That's pretty specialized equipment you're asking about. I know for sure there are self-leveling sealers, but I'll be damned if I know if you can run it through a spray gun. I've spray-painted (rattle can) a bunch of drum shells. After priming and prep I put them on an old turntable set at 33 1/3 RPM and spray on many light coats sanding with 00-00 steel wool in-between coats. 8 to 10 very light coats will produce a deep finish with rich color. There are a few clear coat sealers you can choose from. The trick is the turntable! It allows for a nice even application of the paint. You basically hold the gun steady while the drum spins. The turntable makes for faster drying time too. Especially useful if you decide to try an old-school DUCO finish.

This is a shot of a shell in progress:

[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/duco1.jpg[/IMG]

Here's the finished kit:

[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/After.jpg[/IMG]

John

I had an idea of using a biggish sheet of cardboard with a slot cut out of it, in conjunction with your turntable, for doing duco finishes. The closer the [stationary] slot-board to the shell, the tighter the feathering.

This, however...does not help the OP.

My son uses grain filler. Pore-o-pac by Behlens. He shoots lacquer and auto grade paints on his guitars. Do the Kandy and Pearls use a base-color-clear system? That's how I remember it for nice color.

Hello, I think you tried to send a personal message but my inbox was full at the time.

I use a CA Technologies Jaguar SLP HVLP gun for everything I do.

http://spraycat.com/LG%20JSLP.JPG

I did use paint with pearl glitter on a cheep kit, here is the thread on it.

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=25786

I cant remember exactly how I did it but if I were to do it again I would mix the flakes into this,

http://www.mlcampbell.com/products/searchdetail?search=C11702916

And top coat with this,

http://www.mlcampbell.com/products/categories/clear_topcoats/solvent_borne/postcatalyzed/krystal

The level sealer is great stuff, you can spray 4-10 wet mils on a vertical surface without sagging which is good for drums. You can build up to 12 dry mils with it by proper drying and sanding between coats. In the end, you will end up with a baby butt smooth finish.

I think I would try mixing the flakes in the level sealer and spraing one or two coats, then go to straight level sealer just to cover the flakes and get the shell nice and smooth. Then top coat with the Krystal. But you have to be careful not to build to thick of a finish, read the product info sheets and stay within the specs.

I dont know where you are located but this is where I get my cabinet hardware and finish,

oharco.com

Ther are many brands of finish around, you could also try Sherwin Williams, they have really good post cat conversion varnish as well.

But all in all, the flakes mixed into the clear very nice, was easy to spray. Just keep the gun moving and kind of twirl it once in a while to stir the mix.

You could also just buy a gallon of this,

http://www.mlcampbell.com/products/categories/clear_topcoats/solvent_borne/precatalyzed/magnamax

and spray one coat of the flake mix, then two or three coats of clear over it. Im sure thats what I did now that I think about it. It would be easier and much cheeper. I went down the whole level sealer path because you had asked about it. I love it, ask Purdie Shuffle about his club dates that I did for him.

Good luck, post pics for us of the process please.

That's unbelievable that you did that with a rattle can. Great work! And thanks for the turntable tip.

Thanks for the info! I will be trying this very soon. And yes I will post pics of before and after