. Since it is cast metal, there will always be some sort of flaw or weak point in the casing, since the casting is inconsistent.

Is this the only bad lug you have?

Ah yes Rogers' dirty little secret. (not really) The bread and butter lugs. There are many sites dedicated to replacement or repair of the B and Bs. Our Rogers experts will chime in with the details.

I was really kind of hoping some people from the drum manufacturers watch these sites. I am aware of some attempts to repair these lugs, but wanted to reconsider how best to fix them based on solid engineering principles. The example in the picture is most certainly NOT the only cracked or broken B&B I have to contend with. Unfortunately, I have lots, but only have a couple not used on a drum with which to experiment. Arguably my favorite snare I own is a B&B Powertone whose lugs are starting to pop and I'm now terrified to even play it (which makes me very sad.) So, I look to try to solve this problem by exploring the root causes of the issue.

One more thing I forgot in my last post. While it may not be critical to the discussion, B&B lugs are not cast metal: they are "drawn brass". This is a multi-step stamping process where flat sheets of material are forced into progressively deeper molds until the final shape is completed. However, like any material, the brass sheets may not be 100% ****logous and can contain imperfections and contaminants.

Have you checked with the foundry workers,..that could be a mix issue or cooling issue ?

I don't know how much stress is applied in terms of accurate measurement, but the answer should be easy to attain from engineers who design drums for the large manufacturers. Please allow my answering your remaining questions with the somewhat lengthy historical overview below:

Prior to the introduction of modern day spring loaded threaded inserts, drums fitted with cast metal lugs were tensioned by screwing threaded tension rods into threads tapped directly into the metal lugs. Straight, accurate alignment of tension rod and lug was critical. Even with proper alignment, the high stress resulting from constantly tensioning calf heads, together with the physical shock absorbed by the drum during performance, all worked against maintaining the long term mechanical integrity of the tensioning system. This disallowed for parts misalignment, and transferred all shocks and stresses directly to the drum.

The development of the cast lug employing a spring loaded threaded insert was a 'giant leap forward' in drum manufacturing technology. I believe it was the Leedy Manufacturing Co. which pioneered and implemented the design. Early Leedy designs employed a threaded barrel insert held loosely in place at the end of a springless lug. The threaded barrel had sufficient mobility so that it could swivel to compensate for minor tension rod misalignment. Leedy soon after introduced the design which we today take for granted.

Design variations put into production by numerous makers led to the use of flat thin metal tabs fit into recessed slots behind threaded receivers. Lug and thread damage was greatly reduced, although not completely eliminated. A similar concept is designed and utilized on Trixon drums' square "tank turret" lugs; the difference being the use of molded nylon shock mounts and gaskets in place rather than metal tabs to secure the threaded inserts and reduce shock. Quite an advancement over the earlier directly tapped lugs! It's interesting to note that prior to Trixon's "tank turret" lugs, the company employed tear drop shaped lugs with spring loaded threaded barrel inserts! But earlier Trixon production employed the same tear drop lugs, only a small square tapped "tab" was in place serving to receive the tension rod. It was recessed internally from the end of the lug, secured with a small wedge of felt, and allowed virtually zero error in alignment! Many MIJ vintage kits employ the same idea. Some of the best made vintage British drums such as pre-Yamaha Premier, Olympic, Beverley, John Grey & Sons, etc., use an effective "hybrid" system. A modern style threaded barrel receiver fits through a thin, flat, angular insert; this two-piece assembly then fitted into a recessed cutaway at the underside end of a springless solid lug. Slight vertical movement of the tab enclosing the threaded receiver absorbs downward shocks, while the threaded receiver is able to rotate enough to compensate for tension rod alignment.

Eventually research and design would make a further refinement, introducing the spring loaded cast metal lug. This advance would compensate for almost any discrepancy in tension rod alignment, absorb downward vertical stress and shock, and maintain positional stability. High tension could now be applied to drum lugs without fear of damaging castings and without the fear of stripping threads!

The Rogers "bread'n'butter" chromed brass lugs are known for stress cracks and breakage; a result of several serious design flaws. The first and most serious flaw the choice of thin, malleable brass as the material for the lug casings. Then the use of a very tensile spring backing the threaded receiver applies too great an upward vertical pressure directly against the lug shell where the receiver passes through a thin small tight fitting hole allowing no real side to side movement. The lugs are fastened to the shells by screws passing through two thin, flat, soft brass tabs folded under and into place from the ends of the single thin sheets of brass during the manufacturing. If all calfskin heads are used with these lugs their survival rate is somewhat extended, but they simply are incapable of handling the tremendous pressures required to tension modern plastic heads. Either way it is rare indeed to see a vintage Rogers drum all original and completely intact. Their high failure rate is a result of terrible design and poor construction.

Each of the modern drum tensioning designs mentioned above have their pluses and minuses with regard to practical application. After many years restoring, repairing, and performing it is my studied opinion that the modern spring loaded cast lug of the type seen in vintage Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers, and Gretsch drums, stands superior in all respects.

If they're drawn brass then there is you answer right there.

It's kind of like the tommy helmets the Allies used vs the "Fritz" helmets the Germans used in WWI. The Allies couldn't get a deeper shape than the bottle cap looking helmet because they were trying to stamp it out all at once. The Germans I believe used a stamp, cooling, stamp and finally heating method.

I think those b&b casings are stamped too deep of a shape.

That lug looks die-cast, then a hot bead added after the bend, which may have weakened the cast.

I realize now that we`re in for a kookadams invasion !i