Shouldn't be allowed within 50' of power tools...OR a drum, LOL.
I received the 18" Ludwig 3-ply floor tom that I bought off EBay. The seller stated that it was originally a Mach (long) lug shell, but he had drilled it to accept small classic lugs. I was going to re-install Mach lugs, BUT, Ludwig made 5 different versions (who'd of thought) and none of the ones I have or can find will fit. The shell already looks like Swiss cheese, so I decided to give up on the Mach lug idea and just go with mini classic lugs on the entire project kit. So....I removed the lugs to strip the wrap and found this;
Attachment 13887
Attachment 13888
Seriously? A kindergartner with a pic-axe could have done a better job. Really...if you're gonna add holes to a vintage drum shell, fine. AT LEAST buy a tape measure, straight edge and the proper size drill bit, LOL. It's not rocket science.
I can (and will) fix it. I'll plug the extra factory holes with pieces of hardwood dowel rod. Luckily, they used one of the existing factory holes for the top of each mini lug. That will keep the lugs stable enough. But, these "self drilled" holes that are egg shaped or out of alignment will be tough, if not impossible, to fix. :doh: I'll probably end up filling the extra space around each bolt boss with epoxy putty. Or, I may end up moving the lugs closer to the rim and drilling one new hole for each lug. Either way, it's a lot of work.