Thank you John, I took a quick peek at the products, lots of reading to do but I will check in to it when I get a minute. Looks like a good experiment for a single drum for starters. When I have a day like I am today, I swear I will never stain another piece of wood for as long as I live. Having a bad day,lol!

Yes, me too (for today anyway,lol)

I'm going to get to play with the thermogloss stain on Bill H's kit so I probably wont do mine with it. Im thinking birch veneer with that color dye that the Gretsch kit has but with a satin finish this time.

Coolio. :)

I have 3 MIJ shells, the last of my MIJ since I got my Ludwig/Gretsch kit back and the only 3 I'm keeping [sold/selling the rest]. Home Hardware has rolls of birch veneer for 12 bucks, and they are located right up the street - this is key! :)

Anyway, I am going to try the birch veneer on these MIJ shells. They already look fantastic, in my mind lol. Will make a thread, post pics.

Sorry to hear you're having a bad day.....tomorrow will be better!

Mitch

Mitch that would be great, looking forward to the thread. So what is Home Hardware price and what size do they have? Is it a paper back 10 mil?

Day is going better, problems are being solved!

They're 12 bucks and I *think* the rolls are 12" by 4 feet...I should really write this kind of thing down! I remember it's 12" wide cuz I measured the the distance on the shell between heads and she'll *just* do it [shell is actually 13.5 deep].

The poor lady on the phone was up and down the ladder checking dimensions and price - think I'll just walk up there for the rest of the specs lol.

Surely 10mil doesn't refer to thickness? I hope it's paper-backed, as in my mind that seems like it would be a lot easier to work with [keep flat].

I'll walk up and have answers for you tomorrow. Glad to hear the day is improving!

Here's a pic of the Luddie/Gretsch kit I'm hoping to sort of match, so the MIJ's will be a "little sister".

Jeff,

I have several kits in matte finishes. When I ordered my first, it was matte because there was not time to build up a high gloss lacquer finish and get the kit in time for the project for which I needed them. I was a little bummed, however, I really do like the look of them now and they are extremely easy to keep clean. My lacquer kits show every little finger print so they get cleaned every time they go out. The matte finish kits just need a wipe down with a clean cloth and they are good to go and they look classy.

Well, that makes me wonder how the drum manufacture you are referring to goes about the finish process. For me it is simply just a different product, gloss, satin and dull are all sprayed the same.

If I keep doing this I really should look into other finish systems. I am staying away from that for now simply because I don't want to invest a ton of money into other products when I already have sealers, topcoats and thinners all sitting on the shelf in my shop. Besides, my drums look pretty good, the guys on the forum that I have done work for seem to be pleased with it. It is a conversion varnish that will withstand about anything you spill on it, gas, nail polish remover.

I think the Gretsch kit that Shawn M has is a matt,. or satin as I call it, finish. I would have to look again to make sure, but anyway, I think it looks spectacular. I need to go to Guitar center and look at finishes again.

John, thank you for posting the link to those products. It is fun to look into other systems and see what else is available. I see the dye's are 20.00 for 2oz, a little too pricey for me. My finish supplier, Oharco, has several products available to me including dye's, stains, glaze, sealers and top coats. Here is a link to the products that I use,

http://www.mlcampbell.com/

Oharco can do about anything, they can custom match any color, stain or dye. They can make shading additives to mix into the clear coat if you want to darken up your project. I could even make the finish looked cracked. They do not offer metalic finishes, that is why I dont do those. I have experimented with some products from here,

paintwithpearl.com

remember the copper sparkle kit? So I can do a sparkly finish but I am not a big fan of it.

Lab test results for the conversion varnish( lacquer) that I use. I use Krystal on all my cabinets.

Chemical Resistance Evaluation

Purpose: Test the ability of the finish to withstand substances typically found in kitchens and bathrooms. Exceeds AWI specifications for household chemical resistance for SYSTEM 5 conversion varnish and SYSTEM 11 catalyzed polyurethane. Contact and dry time of each chemical is in accordance to AWI and KCMA test procedures.

Results

Vinegar Excellent

Lemon Juice Excellent

Orange Juice Excellent

Grape Juice Excellent

Ketchup Excellent

Coffee Excellent

Olive Oil Excellent

Boiling Water Excellent

Cold Water Excellent

Nail Polish Remover Excellent

Household Ammonia Excellent

VM&P Naphtha Excellent

Isopropyl Alcohol Excellent

Wine Excellent

Windex Excellent

409 Cleaner Excellent

Lysol Excellent

33% Sulfuric Acid Excellent

77% Sulfuric Acid Poor

28% Ammonium Hydroxide Excellent

Gasoline Excellent

Murphy's Oil Soap Excellent

Vodka 100 Proof Excellent

1% Detergent Excellent

10% TSP Excellent

Ethanol/ Water Excellent

Mustard Excellent

Acetone Excellent

What no beer spill analysis??? The horrors!!!

I like the burst finishes. You can even do a tri burst which are kind cool.

Jeff I walked up to HH today and the veneer is 12"X99", thickness 0.03in, $12.00 a roll.

Here it is, at Lowe's -

http://www.lowes.ca/melamine-boards/bennett-12-in-x-99-in-birch-glue-edging_g1441461.html

The roll I looked at was made of three "bands" for width, so there are seams on at least some of the rolls. Also the one I looked at had separation between two of the bands so one would have to select the "good" rolls in person.

Other than the seams it is a nice bright blonde veneer that I look forward to using.

Mitch