Mitch, that great how the wrap can have so much flexibility without any damage. I think you have done a fine job experimenting with all of these products and you will wind up with a really beautiful kit when your done!

Keep it up, I appreciate you sharing this with us.

Thank you Bart and Jeff! Super jazzed to finally settle on the right products and I will indeed continue sharing this process...

Much dryer conditions today though still a bit damp. The next issue is applying the emulsion on the Dura Lar sections without having it seep under the edges onto the front here and there. Spreading outward toward the edges is the obvious technique, but with the flow of this emulsion it can get sucked back under the sheet. I suppose I could low-tack mask the edges on the front/top, but I'm hoping to come up with a simpler, more elegant solution...

When I get to documenting the procedure I'll show how I use newspaper sections under the sheet in double layers - once the sheet is coated, you whip out the top layer of newspaper so that no glitter sticks to newspaper, only wrap. This way you can reclaim the glitter that spills over the edges onto the newspaper.

The sections for each shell will be pre-cut to exact dimensions; I don't want to ruin scissors cutting through glass bits, and the offcuts would be a waste of glitter. I am still undecided as to whether to use water-based contact cement [something like $80 per gallon up the street here] or an industrial adhesive for carpets [$18 per gallon at the same store] for attaching the wrap to the shells. One thing I like about contact cement is, it is rubbery, with some "give", and thus might be less inclined to fight the Dura Lar for "ownership" of the glitter/emulsion combo [less chance of separation].

If the 1lb of glitter I have will cover the 12/14/20 shells I have, I will definitely be able to offer this wrap to anyone who don't feel like putting it together themselves, at a very reasonable price. If I use all the glitter and all the emulsion, the paint and Dura Lar sheets will put the total at around $100.00 CDN. I expect to use about half the emulsion on hand...

More to come...meanwhile here are some psychedelic close-ups of the wrap for fun. :)

Mitch

Thats gonna be beautiful Mitch. Cant wait to see it on the drums!

looks goods!!!

Mitch,

You have that nailed. Great job!!

Creighton

Thanks a ton guys! I've put more time into thinking about this than anything else I've ever done lol. Usually I just wake up, and go do it, results be what they may...:)

Last night I made the decision to save a bit of cash and forget about gluing the wrap to shells at all - one strip of double-sided tape, affixing the wrap to itself at the seam. No tape on the shell itself; no residue to remove if I change things out in future. I'll clamp the one end down about 4 inches from the end and that'll allow me to pull the other end tight to the seam.

No glue because I intend to keep experimenting with making wrap and maybe I'll want to swap it out for gold or whatever. I have those "Glitter Brilliants" to treat with acetone to achieve a nice pale gold.....they also come in silver. Basically it's hex glitter which is just different looking.

I compared my tests with some MIJ wrap and have decided that what I'm making is silver sparkle, not silver glass glitter - even though it is glass glitter, the chunks are smaller than what that term refers to. If you wanted a real glass glitter look you'd have to go with 70 grit or even 60...

Mitch

Mitch have you tried to cut this wrap ?

Funny you should ask Jeff because I just tried that tonight, and it works fine, a very nice cut, no immediate scissor damage.

I tried it because you cannot properly apply this polymer emulsion to the pre-cut Dura Lar sheets without it sucking under the edges in at least a few places lol. I blew through two pre-cuts for the tom, plus the emulsion on them. The pre-cuts were leftovers anyway, and this jug of emulsion is enough for like 5 kits. That last part is great news.

At this point I'm thinking of marking the sections on the front of the sheet with a Sharpie; cut it over-size by an inch all around; flip it face-down; tape it down all around, about 1/4" out from the Sharpie lines; emulsion applied up to the tape boundary; glitter/dry/sealant.

When it's dry, flip it over and cut along the Sharpie lines. I like to cut through the middle of the Sharpie line, so I don't go off course. Leftover ink comes off with 99% isopropyl. If I mark the lines on the back of the sheet, they're permanent. I ain't falling for that. :)

Mitch

How thick does it seem to be finished? This is really looks nice Mitch! You got it figured out very quickly. Using real glass glitter is the icing on the cake! Carry on. :)

Thanks Glenn, I'm looking forward to getting some full sheets and getting this thing on the go. We have a bunch of film to run today, but soon...:)

The wrap comes in at just shy of 1 millimeter in thickness. That's without scrubbing off too much "excess" glitter. Should go on right up to the bearing edge and still leave enough room all around for heads to seat nicely.

Mitch