Restoration Details
In 1941, Leedy introduced the “Autographs of the Stars” wrap – a tribute to their endorsers and a marketing strategy to showcase the top notch talent Leedy had on their roster. However, public reception of the finish combined with the USA’s involvement in World War 2 proved to be too much, and so the finish was released in very limited quantities. Today, less than a handful of these drums still exist, and most are in the hands of big-name collectors.
This snare was found for sale completely covered in thick, white enamel. Originally purchased as a candidate for rewrap, we examined the drum and decided to test what was under that paint. VERY glad we did! Our first clue was the telling blue background as observed through scratches in the paint at the bearing edge from being left in a basement without heads for a number of years.
There is a fairly involved process o remove paint from a shell like this without damaging the wrap. It starts with testing areas to find out what type of paint was used and what will soften it. Then, once the appropriate chemicals are found, we test an area to see what surface preparation was done prior to painting. Sometimes, wraps were sanded down, damaged with use, broken and filled with bondo – you never know. Fortunately, this wrap was simply painted over without any surface preparation. With the majority of the paint removed, wet sanding, buffing, and a museum grade wax followed. Talk about a diamond in the ruff!