Since I kind of hijacked another thread I decided I would continue on with this one. For those of you looking for a cheap wrap alternative, the place that sells the material that Fayray used is here:

http://www.mendels.com/fabrics12.shtml

As he stated, this is not really an alternative to wrapping otherwise valuable drums, but if you have a cheap kit that needs some love, this is a quick and and cost-effective way to get some great results.

They will send you several samples for free and the samples I received do look pretty fantastic. The sparkle flakes are small and delicate so it is nothing like the glass wraps that are currently popular and a little more subtle than the early glitters. There is plenty of sheen to it as I believe there is a clear layer of vinyl over the glitter layer but I may be wrong. If you can imagine a 50's diner with tuck and roll upholstery in a sparkle finish, this is it. And if you happen to have some old Kustom or Plush speaker cabinets, this is definitely the stuff for refinishing those.

As I believe it was mentioned, this material comes in 54" widths and can be ordered in any length you like and the cost is $20.98 per yard. No double seam kick drums or 18" floor toms! As you can see, Fayray's kit came out great. If I can ever find the time to finish the orphan project I started, I'll post pictures as to how it works for me. Maybe December...

Hey Andrew/Fayray -

Sometimes it is hard to tell in pics.....does this sparkling vinyl shine as much as new drum wrap? Since it is different material it begs the question, especially at the low price.

Also, does anyone know if there is any research on this wrap in terms of longevity? The issue(s) of fading, bubbling, peeling surely are out with the jury.

Perhaps Mendel's would know of some customers that used it for wrapping drums - that we could consult.

(I know that Anderson Trading in Anaheim have been very helpful to me connecting me up with other builders in my area. BTW - they are a great source for shells - customer service is A1.)

Thanks for sharing your experience and what you have learned!

John

Hi John

Good questions. I guess time will tell but a year on and they are still looking fine. They are permanantly set up at a friends house in direct sunlight, and a lot of it, for the whole year. The wrap has loosened in places, mainly the edges where the tight fitting heads have unseated the glue while being pushed on. However, it's easy to remedy with some more glue. Because of the fabric backing it may absorb a fair bit of the glue but the fabric will also likely prevent the wrap from stretching or shrinking. The wrap hasn't faded yet.

As far as the overall look compared to genuine wrap? I'd say it compares quite well but it's not quite as good. That said it's pretty effective for a cheap player kit. I was looking at a friend's 1 year old Taye kit the other day and noticed the silver wrap was bubbling in several places. I think my gold re-wrap has held up better.

As I've said before, this is only an option for a cheap kit and I would never use it for a more expensive, rare or desireable kit.

John,

As to your question regarding shine, it has a decent sheen to it that I assume is from a clear vinyl layer. As an example, go to your nearest hardware store and check out the clear vinyl tubing in the plumbing section. I suppose that would be similar. Heck for $20 or so you could by 3 yards of it which would be 50% more than a single sheet of Delmar wrap and putz with it. Actually, the free samples are a fine example of the sheen.