This drum did come with a brother, a matching 12"x8". Here are photos of this drum cleaned up. It also took a lot of basic cleaning work, but it turned out just beautiful with no water damage issues or anything of the sort.

Nice job! Sometimes you can save them like this and well...sometimes you can't. Glad to see you could on this one. :D

I did that same job a couple of months ago and youve been really lucky because the white painted interior allows to get away really good with the repairment performed. I manage to leave it almost impossible to spot. Now I have the same project waiting for me on a Blue silk Mach 4 14x24 bass drum...The problem is that is a natural interior...and Boy! I dont know if Im going to be able to get away ok this time around!

Can you explain in more detail the "press step" I have a Camco bass drum with a slightly larger issue than yours and I might find it useful.

BBK

Ludwig-Dude - I was totally ready to toss this thing out into the street when I pulled it out of the box. It's a good thing I slept on the idea and went for it!

Drum bug - Yes, I did luck out with the white interior, though I think if the repair was done, it was done and people should know. Probably just a think clear coat on the spot to touch up? I can't remember what Ludwig was using for their interior clear-coats by that time...

BBK - Sure. I pressed down the "bubbles" in sections, so I didn't have to deal with putting tons of glue in the shell at once, making sure it all was sitting tight, etc. I wanted to make sure to work it slow because there were of loose spots in the outer ply (the painted interior ply). As you can see in the picture, I'm using two clamps (one by each edge) and a board (cut to the distance between each reinforcement ring) pressing down thick drafting board (Crescent Brand board). I started at one side of the damaged section, working my way over to the opposite end in sections. Each time I think I gave at least forty minutes or so to dry with the clamp on. I also made sure to wipe off the excess glue as much as possible before I left the clamp on to dry so the glue wouldn't stick to the board. The Crescent board works really nice because it is pretty thick but it will also bend enough to be flush with the shell. Once I pinched around the shell, making sure everything was solid I sanded it down a bit (to remove any excess glue) and filled in the split spots with paintable wood filler.

Good job Billy, you saved another one.

I have done a repair almost exactly like this. I used a piece of a drum shell on both sides of the repair and used a c-clamp. I believe a regular C-Clamp, clamps much tighter than the trigger type bar clamp you used. just sayin'

Greetings and bold salutations to the group...

I have just joined the forum... I found the group through an internet search as I am looking for ways to re-furb my vintage 60's Ludwig kit. I have a set of Ludwig "Super Classics" purchased new in 1967 by my late brother. He and I shared them in those earlier years, I subsequently inherited them after his tragic passing in 1972. Needless to say this drum kit has immense sentimental value to me.

I was amazed when I found this thread so quickly, as it is exactly the repair that my 14" x 22" bass drum needs. It suffered some water damage 10 years ago that looks remarkably like the photos posted. It would seem that I will be able to recover the outer ply to a more or less original appearance using this 'pressure and glue' technique. I will proceed with only the utmost caution, as I do not wish to do any more harm than has already occurred. The instructions and replies are leading me to believe that I have an excellent opportunity to 'fix' my problem...

QUESTION: The original post in 2010 stated "I managed to re-wet the shell (just slightly to prevent more cracking from the outermost ply), inject hi-strength wood glue and press." - I am having difficulty deciding how to do the 'wetting', and am also reading glue instructions elsewhere that call for plies under repair to be absolutely dry before bonding. Should I use damp towels to infuse the plies? Do I dampen, flatten under pressure, allow to dry, then apply glue, re-clamp, etc..? The process looks relatively simple, I just need a little clarity - any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Kris

Can you post pics of the damaged area? If the shell is bubbled up you will have to dampen it to get it pliable enough to repair it. If you don't the shell will probably splinter when you clamp it. I would lay a piece of wet cloth over the problem area and let it sit for a bit till the wood is wet. Inject glue under the warped ply with a medical syringe, get a piece of a old shell to put under each side of the clamp, and something like a piece of rubber or leather on the outer shell to protect the finish, then clamp the sh*t out of it. Due to the dampening of the shell I would let it sit for at least 24 hours and more if you can.