I am thinking of taking on a project painting some shells. I have no real experience with painting any shells. Only walls! Anyway the shells I have to use are mahogany outer ply. I thought I had heard before that shells that were painted we're always maple outer ply. Does this mean I should not use a shell with mahogany outer or could I use it if I primed it well. Any advise or tips are appreciated. Thanks
Curtis
You can paint them if you want to.
get some sanding sealer to close up the rather open grain of that wood. A couple coats, sand with 220 dry and check- it may need a third or more coats and always sand flat (with a sanding block) when you are satisfied the grain is filled.
Then apply paint- I suggest spray, and test it is compatible with your sanding sealer. Generally this is not a problem, but always test.
Finally clear coat if you plan on it. If you do plan a clear coat finish, apply the color as thin as possible with adequate coverage. A good test of coverage is to write with black marker on a white sheet of paper and count the coats needed to cover so that you can't see the marks on the paper.
If you are not doing a clear, apply at least three wet double coats and allow to dry completely- this may be a week or more dependent on your finish. The start blocking it out. Wet block sand with 400 (if needed), 600, 1000 and then buff to final gloss. Similar procedure with a clear coat, but you apply light paint as discussed and (at least) three full wet double coats of clear before the blocking and buffing.
That is very abbreviated, and you should search around for more tips and tricks but that is the VERY basic method.
ec, Jim knows what he is talking about. This is just another way to go, I have used the water base Famowood wood filler, you can thin it easily by adding a few drops of water to it. For grainy woods such as Luan I coat the entire shell with the filler. It will fill in the grain real nice. You can do this or build up layers of sealer like Jim is saying. Either way you need to make the shell smooth or it will look bad. It takes several coats of paint or sealer to get it smooth. The wood filler will reduce the amount of coats needed to achive the smoothness.
Jeff C
The key is the sanding in-between coats! I use 00-00 steel wool in-between coats and the shells end up smooth as glass to the touch when you're done.
Painting drum shells is a fun project. Enjoy the process. In a week or so, I'm going to attempt my 'second' Duco paint job project on a set of 66' Club Dates I recently acquired. Not sure if I'm doing; Navy-blue/Silver combination, or Black/Gold. But then, making those decisions is half the fun! See photo for results of my first Duco job. Really gratifying results.
[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/After.jpg[/IMG]
When they're all done... "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours!" Jumping2 LOL
Good luck, Eric, keep us posted.
John
John sounds like another cool project man~! I really like the blue and silver duco. So nice! I'd love to try one of these paint jobs someday myself. Looking forward to seeing everyone's paint jobs!! Yes Sir
When I said this,
It takes several coats of paint or sealer to get it smooth.
Jeff C[/QUOTE]
What I mean is getting the shell smooth enough to accept the paint. Once you start actually painting then make sure you sand between every coat as John has stated, this will make the paint itself nice and smooth.
Jeff C
+1 on the blue and silver John. I like both mentioned but I especially like the blue silver.
I would love to attempt a duco at some point but this project I have in mind is for a family member and its going to be something a little different just for me to experiment a bit and the pleasure of my cousin.
Please post some pictures. Before, during and after. I never cared much for the duco look but someday I want to try a fade like the Rogers tobaco burst I beleive its called.
Jeff C
ive done a lot of spray painting over the years. i did my first drum recently and it turned out better than i wanted. i had bought a set of 66 ludwig clubdate combos in black lacquer 20,12 with matching jazz festival. someone had already started converting a 12x15 for a floor tom.
it was painted in flat black. i sanded it good and primered over that. sanded that smoothly and applied 3 coats of spray black lacquer. after a few days, i hand rubbed(waxed) the shell. it is just as smooth as the factory drums and has the same gloss without having to clear it. doesn't stand out as a newly painted drum at all. i couldn;t be happier.
didnt take pics yet as i was ready to get it into the playing rotation.
mike
> didnt take pics yet as i was ready to get it into the playing rotation.
Photos or they don't exist! lol
Looking forward to seeing how they came out. I got hold of one exactly the same as yours! 66' 12, 14, 20. Can't wait to get going on them.
John
