Hello ladies and germs.
I have a 60s Ludwig 3ply kit (22/13/16) in black oyster that is in need of a rewrap. Once upon a time in the 70s, someone peeled back the wrap on the 13" tom and removed some substantial chunks of the outer mahogany ply along with it, then decided to just cut off the loosened wrap and leave it. Then it and the other drums were wrapped with cheap black overtop of the existing OBP. The holes in the outer ply have been filled with wood filler.
I peeled off the over-wrap, spent days removing the 30-year old dried contact cement from the oyster, and I've been living with it as-is since (I just face the bad panel on the 13" tom toward the throne). They don't look AWFUL, but they don't look the way I want them to, either. What I really want is to rewrap the kit with blue sparkle... but I am not confident in my ability to do a good job rewrapping them myself, so by the time I ship the drums somewhere and pay for a pro rewrap, I will be out about $1000 - just not realistic for me.
So I have decided the happy medium is for me to "refinish" the kit. I have a friend who paints cars who will repaint the kit for me at a very reasonable rate. I am going to remove the wrap, sand the shells smooth, fill a couple of extra holes, and have them repainted to a gloss lacquer finish.
Disclaimer - my mind is made up on removing the wrap. This is a player kit, and I intend to keep them until I die - so I'm not at all concerned about cash value or historical accuracy. I just want them to look as good as they sound.
My questions:
1. I can't decide what color. Other than duco finishes, all the 60s Ludwigs I've seen have been wraps. I want something that still looks vintage... I've been thinking about an antique white, as I have seen an old WFL kit that was factory white lacquer, and it looked classy and gorgeous. Any other suggestions?
2. The wrap on the shells is old-school, lapped right into the shell. I've gathered that the best way to deal with this is just to peel back the wrap (with heat, scraper and care, of course), then to slice the wrap off where it enters the joint. Any advice for doing this without mucking it up?
3. What's the best way to sand the shells smooth? Should I do it all by hand, or can I employ a sander? The outer ply is mahogany if that effects the answer. I would like to ensure a very smooth finish. I have heard that you should Sand/primer/sand/primer/paint.
Of course, if anyone has repainted a kit this way (any brand), please post a photo for inspiration, and any tips for doing it right :)
Thanks in advance for your input!