SOME RECENT "PROBLEM PROJECTS"

Most drums I work on are fairly routine and can be restored without much fuss and bother. Every now and then, however, I come across a particularly perplexing and problematic project that requires a little more focus to channel mounting frustration into determination to get the job done. Here are a couple of recent examples:

I LIKE IT!  HEY, MICA!

Sometimes over-confidence can lead me into trouble. When I came across this old blue-sparkle Mica with a busted lug I thought, "Awesome! I'll snag this drum cheap because it's broken and surely I'll be able to replace that standard 'Slimline' lug with no problem!" It's like in the movies when the guy says, "Leave me alone! I know what I'm doing!" You immediately know something bad is going to happen to him very soon.

Sure enough, after all the parts were cleaned and I was putting the drum back together (using an extra lug I had found to match), another lug broke.  Then another.  Then another!  It seemed this poor old drum just had brittle bones.  I would have to conduct a search for more lugs, which proved to be a more difficult and time-consuming endeavor than I had counted on.

Another issue I discovered with this drum was peeling rims.  Yes, the chrome plating on the rims was actually flaking off like dead skin, revealing the raw metal underneath.  So the hoops would have to be replaced as well.  Needless to say, this project spent a lot of time on hold waiting for parts.

But of course in the end I finally managed to bring it all together and accomplish my goal of making this drum look and play like new again.

"DON'T MAKE A LYRA OUT OF ME!"

This red-sparkle Lyra snare drum has perhaps the absolute coolest badge ever, so there was no way I could pass it up.  Unfortunately, because I was so attracted by the badge I failed to notice the drum's butt which is an interesting and complicated mechanism that is also missing a major part, meaning it is completely non-functional and useless.  In the auction photo here you can see the snare wires are simply tied around the mechanism to hold them in place.  But just check out that BADGE!  That badge is the best!

There was also an unsightly sticker affixed right next to the throw lever, which may or may not be a major problem.  Can the sticker be easily removed?  Will extracting it damage the wrap?  Is there perhaps something worse hiding underneath such as a crack in the wrap or a hole in the shell?  These are always the risks I take when encountering things stuck on drums, which is why I usually try to extricate myself from such situations.

But of course in the end I finally managed to bring it all together and accomplish my goal of making this drum look and play like new again.  I said that once before, didn't I?

As shown here, I was able to remove the sticker without difficulty so that its former presence is now no longer even noticeable.  The shell is glittering-clean and vibrantly vermilion.  (That just means red and sparkly, dude.)

And here is a close-up of the butt mechanism with all its parts and operating as originally intended.  There is a sliding frame with a "pinch plate" that holds the wire strap, and the little thumb wheel adjusts the frame up or down to tighten or loosen the strap.  This was the part that was missing before, but after a bit of research I discovered what I needed to complete this project.

How I manage to proficiently piece-together these perplexing, problematic projects is private, people.  Just enjoy the photos and don't worry too much about it.