Restoration: Remo pad, 1964.
I purchased two of these old 10” pads, with metal rims, plywood base and fiberboard underlay. They came to me in a pretty filthy state. The original foam had been pummeled enough that the foam in the center was worn away a bit.
Here are before and after photos of one of the pads.
I carefully scrubbed the metal rim and the head with warm, mildly soapy water and a sponge. I also repaired the gap in the metal rim, originally covered with a “Remo” sticker, with some metallic plumbers tape.
The head was old and had a bald spot in the middle where the coating had been worn away by a lot of practice. To reinforce the worn center and help the head last a little longer, I applied a couple of strips of clear packing tape to the underside and smoothed them down.
When I reassembled it, I replaced the original foam with layers of bubble wrap, yoga mat and ensolite sleeping pad.
The three layers stacked just a bit higher than the metal band that held the foam, meaning that it would compress nicely when the head was replaced and retensioned.
It plays beautifully with concert sticks.
I did the same thing with the other pad, and it’s also much more fun to play on now. I’ll probably keep one of the pads and rehome the other one.
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