Vintage Slingerland Restoration? Or Fuggetaboutit?

[Philly James]

Get pics of the different pieces of hardware on the snare drum. That'll tell the story. Where are you located?

I’m in PA, west of Philly. Pics are forthcoming!

 

[JDA]

Strainer-Throw-off - is the Lever (and area) that draws the wires Up...
Butt- is the other side (where snare wires hookup)

 

[Philly James]

Strainer-Throw-off - is the Lever (and area) that draws the wires Up...
Butt- is the other side (where snare wires hookup)

Okay, here you go. I ripped out some of the old calf skin so you can see it better.

 

[Philly James]

And, a couple more:

 

[JDA]

"yEp Gonna Need the Bead Blaster...Earl? get over here. and bring the sand..

 

[Philly James]

"yEp Gonna Need the Bead Blaster...Earl? get over here. and bring the sand..

I have a bead blaster!

 

[SKSMITH]

You just need to clean them. Keep the Leedy snare with them. Looking at the 1st set of photos, I highly doubt you're missing another tom. And I wouldn't worry about a bass pedal.
Remove the heads and hardware (less tacked head, leave it on). Clean the shells with Dawn & warm water, using a terry cloth towel, then dry with a clean towel.
I would not try to shine or buff any hardware or the cymbals, just clean and dry.
I would love to find something like that for the corner of my living room.
Whatever you do, don't let them deteriorate any further. I would never play something like this, but they would be great to display in your home den or living room.

 

[JDA]

SHEEEEIT!Sheeeeit..
..I don't envy you..
That's a 3 or 4 month resto ..
BEST TO SELL IT for top dollar.... (lol) to someone here

removing the hardware ya Gonna be strippin' some screw heads... Then You're SUNK. 5 month resto...

GOTTA A WIRE BRUSH COMBO GRINDER? And a VICE? Of course you do..

 

[Philly James]

SHEEEEIT!Sheeeeit..
..I don't envy you..
That's a 3 or 4 month resto ..
BEST TO SELL IT for top dollar.... (lol) to someone here

removing the hardware ya Gonna be strippin' some screw heads... Then You're SUNK. 5 month resto...

GOTTA A WIRE BRUSH COMBO GRINDER? And a VICE? Of course you do..

I’m a contractor. Gotta lotta tools!

 

[JDA]

time...Time is...

 

[D. B. Cooper]

If someone told me I could only play that set of drums for the rest of my life, I'd be more than happy.
Those are sweet. The tacked head on the floor tom could be problematic, but I bet once cleaned up those will look and sound amazing. The color is cool, not what you'd imagine for a dream set, but still unique and full of mojo. I say clean and polish them, add some new hardware and have some fun!

 

[Philly James]

GOTTA A WIRE BRUSH COMBO GRINDER? And a VICE? Of course you do..

Not sure what you meant by the above comment. I came here for help and advice, but not to read smart comments.

Vice:

Grinder & Brush combo:

Bead blaster:

 

[Mongrel]

Hey Philly, JD is just trying to be funny....

I agree with the others....just a mild detergent and warm water clean up. Maybe remove the deteriorated calf skin off the snare. Go real easy on that painted bass drum head-maybe even just a feather duster or air gun as suggested. I would not attempt to remove that gray pant or even think about wrapping them. I think that would actually detract from their value.

I would lean towards display more than play.

As much as selling them may bother you today, I would think there is some decent value in them to the right person. That is if you were not able to display them or keep them yourself.

Of course you could always rehab the snare, and keep that painted bass drum head as a memento. Both of those would be easy enough to display. Just find a period correct snare stand and a proper frame. Any pics of your dad actually playing them? THAT would be super cool to add to the display.

Very cool find.

 

[multijd]

As stated above there are different levels of cleaning/restoration etc. Take the advice of a gentle cleaning first. Dawn is a good all purpose cleaner for everything you have there except the heads. Be gentle go slow and use your mechanical know-how. Don't force any of the frozen parts. If you can remove the hardware from the shells you will be able to soak the lugs to remove the grime and corrosion. You dont have to do an entire time consuming restoration. Just cleaning them up and making them playable will take a few days but it will be fun. If you are careful not to break anything as you go your job will be more enjoyable and less of a headache. Keep us updated and we will answer specific questions that you have along the way. Good luck!

P.s. Dont use the grinder or a metal brush wheel or steel wool. Dawn will do the job until you need metal polish.

 

[Philly James]

As stated above there are different levels of cleaning/restoration etc. Take the advice of a gentle cleaning first. Dawn is a good all purpose cleaner for everything you have there except the heads. Be gentle go slow and use your mechanical know-how. Don't force any of the frozen parts. If you can remove the hardware from the shells you will be able to soak the lugs to remove the grime and corrosion. You dont have to do an entire time consuming restoration. Just cleaning them up and making them playable will take a few days but it will be fun. If you are careful not to break anything as you go your job will be more enjoyable and less of a headache. Keep us updated and we will answer specific questions that you have along the way. Good luck!

P.s. Dont use the grinder or a metal brush wheel or steel wool. Dawn will do the job until you need metal polish.

Multidj,

What would you use to soak the lugs in?

 

[multijd]

Multidj,

What would you use to soak the lugs in?

Dawn and water. You could start by soaking for an hour or so and see what comes off. Then longer if need be. Sometimes I use a green scrubbing pad but i dont know what the consensus on that is. You dont want to scratch the surface of the metal.

 

[Bijan]

That’s a great strainer but it’s missing a piece. I don’t know if it’s been said, but those all look repainted. Be very judicial if you’re going to clean them.

 

[SKSMITH]

multjd,
By green scrubbing pad, are you talking a Scotchbrite pad?
If so, I can't stress enough not to do that!! They are abrasive, with uses in autobody restoration, sanding, etc.
Dawn & warm water & soft terry cloth towels. That's all that is needed.
I should have mentioned, do not use on the heads. Just dust that front head, it's cool as **** as is.
After getting them cleaned, you can decide to sell or keep. Again, I wouldn't view these as "players", but more as a display.
Steve

 

[slingerland 59 R/K snare]

What Jazz/D/Guy said keep it simple Keep the patina that is there. Enjoy it for what it is. How does the wood look like a bit dry? Old English works wonders. It is an oil. Minor darkening. That front Bass head is Cool. I would not sell it for any value.

 

[rikkrebs]

I

Another important question I have, and maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here: The snare is a Leedy. Do I seek out a period correct Slingerland snare, or restore the Leedy?

Important question #2: is the tom definitely a Slingy? It has no badge, but the hardware matches the bass drum.

Important question #3: I feel like something is missing. Possibly a bass drum mounted tom, and perhaps a large ride cymbal? I have a truckload of questions.

Important question #4: I’m missing a kick pedal for the bass drum. How hard will it be to find a period correct one?

Important question #5: I hate the color. It’s this battleship gray that looks like someone painted it on with a brush. That’s definitely got to go, so I will need to find out if period-correct wraps are available, and if there will be prep work involved, etc.

I would keep the snare with the kit. Even though it doesn't match, it's what your father had with it. If you are going to refinish it I personally would go for a nice black paint job.