The bass drum pedal project is finally at a stage where I've been able to attach it to my old bass drum and get a feel for how it plays.
I designed a different pedal to beater link from the original link rod.
After noticing the wear caused by the rod link to all the three connecting pivot holes in the brass castings of the foot plate and the fulcrum beater clamp, I decided to bolt a pin through the pivot holes. I then fabricated a stainless steel bow strap. All the tension and friction is now transferred to the pins which distribute the load and the wear to replaceable components.
Every modification I have made is reversible in the event that this old pedal becomes a museum piece at some future time.
Now that I've secured the leather beater to the shaft there are now no loose parts and the pedal plays noiselessly. I installed a new spring in the pedal post and tensioned it to my liking.
Surprisingly the pedal plays very well. It takes some getting used to as the foot plate is relatively short by comparison to the modern pedal that I have been playing. The short foot plate means that only the ball of my foot fits on it. Keeping my heel on the floor the pedal is relatively lively and responsive. The beater is lighter than my modern felt one which means it has less mass and will therefore alter direction more quickly.
I have come to like the aged look of this pedal so I've decided not to nickel plate it after all. Some of the steel components are quite badly pitted with corrosion so I have simply wire brushed these items and coated them with boiled linseed oil.
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