Hi There - There's been a lot of talk here recently about refinishing drums. Re-wrap, re-stain, re-chrome, etc... Any modification to a drum will lessen it's value to a collector. Certain modifications or upgrades may actually increase the value to a player, but it's not a given.

That said, it's generally considered a bad idea to refinish a vintage drum, unless the finish is really in sad shape. Even then, certain drums should never be refinished, e.g. 1920's Ludwig Black Beauty.

You have to decide which is more important to you - Resale value, or the look of the kit. I'm not sure how collectible a 1980's Tama kit is. My guess is "not very", but that could change in the future seeing as how many *American* drum companies now import their shells.

Can you post pics of the drums showing the wear and tear? Maybe some other folks could chime in and help you decide if they even need to be refinished.

Actually the drums aren't in that bad of a shape but been thinking about giving them the treatment I outlined above.

I'll try to get my daughter to take pictures and post them if she knows how to do it (I haven't the slightest idea! :o )...

-elcid

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Yes, well it is a personal chooice then. Sounds like your idea would result in a very nice finish...the question becomes whether the shells need to be refinished. If not, then it might decrease their resale value to a vintage buyer...but if they come out looking awesome, then maybe not.

Those ARE nice old drums...they are pretty sought-after.[/COLOR]

So far it seem like the shells need no major refinishing as the mahogany staining doesn't exhibit but a few nicks here and there--nothing bad, really--so the idea is just to give them a nice cleaning and oiling to make them more appealing to the eye and to protect the wood.

This is a late '70s or very early '80s drum set which was bought from a music store while on consignment, so already had some miles on them, unlike the super-mahogany kit that was purchased new in 1983.

The fact that the older Tamas have regular sized rack toms seems to make them even more desirable than their "power" or extended depth counterparts.

And...yes...these are indeed nice sounding drums (and some might also say good looking too!)... Yes Sir

-elcid

Just FYI... I restored a vintage Kent maple snare with mahogany stain not long ago. It *looked* pretty bad when I got it, but most of the light to medium scratches came out with some gentle hand buffing, using 000 steel wool and a spray on lightweight wax (to help buffer the steel wool).

Can't vouch for the tung oil as I've never used it on a drum with a lacquer finish.

Just checked the drums and am not sure whether is lacquer what coats the mahogany flat finish or not, although it looks and feels very smooth to the touch.

Your post (thank you! :) ) got me thinking that if it is lacquer what coats the mahogany stain then using tung oil won't be a good idea, thus am going to try your method on an small section of one of the drums and see what happens before I proceed any further...

-elcid

Also just try a wood furniture cleaner/polish...see if it spiffs 'em up. the old mahogany Superstars had a very nice finish. I agree, I am not certain it was lacquer, it seems almost oil-ish, but I would imagine it was synthetic of sorts.

Do what you are doing, experiment with a few different methods and cleaners on a small, invisible section of the shell surface. Sounds like you shouldn't do a refinish on these, to me.

It should be laquer on the outside of the drums if the finish is original. I wouldn't use tung oil.......that is for unfinished wood, and since these have a finish already, that kind of nixes that idea. Here's what I'd do........and I've tried this myself with good success. If a drum has a laquer finish like an old Gretsch (or even the new ones come to think of it...) use automotive rubbing compound, with a soft cloth and by hand of course, never machine buff UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING in which case feel free...., and polish the drum by hand until the haze of the rubbing compound is gone. Then, use a good carnuba type PASTE car wax, not anything like Turtle Wax....it must be a CARNUBA wax, give the drum a coat of the wax, let it haze over then rub it off with a soft cloth. You'll be amazed at the shine you will get out of the old laquer finish! The rubbing compound will remove the crud and small scratched in the finish, and the wax will bring the luster back to the finish and protect it to some degree as well.....if its good enough for a 65 mustang, it should be good enough for a 65 Gretsch, right?

I fully concur with your assessment--thanks for the input!... :)

-elcid