85% restored?

Doesn't look like he did a thing to it!

I recently hand polished all the metal parts on a entire RK set........took forever! But sure looks different then when I got them....................

Used Blue Magic on it,but Simichrome would have worked just as well or better,without the ammonia smell too.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Like I said though, that's not my drum, just an auction of the same model and color. Pretty similar condition as well.

I'm going to try to do some polishing.

How about these snare wires? I know Puresound makes special ones, but do I need those? Could I not just use extended length snares from another brand?

Your head selection might be limited to what'll fit the drum. Before the mid/late 1950s, drum shell diameters were a little bit bigger than they are now, so modern plastic heads often won't fit old drums, or if they do, it's a TIGHT fit that makes tuning a bear and can damage the drum's finish.

Thankfully, Aquarian makes the American Vintage line of heads. They're slightly oversized, specifically to fit older drums. And they sound great on my old Radio King. Make sure you don't confuse the American Vintage heads with Aquarian's Modern Vintage heads, which are the same heads but in modern sizing.

The bridges allow the snare wires to extend past the drum's bearing edges, kinda similar to parallel strainer systems like Ludwig's "Super Sensitive" mechanism. I'd recommend using the wires Puresound makes specifically for old Radio Kings because they're not only the right length, but the right width. Old Radio Kings tend to have narrow snare beds and my experience is that wires any wider than 16-strand sets may buzz like crazy on these drums.

Puresound's model numbers for a Radio King with three-point strainer and bridges like the one in the eBay auction above are PRE1416 for 16-strand wires or PRE1412 if you want a narrower 12-strand set. You can order them through Interstate Music, among other sellers.