Well that is a tough one. I dont see patching the veneer looking too good so my first thought would be to remove the hardware, lightly sand the shell with some 320, then fill the cracks with a wood filler and try to stain the filler so it matches ( easier said than done). Then apply a new coat of varnish or lacquer over the entire shell. Did those old drums have varnish or lacquer, Im not sure so it would be wise to test out what ever you are using in an inconspicuous area. And this sounds like a halfass way of fixing it but its all I can think of at the moment, if I think of something better I will let you know. Maybe someone has a better idea and will chime in. Good luck, please post your results.

If the cracks are not to wide, a colored putty would work better than wood filler. You can mix a couple colors together to match the stain.

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/paint-and-supplies/patch-and-repair/wood-filler/10777?x429=true&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvqSBkbqN3gIVCQ9pCh0acQFTEAQYAyABEgIxUvD_BwE

Jeff,

Thanks for the help. The veneer is also peeling away from the shell near the strainer and wear the center supports are, the veneer is indented. I think it has some kind of clear coat on it because there is a bit of a shine on the finish. I think your suggestion of lightly sanding makes sense then I’ll try a work with filler to even it out.

Jim

I didn’t look hard enough for this old thread so I started a new on yesterday. I do need to explore a putty or filler solution because the sanding opened up the cracked peeling veneer issue quite a bit.

Maybe a wrap or thin veneer would refresh that shell

Thanks J!m,

Except for that one spot the veneer is in good shape. I’m thinking about some kind of filler or putty.

I’m trying something out to patch the area that lost it veneer. I found some iron on mahogany veneer so I trimmed away some more of the damaged area to allow the new veneer be level with the existing veneer. I hope it works. It comes in a 25 foot role so I’ll probably have 24-1/2 feet left over. Wish me luck.

Here is the veneer patch after ironing it on to the drum. I’ll let it sit for a while then try to carefully start sanding it.

Mixed results after some sanding. I think I’ll try and find some stainable putty to blend in the repair then start the staining process.