Finding a Re-plater who can redo my Ludwig Black Beauty Bronze

[mlucas123]

Where is the scratch?

 

[Hop]

Not sure if this is a lacquer clear coat or bare metal plating its a 1mm bronze black beauty not brass
Phil

Phil,
From one of your images I can see some flaws...

The area in the blue highlight is where the dealer installed the muffler, and it looks to me as though the hardware caused the plating to be removed. I'm thinking most likely that it rotated during tensioning and abraded/eroded the plating due to the pattern uniformity. If a plastic washer was used this is far less likely to occur, but if a metal washer was used it almost a certainty I'd say.

The area in the green highlight looks like a lighter surface scratch that didn't penetrate to the plating level.

Lastly the red highlight is of a factory lug hole that also shows some sign of some plating abrasion/erosion.

Is the green or the blue highlighted area the one of concern to you?

 

[PhilAycockOfficial]

Phil,
From one of your images I can see some flaws...

The area in the blue highlight is where the dealer installed the muffler, and it looks to me as though the hardware caused the plating to be removed. I'm thinking most likely that it rotated during tensioning and abraded/eroded the plating due to the pattern uniformity. If a plastic washer was used this is far less likely to occur, but if a metal washer was used it almost a certainty I'd say.

The area in the green highlight looks like a lighter surface scratch that didn't penetrate to the plating level.

Lastly the red highlight is of a factory lug hole that also shows some sign of some plating abrasion/erosion.

Is the green or the blue highlighted area the one of concern to you?

View attachment 489731

Yes but there also some hairline scratches on several of the panels but very hard to outline in a photo

 

[Deafmoon]

The minute you drilled for a tone control, it was devalued.

 

[PhilAycockOfficial]

The minute you drilled for a tone control, it was devalued.

I disagree with your assessment it didn't devalue it there are a lot of drummers out there who prefer the old school tone control + John Aldridge will soon be getting his hands on it for a classic engraving which will then only increase the value.

 

[Hop]

I disagree with your assessment it didn't devalue it there are a lot of drummers out there who prefer the old school tone control + John Aldridge will soon be getting his hands on it for a classic engraving which will then only increase the value.

I used to take the mufflers out of my drums, but I left the one in my 552KY... a couple of months ago, I used the drum again and for 'giggles' adjusted the muffler and was like, "Oh, that's what it for!" Covered the gamut from a small moon gel, piece of looped duct tape, to a wallet sitting on the batter head, all with the simple twist of a shiny chrome knob.

Ohhhh! You're going love the drum even more after John gets his hands on it, and it will probably take care of most of the flaws that you may see on those other panels.
I emailed John earlier today asking if the shells still get a clear coat. I figured he may have some 'insider' info, especially since he did the 100th Anniversary run of BB's.

Also, are you going for a traditional Ludwig pattern, your own design or going to let John be free to do own his thing?

 

[PhilAycockOfficial]

I used to take the mufflers out of my drums, but I left the one in my 552KY... a couple of months ago, I used the drum again and for 'giggles' adjusted the muffler and was like, "Oh, that's what it for!" Covered the gamut from a small moon gel, piece of looped duct tape, to a wallet sitting on the batter head, all with the simple twist of a shiny chrome knob.

Ohhhh! You're going love the drum even more after John gets his hands on it, and it will probably take care of most of the flaws that you may see on those other panels.
I emailed John earlier today asking if the shells still get a clear coat. I figured he may have some 'insider' info, especially since he did the 100th Anniversary run of BB's.

Also, are you going for a traditional Ludwig pattern, your own design or going to let John be free to do own his thing?

Well thanks so much I am very excited and In John's opinion he felt the 20's Floral Flower design would suit the bronze black beauty drum the best over the Scrolls pattern that I wanted. I was thinking about looking for some vintage brass colored hoops to match the shell and A P86 millennial throw off but IDK might just leave the 80s hoops chrome an the throw off p85

 

[Hop]

Once you get the drum back from John you'll be able to figure the rims out much easier.
I think that cooper plating some rims may match the bronze shell more closely than say some of the newer Ludwig brass plated die cast hoops.
The cooper looks great on the Alex Van Halen snare no doubt - I like the contrast of tones between the shell and rims (& hardware).

 

[Hop]

I did get a reply back from John Aldridge asking if whether Ludwig applied a clear coat after he engraved the 100th Anniversary snares, and this was his answer,
"Yes, Ludwig lacquered the shells after I engraved them."

 

[PhilAycockOfficial]

I did get a reply back from John Aldridge asking if whether Ludwig applied a clear coat after he engraved the 100th Anniversary snares, and this was his answer,
"Yes, Ludwig lacquered the shells after I engraved them."

Thats good to know because I am proceeding with stripping the clear coat on my black beauty.

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

Let us know how you do it.....

 

[PhilAycockOfficial]

Let us know how you do it.....

Well this is what I bought to take the lacquer off

 

[backtodrum]

buy a buffing wheel and jewlers rouge and buff it out yourself. Eastwood sells wool buffing wheels that will fit a bench grinder and the appropriate rouge (fine abrasive) to apply the buffing wheels. With care you can do it yourself and get great results.

 

[esooy]

If you're going to spray a lacquer protective clear coat on the shell, I have a few tips for you:
1. Most of the spray cans found at home improvement stores have the round spray pattern. These are no good. You want a fan tip rattle can, and these can be found at an auto parts store like NAPA. The fan tip provides much better control of the spray pattern. Attached is how the fan tip looks like. Depending on if you spray it longitudinally or vertically, you can rotate the tip to make the spray pattern horizontal or vertical.
2. When spraying, you'll want to go a bit lighter in coating thickness that you might think. The metal is more slippery than a wood surface and drips and sags are harder to avoid. I would have a few rags and some lacquer thinner handy to wipe down the shell in case you get an immediate sag or drip. Of course if you can practice on another piece of metal that would be best.
3. Make sure the shell is clean of all the buffing compound you use. Lots of lacquer thinner or acetone and plenty of rags to wipe down that shell.

Good luck!

 

[PhilAycockOfficial]

So a sad sad update to those who been following this post. I used lacquer stripper on my Ludwig Black beauty and well lets just say it's no longer a black beauty.. The remover stripped the black finish right off the drum an now it's just a nickel plated beauty.. DOH!

Apparently Ludwig only dips the drums in a nickel bath an then sprays the lacquer black finish on then clear coats

So now I have to have my drum sent off to DrumSupplyHouse to have the shell Electro plated in a black nickel finish that will be better than the factory spray on... Gonna cost bout $250-280 FML I regret what I did an should've just left the finish alone and scratched up

OH well it is what it is

 

[Hop]

So a sad sad update to those who been following this post. I used lacquer stripper on my Ludwig Black beauty and well lets just say it's no longer a black beauty.. The remover stripped the black finish right off the drum an now it's just a nickel plated beauty.. DOH!

Apparently Ludwig only dips the drums in a nickel bath an then sprays the lacquer black finish on then clear coats

So now I have to have my drum sent off to DrumSupplyHouse to have the shell Electro plated in a black nickel finish that will be better than the factory spray on... Gonna cost bout $250-280 FML I regret what I did an should've just left the finish alone and scratched up

OH well it is what it is

Hmmm, the black coating should be electroplated chromium and therefore hard as any other chrome (it's just a chemical that makes it 'black'), as long as the chroming process was done properly.
Do you have a photo of the stripped shell? I would be interested in seeing it.

 

[PhilAycockOfficial]

Hmmm, the black coating should be electroplated chromium and therefore hard as any other chrome (it's just a chemical that makes it 'black'), as long as the chroming process was done properly.
Do you have a photo of the stripped shell? I would be interested in seeing it.

Its definitely no longer a black beauty. Nickel/bronze is what I got now So ill have it replated the proper way and then it'll be a true black beauty again

 

[Phantomlimb777]

View attachment 492823

View attachment 492824

Its definitely no longer a black beauty. Nickel/bronze is what I got now So ill have it replated the proper way and then it'll be a true black beauty again

Man, I kinda like that more than the black nickel.

 

[PhilAycockOfficial]

Man, I kinda like that more than the black nickel.

I can't lie it is kinda growing on me too but I was gonna get it engraved by John Aldridge at some point an he can't do nickel engraving it won't work so idk

 

[mlucas123]

Can you still see the scratch?