Go for it Robyn!

I'll be peeking over your shoulder. Can't wait to see it done!

Add a little wood filler to the dings in the edges with your finger. Light sanding all around with 00-00 steel wool, followed by some bees-wax and the edges will work just fine.

They look like old Luan shells. The more aged the better with those. You might want to Tung Oil the inside of the shells! It'll brighten them up sound-wise, harden the shell and help the drums to project better.

Have fun doing it!

John

ok got snare and 12in all puttied and sanded and cleaned up ready for the next step. got the 13 puttied and drying, it took a lit'l more putty then the other two, plan to sand and clean it up tomarrow. will have all three ready for step two tomarrow afternoon. here's a cup'l photos of progress.

snare:

[Attachment: 55312]

12in.

[Attachment: 55313]

and a cup'l of me ronnie snuck in

[Attachment: 55314]

[Attachment: 55315]

Thanks John, i sure could use some shoulder peeking. so far things are working smooth as a babies butt. as you may see i'm bout ready for the next step. i haven't done the bees wax. i can do that tho. i thought the edges actually looked pretty good and i did lightly sand them a bit and i think they will work great. you suggested tang oil but i was thinking of painting the shells. would that be ok to do?

robyn - I only suggested the Tung Oil on the interiors because Tung oil dries rock hard. Luan is a soft wood and adding Tung oil will help to stiffen the wood a little bit, make it harder. The harder surface will project more sound. A good buddy of mine refurbished a 60's Luan kit and he re-cut the edges and gave the shells the Tung oil treatment. He was impressed with how good they sounded. He says the drums sounded 10x's better after he got done rehabbing them.

Paint will eat up sound frequencies (absorb them) whereas Tung oil, applied in multiple coats with sanding in-between coats using 00-00 steel wool, will produce a surface as hard, smooth and shiny as glass. The drum will project better than before.

That could be any one of us in that photo, we've -all- been bitten by the same bug!

John

thanks for the tip John, but i have never worked with tung oil b4, is it hard to work with? i kinda had my heart set on black shells, would the tung oil work covered over paint?

hey guys, while i'm scuffin' my knuckles out here (lol) could you all look around in your stash boxxes and see if ya can find me a muffler like this

[Attachment: 55330]

lol but seriously i do need one for the 12in. all the drums have them but the 12, it should, the holes are there for it. ok thanks

ok going back to the shed now.

robyn - tung oil only goes on the inside in this case. You are going to cover the shells with fabric outside, no need for oil. Tung oil is just that, a honey colored oil. Your pour some on a pad of 00-00 steel wool and rub it in. Wait intil it dries and do it again. Repeat the oil application 4 or 5 times. You'll have a rock hard and smooth as glass finish on the inside of the shells. Not hard or complicated and it'll make the shells stronger and sound better.

John

ok john, you've talked me into it, sounds pretty easy. after thinking bout it i'm gonna skip the paint and give them the tung treatment. but...the snare and bass are already painted on the inside so will i be able to oil them? i can add photos if you need to see them. that was kind of the reason i was thinking of painting them, that way they would all be the same on the insides.

Didn't know about the painted interiors... paint them all then. No sense using the oil on one or two pieces.

John