Back before smoking laws changed, I worked at a club that had pewter-type mugs hanging over the bar. One particularly slow afternoon, I decided to wash all the mugs. It took 10 water changes to clean about 75 mugs because the water became so dirty from all the accumulated soot. One regular who came by during this chore said he was going to give up smoking on the spot when he saw me dump one of the sinks.

The mugs looked great, though, so I think there is something to this theory if drums have been in a smoky environment.

Reminds me that my dentist once told me that smoking kills some of the bacteria responsible for the growth of plaque. The negative outweighs the positive to be sure on that one though.

There's a lot of oil in cigarette smoke.... maybe that's part of the preservative quality for drum finishes.

I remember the round the clock smoking this country was engaged in too, O-Lugs. There were a few classrooms in college we could smoke in.... WOW !

yeah I broke down my Slingerland Radio King (1953-54)to change a broken lug and decided I'm into this far why not take it down to the shell and wrap. well I used Dupont's Nu-Finish (automotive car wax designed for a clear coat type paint). Well needless to say the first coat went on heavy, and it smelt like I just cracked open an ashtray that had been closed up for 40 plus years.Toilet the second coat took the smell away and put a very high gloss shine on the wrap, I think it turn out awesume. Yeah I can remember my folks smokin in the grocery store while shopping!!!! remember "Winston taste good like a cigerette should" or how about I'd walk a mile for a Camel!!!:confused:The good old days. cough cough

mark w.

Mr. Pearl

"I'd rather fight than switch!"

"You've come a long way, baby!"

i agree with you to some point that cig smoke can leave a fim to proteck some finish. with a mix of other factor like greasy finger. that seems to be the case on darker finish. but when it come's to wmp ouch it a finish killer!

I too remember smoking virtually anywhere you wanted to. I even remember being allowed to smoke while filling cars at a small gas station I worked at briefly in high school...those were the good old days...of course we could also drink beer in our cars, in public pretty much anywhere. The police had to actually have a real reason to stop you, let alone search you, and open containers were not one of those reasons.

My mom worked as the Clerk Of Court for a smaller city in SC when I was in High School. I was a...ahem....Police Cadet, the Captain of my troop...and the biggest purveyor of "buds and brews" on my campus. Every Friday during my senior year I got out of class at like 10:30, actually every day, but on Friday I would cruise over to the Radar Club just inside the gates at one end of the Air Force Base and fill up the entire luggage compartment of my full sized Ford Ranch Wagon with ice and beer, back to the parking lot before the go home bell and empty out the contents right there in plain view of the teachers, school cop, all of them...

Growing up in S.C. in the 60s and 70s was a really unique experience as the Charleston metro area was about 65-68K in total population and the rules were fairly lax, as far as doling things they could be considered in the less than really legal area, especially for me. I knew the cops in the entire area, from virtually all depts, State, all the city and township depts, County and even "private" security. Not your rent-a-cop types, but the guards for my friends' dads' "business associates"...yes, I knew one of the local Dons' kids. Anyway...let's just say I was very well connected, and remained so for MANY years, on both sides of the law. It's very complicated, but let's just say because of m mom, and to a somewhat lesser extent, other people, I was considered an "Untouchable".

Ahem...Back to original post, I think the tar, and to a lesser extent, the nicotine, had a protective quality to it. I hate the smell of stale smoke, from the past 50 years, but I hate the smell of fresh smoke now more than I ever thought possible. I smoked for almost 40 years. Started when I was 8, quit on 8-7-07.

Thanks for the laughs guys! This was a fun post to read and a welcome break from polishing all thos kicker claws and tension rods on this old kit! I was a smoker too, but am now happily Nico-Teen free for many years now....remember smoking in H S and looking around the corner for teachers as 4 -6 of us hot boxed a ciggy!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3AWbZcLpGw[/ame]

...uhh...we had a smoking area on campus...out behind the cafeteria...after eats smokes and all, you know.