I have a 12-14-16 set of those in white. Doing a set for our Grandson with 24" bass 16" floor and a 15" concert tom in same wrap color. Will get some pics when it's finished. Only thing left is to add the SOM mounts. Have 2 SOM mounts on the stands. Bass, 4 mounted toms and a floor. All 70's vintage 5 ply.
Yes, please share pics of them when finished...
Cheers
Thanks Josh. Hope the Grandson like them.
I began the restoration project the other night, but not before reviewing some past posts to learn what may or may not work. Good thing I did!
Hardware: the rims, lugs and other metal bits are in pretty good shape overall, but there is definitely some rust. I saw where a few people have recommended Evapo-Rust. YESSS!! You owe it to yourself to try this miracle elixir. Drop the parts in a bath of undiluted Evapo-Rust (I use a large plastic Peanut M&M’s jar from Costco) and leave it for about 24 hours. This stuff removes rust, and also took care of a lot of that white crusty stuff that appears on aluminum (at least I think that’s what the nuts in the lugs are made of).
Shells: the adhesive used to glue the lovely yellow plastic wrap on the shells is a weird, orange-yellow cement that is still pliable and tacky. I tried using solvents (paint thinner, lacquer thinner, rubbing alcohol, denatured alcohol, Goof Off) to no avail. I saw where someone uses a very sharp-bladed handplane, but because the adhesive is still soft, it just gummed up the mouth of the plane. I also saw where someone used a power sander (random-orbital) and just kept sanding and sanding and sanding. THAT worked, but I went through lots of sanding discs as they load quickly. I was essentially causing the gummy adhesive to “pill” and subsequently roll off. I am working on the second drum now. I better go buy more sandpaper...
Josh
Hey Josh!
It sounds like you're well on the way to a great restoration! And, welcome to the world of glue removal! Loads of fun, isn't it?!! LoLoLoLo
I can't remember, have you decided on a finish?
-Mark
Yessir, I am going to paint them in a stars & stripes motif, along with a thin blue line motif. If you are not familiar with the Thin Blue Line flag, a quick google search will bring you up to speed.
Speaking of painting, has anyone painted lines on a drum? Will masking tape work or will I need to get the tape auto painters use for pinstriping?
Josh
I am in a quandary: so far I have stripped and sanded three of the drums. The maple outer ply on each drum looks really good, but there is some disparity between them regarding the grain figure. I had originally thought this would be a guilt-free refinish job due to the poor condition of the peeling wrap, but now that the drums are bare and look pretty good, I am having second thoughts about painting them.
What are your thoughts, folks? Go ahead and paint them or put a gloss or semi-gloss clear protective finish on them?
Josh
You can paint a stripe by masking it off, but use good quality auto grade masking tape for the best job.... I did a set of Pearl marching tri-toms in turned aluminum- work GREAT for outdoor shows/ sometimes I also trigger them- but they have powerful projection and a Pinstripe head makes them sing!
JDragon,
That is indeed a wild set you have there!
I bought the paint today, and also bought some masking tape that extolls it’s ability to block paint seepage underneath. I plan to spray several very light coats, so I’ll try this before springing for the expensive automotive-type pinstriping tape.
I also stood in line behind 60 old ladies at Michael’s today, where I bought some stick-on stars. I’ll test these first to make sure they A) make a clean sprayed star, and B) allow me to remove them once I have painted the drum.
Josh
Sounds like you have a good plan/ if the stars are made of a vinyl they 'might' dissolve with the paint solvent but a test with light coats will verify that they don't! I think your painting plan will look better than a clear over the raw wood.... whenever I've done clear sealer or stain and seal it seems to take 6 times longer /although the results are worth it the prep and sanding between coats to level takes so much time. Good luck- be neat to see what you come up with!
Yes, I decided against the natural look after closely examining the grain on the drums and determining that they just didn’t look alike enough. It woulda been one of those “oh, those drums used to be wrapped and now they are not” look. I can always spot those and didn’t want to be part of that crowd. Call me vain.
