Those look great!

Thanks JC, I love 'em. They're my first set of Ludwigs and I'm hooked.

I'm going to take a guess at those sizes -

24X16, 9X13, 14X14, 18X16

Was I close? Kit looks great!

Mitch

Precisely which 3m "glue" are you referring to, do you mean their NF3 contact cement (not a glue) or do you mean actual glue? I'm intersted in finding a good glue to use as opposed to contact cement which I thoroughly despise.

Good eye- the sizes are 16x24, 16x16, 14x14, & 9x13.

The 3M glue I've used for 8 drums is the Hi-Strength 90 spray adhesive in a green can. I had read that a custom drum maker used used it. It's easy to use, makes a great bond, and is fairly cheap at Lowes.

Ah, 16X16 - I'll just blame the ubiquitous lens aberration for making it look like an 18. :)

Yes that 3M spray contact cement is the best! A real pleasure to work with...

Mitch

Can you elaborate on your process for using this? I'm definitely interested in alternatives to the 3M contact cement, for a few reasons. Thanks

Yeah, I've tried that stuff. Had nothing but trouble with it. The problem with contact cements is that once contact is made, it's permanent. You can't move the wrap around, so if you are slightly off in your alignments, you are stuck with it. Glues on the other hand are only applied to one surface, and they take time to complete the bonding process so it's possible to make adjustments. Otherwise I'd have no compunctions about using it, it is good stuff, although I have seen it eat through wrap if applied too liberally.

Once I have the wrap positioned exactly where I want it, and the starting point is taped, I apply the spray adhesive on the drum shell and wrap in thirds, waiting 4-5 minutes for the glue to dry a bit on each surface. Basically, the drum is sprayed/wrapped in sections until complete. Doing it in sections reduces the chances of major mistakes and lets me focus on smoothing out the wrap from the center to the edges.

I spray 2 coats on the wood shell. I also lightly sand the pvc side of the wrap and clean it before I spray it.

I use a horizontal wood rod or dowell supported on each end to hold up the drum. The rod goes through the drum shell allowing the drum to be turned or rotated. Kinda like a paper towel roller/dispenser.

By the way, I tried to change the title of this thread. No offense to the original post-er.

I like the 3M for how it goes on the surfaces, and it stuck real good too. I see that Hi-Strength 90 is described as a "contact-like adhesive"....definitely something to check out.

The last drum I wrapped I left an inch overlap on either end so tolerances were wide open, then sliced off the excess and sanded. It turned out great but if you need to align for that quarter inch for head-clearance at the edges then contact cement can be a white-knuckle affair...

Aside from all those issues is it really sonically optimal to use a rubbery glue on drum shells? Did the manufacturers? Do they now? Certainly not in the wood plies...:)

I've been wondering about a harder-drying glue for wrapping drum shells, I hear ya MutantMozart.

Mitch