I'm sure loctite would be fine on the wingnuts. I have some 70's era tension rods and they do appear to be 2 pcs. Either red perm or blue removeable should do the trick.

I repaired a cracked Gretsch wrap using two part epoxy. Mine was cracked in several areas and gaps were wider than what you have. First, I attached the wrap to the shell using contact cement. Then, I taped the shell using blue painters tape, leaving only the crack and bare wood exposed. After the epoxy dried, I removed the tape and buffed the shell using an automotive random orbital buffer with Novus 2, then 1. Since the wrap has lots of variation, it was nearly impossible to detect the repairs.

Ok,

So I bought me some Blue Loctite for the lugs and it seems to have worked pretty well (even though I was wiping up a lot of excess). While I was polishing casings I went back to check and the loose ones were all pretty much secure. By tonight it should be fully cured! For the wrap I got a 2 part Epoxy (also made by Loctite) which is specifically for binding plastics (I'll post pictures later). I contact cemented the wrap down and let it dry 24 hours and did the same with the epoxy in the crack.

My question (which I know seems stupid but I don't want to mess this up): I have the buffing wheel and will use it with the Novus 2. I was wondering if you applied it and rubbed it in with a cloth first leaving a film, then following up with the buffer? Or did you apply it with the buffer and then polish it with a cloth?

Also, I am curious how you got it to not look like a crack anymore. The epoxy is clear, should I put some type of white nail polish over the coating and then buff so it hides it better? Or do I just focus the wheel on the blemished spot until it starts to go away?

Thanks everyone!

-Mike

I just follow the directions on the bottle... no buffing wheel required.

Yes Sir

I have been following the bottle directions too but with the crack I was curious exactly how auto.pilot approached it.

Now that I think of it, would it be ok to clean it with simple green first? I guess it should be ok. I gotta so that before anything else regardless. Just want to make sure the glue has totally cured first!

-Mike

Update: I glued the crack, it ain't necessarily pretty but it will do for now. Maybe I'll nail polish it later. I just wanted to make sure that the crack doesn't continue.

The DAP Weldwood worked good on cementing to the drum, then the plastic 2 part loctite is holding well on the crack itself.

Picture is below.

I have buffed with Novus and mothers car wax since and will have pictures of that on my restoration thread soon. Just need to take my left bass spur to a machinist to retap the wing screw hole so the spur leg stays in.

-Mike

I have not been following this post, but took another look based on getting two private messages on the topic. Thinking a bit more about the work, I did not use Novus, I used 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, then auto wax. The major step that I did not mention was the epoxy part. Since my wrap was mostly shades of gray, I used good old JBWeld for these repairs. To vary the color from one repair to the next (8 total), I added a drop or two of Testors black enamel paint to some of the JBWeld while it was still in the paste form. After taping off the shell, I carefully scraped the gaps down to bare wood, removing any glue residue. I filled the gaps with epoxy, then removed the blue tape. Since the repaired section was slightly thicker than the wrap, I actually sanded the wrap (all of it, not just the repaired areas) with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper - very lightly with a small amount of water. Before sanding, I taped off the shell on the inside so no water would enter. Lastly, I used the buffer with 3M Imperial Hand Glaze and auto wax. I would use Novus 2, then 1 next time. For a white wrap, I would find some white epoxy and try to match up the color with Testors paint. I have no idea if this repair will hold up over time, since I have sold the drum (fully disclosed).