RED MARINE PEARL TOM-TOM

Here is a new project I just completed.  This is a 12-inch, Japanese-made, Red Marine Pearl tom sporting a "Majestic Deluxe" badge.  Notice it has the unusual "offset" lugs.  It also came with no heads and no tension rods, two minor issues very easy to remedy.  Here is a photo of the "back" side:

After the drum was extensively cleaned and polished, I began to reassemble it with new heads and tension rods.  Immediately I discovered the tension rods would not fit the lugs which is a problem that might perplex someone new to the field of restoring old Japanese drums.  But not me.  I've run into this dilemma numerous times before and know exactly what to do.

Removing all the lugs for a second time, I painstakingly changed out all the old Japanese swivel nuts with new ones that have standard threads.  This involves carefully extracting the springs and the old nuts, adding the new nuts and re-inserting the springs into the lugs.  If you've never done this it can be quite tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it the surgery is not all that difficult.  Now for the final results:

See how well that "Majestic" badge cleaned up?  Amazing what a little polish and some determination can do.  Here's a closer view:

And notice also from this close-up of the Tone Control Assembly knob, I clean every little screw head and washer so that all the chrome parts shine like new again:

Now I can add this tom to a snare drum that has the same wrap, and hope to maybe find a bass drum and a floor tom to make up a whole kit in the future.  Although the snare has a "Drum Mate" badge, it is the same "stencil" style and was most likely made in the same Japanese factory.