"BIG RED" GETS A THOROUGH CLEANSING

While the Ludwig "Jellybean" kit is still on hold, waiting for parts to finish the snare, it's back to cleaning the "LudSlingers" this weekend, and any other drums lying around here that could use a little polish.

Here, as all my drummer friends know, is a Slingerland 9 x 14" marching snare nicknamed "Big Red."  I don't remember where or how I obtained this drum but I did, and it eventually became the snare associated with the "LudSlinger" kit, a hybrid assemblage of Ludwigs and Slingerlands that I threw together because I had nothing better to do.

Though I have done minor repairs on this snare and replaced the heads several times, I have never given this vintage marching drum a good deep cleaning.  So since I am currently on standby with the Jellybeans, now would be a good time to give old "Big Red" the complete and thorough misplacemtnman treatment.  It is time to completely disassemble this drum, scrub every nook and cranny, and bring it back to life.

Here you can really see the difference that meticulous polishing makes.  All that gritty, grimy build-up on the chrome is cleared away and now look how the hardware shines!  The rims, lugs, tension rods, knobs and throws now gleam as if they were almost new which, of course, they are not.  This drum is rather old.

Incidentally, one question I always get from people when I show them this drum is: What is that little tube attached to the side of the drum (noted with an arrow in the above photo)?  That is a very good question, and one that puzzled me for years until I finally figured it out.  That is a little holder for a drum key.  Because this is a marching drum, the makers thought it would be a good idea to keep one handy, cleverly clipped to the shell as the player marched around.  Instead of providing a cheap little plastic pouch that dangles down the side, which would allow the key to swing about and knock against the drum, this holder keeps the key secure yet easily accessible while performing in a marching band.

In my case, however, the special Slingerland key that fits this attachment has been lost, and now I must spend my time searching for one on Ebay.  Not just any key will fit this little slot, so my holder will remain empty unless I manage to find the exact vintage Slingerland marching snare drum key that I need.

You might also notice that the tension knob on my snare strainer is missing.  Yeah.  It fell off at some point.  I hate when that happens.  It is so embarrassing.  But check out the awesome job my polish does to sparkle wraps!  Compare this photo to the first photo at the top of this post and you will see how the sparkly flakes really pop out and shine after the polish removes the hazy grime that builds up on drum shells.

Now that this drum is finished, I can go to work on the Ludwig White Marine Pearl floor tom that goes with this collection.  And whatever spare drums I got layin' around here.....