Thanks Glenn, I'm hoping just that - a couple weeks of out-gassing and no more foggy patches. I did suspend the headless shell above a heater for a night - no change, but maybe it's time that's needed.

Either way these shells will be eventually swapped out for the "real deal" because in the end, I guess I'm not a re-wrap kind of guy, no matter how good the re-wrap...and this wrap has some issues.

So, a reminder - I'm looking for bare but wrapped Club Date shells! lol

Mitch

Today I got a call back from TriArt which is the company that makes the polymer emulsion. Confirmed that the emulsion will revert to foggy if exposed to moisture but will always revert back to clear once moisture has dried. There is no permanent re-fogging of the emulsion. It makes sense that the worst little fogged areas are those to which repairs, using what looks like auto-body filler, were done by the previous owner. The filler is less porous than the drum shell, thus the moisture remains trapped longer.....but not forever!

This is super good news and very nice of them to help me with my off-the-beaten-path drum wrap problem. So in a couple weeks the wrap should look just like it did before I glued it onto the shells...whew.

Mitch

Mitch that's good news. Glad the moisture will out gas/evaporate.

Thanks Glenn I was glad to hear it too. Now, one could wonder - if the weather turns damp, will the shells go foggy every time? But! Since it is taking so long to dry, being mostly sealed off between the shell and the top sheet, that means moisture will also have a hard time getting *in* there once it is dried....that's what I'm going to believe anyway.

One aspect of this wrap is that it is very shiny. It has newness all over it. This to me is a drawback. I could go at it with some super-fine wet-sanding to take a little shine off. But I have learned from this project that really what I want is original wrap on the shells, even if they don't match. A jelly bean kit in original wrap beats a matching re-wrap in my world I guess...

Mitch

Yep I get you on the original wrap. I have a couple toms in the process now. Trying to match aged WMP. They'll never look quite like the original. But ok for me. These might surprise you and age nicely in time.

Aged WMP is tops. What process are you using to match it?

I might let this wrap age, but then again I might have a look at replacing the top-sheet with a more rigid clear product. The glitter etc. is stuck to the shell much stronger than to the top sheet. The right replacement product wouldn't need to be glued down, just wrapped around and held in place with hardware. Could solve everything...still not original though...:)

Mitch

There's a guy on ebay selling cellulose WMP wrap. It's translucent with a clear backer. I primer the bare shells with a opaque white that's been tinted yellow with amber dye. The WMP is a small chip pattern. But the color should match well to a yellowed Slingerland WMP. The test pieces look nice so hoping the shells come out the same.

That's how the MIJ kits had it - translucent pearl with white paper underneath. Very cool. You likely won't have the buckling issues I have since the cellulose sheet is probably fairly rigid. If you don't do a resto thread maybe post a pic or two here...

Mitch

So today I called Precision and requested sample swatches of silver sparkle and vintage nickel sparkle wrap. The nice lady suggested I take a look at titanium sparkle as well, though I don't think it's what I'm after. I'm kind of surprised they don't have "aged silver sparkle" given the number of folks trying to match shells...but they don't.

It's too bad the DIY wrap didn't turn out better but there you have it. I put a warning in the first post of this thread so no one will waste any time/money. I'll always be on the lookout for a more rigid plastic sheeting material - it ain't an easy thing to source.

Meanwhile the DIY wrap is off the rack tom and BD shells, just need to scrape off the glue and wait for some Delmar wrap in the mail...but of course I need to keep playing so using these in the pic.

Mitch

Some projects are wins, many are not. Sadly the way it goes. A big thanks for sharing the pics and process. Interested in what you decide as the best aftermarket wrap.

Creighton