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Removing drum wrap to be reused

Posts: 1880 Threads: 292

I have a question for anyone who can answer it. I had wrapped my vintage ludwig "orphan" kit with a unique, high quality wrap from a local drum wrap company here in my hometown of Montreal about 2 years ago, and for the past few months or so, was thinking about removing it very carefully to be reused if need be. I used high bond tape with some great results, and the good news is that they're not adhered to the shell with cement glue adhesive, only at the seams with one strip at the shell, which will make the job even easier.. The only concern i have is removing the wrap by ungluing the seam with a heat gun, which i've done before when i was restoring the kit in the first place, but i didn't care about the old wrap because it was going to the trash anyway..The company has advised me that their wraps can be removed easily without damage, and can even be reused, if removed carefully to begin with.

So with that being said.. Has anyone ever done this before ? Was it an easy process, and did you end up reusing the wrap.?

The reason i ask all this is because after seeing many custom drum companies like C&C drums using pastel color lacquer finishes, i found the drums to be aesthetically appealing, not to mention the benefit of having no wrap and increased shell resonance. Here's an example of what i was thinking of MAYBE doing to my drums, and if it doesn't turn out the way i want, i can always rewrap my drums with my wrap, or simply reuse it for possible future restoration projects..

As always, any thoughts and advice are appreciated ;)

Cheers,

Rob

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Posted on 8 years ago
#1
Posts: 1651 Threads: 215

Never personally taken off an re-used a wrap. I do like that lacquer finish though. Honestly between a wrap and lacquer finish I think the shell resonates about the same. I know some companies say unwrapped drums sing more, but I feel if that was the case then why would anyone still wrap a drum?

But I think if you go with your heat gun technique and go slow you'll be okay. For any wraps I've removed, even with no plans to save them I use a scraper and gently lift the wrap up as I heat it with the gun. I always try and get it off in one shot.

18 Kits & 40+ snares..
Not a Guru, just addicted to drums

- Jay
Posted on 8 years ago
#2
Posts: 268 Threads: 80

It's do-able but is going to require a fair bit of patience. Be very careful with the heat gun. You'll need a fine balance of enough heat to weaken the bond, but not enough to warp the wrap or soften it too much that it warps under the stress of removal.

Keep in mind it will only be re-usable for drums with the same hole layout.

Good luck!

http://compactdrums.com/

http://walopus.com/
Posted on 8 years ago
#3
Posts: 6432 Threads: 290

I tried it once, it did not work for me. The wrap must have stretched because the holes did not line up, same wrap same shell.


Thank you!
Jeff C

"Enjoy every sandwich" Warren Zevon
Posted on 8 years ago
#4
Posts: 358 Threads: 90

One of the things I find interesting about looking through drum catalogs from the 60's and 70's is that the wrap finishes were more expensive than the lacquer ones, the opposite of today. Less material cost, I suppose.

60's Gretsch Progressive Jazz Green Sparkle
'61 Slingerland Bop Kit Sea Green Rewrap
Round Badge Bop Kit Clone Red Sparkle
'67 Pearl President 13/16/22 Red Oyster Pearl
Posted on 8 years ago
#5
Posts: 1880 Threads: 292

From jccabinets

I tried it once, it did not work for me. The wrap must have stretched because the holes did not line up, same wrap same shell.

Good observation..That's something i was concerned about as well.

I think i'm going to leave the wrap on and wait for another project to come along..Last thing i need is to ruin a good quality expensive wrap.

The wrap is really strong and durable. One time at a gig, a bunch of very drunk young guys were dancing with some girls, and one of the guys swung the girl around. He lost his balance, fell on the corner of the stage, knocking down the 40 lbs monitor that was stacked on the subs. The monitor fell and then bounced on the stage floor, flying right towards my floor tom and knocked it over about 2 feet.. On closer inspection the next day, all the wrap finish had were superficial scuffs of rubber and plastic that were easily removed. That was enough proof for me that the wrap is real strong, so i wouldn't want to mess that up !

Thanks for all the information guys. I appreciate it !

Cheers,

Rob

Posted on 8 years ago
#6
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