Its essentially nothing but glittery shelf/contact paper. Not durable at all. I would advise against using it. Save your money and buy proper wrap, or strip the laquer finish off and refinish the wood instead if you are trying to save some $$. A lot more labor intensive, but it would be cheaper than wrap.

Thanks for the advice!

Now I just have to settle the age-old question: red sparkle or black diamond pearl? Decisions, decisions... :)

[COLOR="DarkRed"]It's a tad better than contact paper...it has some rubbery quality to it...but it looks cheap-o and as LD said, just isn't durable at all.

OK....well in answer to your conundrum...what is the kit you are wrappin' ?[/COLOR]

It's a bit of a mutant kit. It started off as a set of five 1970s Ludwig concert toms that I found in the back room of a local music shop... I picked them up for a song and figured I'd just find a bass drum to go with them and use the kit for all the prog rock that I love to play. (I'm a big fan of the sound Phil Collins got from his concert toms on the late 70s and early 80s Genesis records.)

Then I found a 20" Club Date bass drum to complete the set, but it came with a matching 8x12 tom. That got me thinking about buying a Club Date floor tom and piecing together a jazz-size kit so I could stop taking my 50s round badge kit out on gigs. I eventually picked up a keystone badge marching snare shell and some spare Club Date lugs, which I'm going to convert into a 12x15 floor tom.

So essentially this set has turned into two kits: one is a 70s kit with five concert toms; the other is a little Club Date jazz kit. All for less than $400.

Which brings us to the question of which finish to use on them when I piece them all together. While I was trying to choose between red sparkle and BDP, I came across this on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140335272475

It's a gorgeous Blue Peacock Satin wrap with enough to cover all nine drums. I know it's not an original Ludwig finish, but I've always loved Satin wraps. And this certainly isn't the kind of finish you see every day -- it's sure to attract a few eyes when I'm out gigging with it. (Assuming I ever gig again -- I've got a three-month-old girl who's taking up all the time I used to spend with the band!)

Thanks again for the advice. I wasn't sure about the Blick wrap -- the price was right, but I suppose there's no point applying a finish that will need to be replaced the first time I ding one of the drums against an amp while tearing down after a show. I'll keep you posted on the progress, and I'll post photos once I get started!

As an aside: I've been lurking on the forums for a while now, and can I say how lovely it is to have such a supportive group of people who all share a love of classic drums?

Cheers,

Paul

I used to sparkle-brite wrap to cover the kids drums a built. I didnt use it like contact paper though. I left the backing on the film and just peeled a inch or so off of each end and used the killer hi-bond tape from drummaker. It turned out very good as far as im concerned, but these drums will never leave the house. They actually look fabulous. I definatly wouldnt use it on anything valuable or vintage or a kit that will be gigged.

Poppy, I saw the thread on the re-wrap you did for your kid's drums -- great job! That was one of the reasons I considered using the Blick material on my Ludwigs.

I've been talked out of it, though, since these are probably going to be my main gigging kit. I love my round badge set, but I'd be heartbroken if anything ever happened to it at a show.

Thanks again for the advice. :)

http://www.dickblick.com/products/grafix-clear-acetate-sheets/

This is a clear acetate cover for the other vinyl that would add a layer of protection.

This may very well answer many of our problems regarding the use of vinyl wraps. I do know that you must never leave them in a hot car, or the wrap, no matter whether it is the SparkleBrite, or the cheaper stuff from ebay. As far as the quality difference, I have researched and found the SparkleBrite is a superior product to the other brand. If we start an email campaign to BLick, the company that makes the SB has many more available colors, and some are really nice. They have Orange Sparkle, Purple Sparkle and a few more in sparkle. Also, they make a nice Galaxy, and the ugly, IMO, metallic red/blue/green etc.

This link goes directly to the mfr's site, and they will sell you an entire roll, if you want to get in the ebay selling mode and have the pennies to pony up. Seems like it was around 600/roll, and the rolls are like 100yds. Contact them, they will get back t4o you with pricing on rolls.

http://www.cetfilms.com/sparklebrite

If your going to go to all the work and trouble of wraping a nice kit, use real drum wrap. If you use the s b glitter film you might save some money, but your wasting all your valuable time and effort. Dont skimp on the last thing on restoring your luddys, get some real drum wrap and be proud of your kit and not worry about if its gonna last. It will be more valuable and something that will last a long time.

That's the conclusion I ultimately came to. I went with satin flame--which I've since discovered is more fragile than a pearl or sparkle wrap--but I just love the way it looks. And you're right about time and effort: with a busy job and a baby girl, the time I'm investing in this kit is worth more to me than the money I would have saved.

If I'd known how fragile the satin flame would be, I might have chosen to go with a sparkle instead, but I do love the finish. I'm just waiting for some parts from drumbuilder.com, and I'll be ready to finish this kit!