Vintage Ludwig bass drum pedal restored

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.

Harmen's drumkit virtually complete

Ok so now all that's left to be done is to obtain a second 14" bottom hoop for my recently acquired floor tom tom. I'll purchase one more Fiberskyn for a head and relocate the emperor.

Last night I painted the Chief's head on to the front head of my old bass drum. This image featured on my old childhood tent when I was just 10 years of age. I've always loved the simplicity of it.















Here are some photos of my kit layout.













Drums:
Ludwig 24 inch Aero Kraft bass drum, calf skin heads, floating tension rods, vintage Japanese (speed king copy) pedal.
14" Yamaha Stage Custom snare, ambassador coated head.
14" vintage, maple shell, Olympic snare drum converted to a free standing tom tom, Fiberskyn head.
14" Vintage, maple shell, Pearl floor tom tom.
Meinl 14" high hats on a 2000 series Sonor stand.
Meinl 16" medium crash cymbal mounted on an extension from the hi hat stand.
Sabian 21" AA medium ride mounted on a vintage Premier cymbal stand.
Wa Lee cut down, china bell, splash mounted on a bass drum rim bracket.
RythmTech wood block and two cowbells, bass drum rim mounted.

A new drum kit for Harmen

For years now I've owned a 1930 Ludwig and Ludwig 24" bass drum.

The label inside reads Ludwig & Ludwig Aero Kraft. The shell is of laminated Mahogany and the hoops are of Maple.

The story behind the Ludwig Aero Kraft label follows. The pages are extracted from the Ludwig & Ludwig catalogue of 1926 from the book "History of the Ludwig Drum Company" by Paul William Schmidt.
I've added the pages relating to drum head manufacture as well because I'm currently curing some skins, experimenting with my own bass drum head construction.

I decided to collect some other bits and pieces to compliment the drum, a snare (Yamaha Stage custom), a kick pedal, a wood block and cow bell. Still to come are a splash cymbal and some hardware to support the accessories. I'm setting up a small versatile kit which will enable me to play along with friends occasionally.