There is a very detailed explanation by another poster, can't remember the name, but it involves using dowels cut down and glued in...check deeper in the threads and you should find it.

I used an epoxy based wood putty on a Gretsch snare drum to good effect some time ago. Lots of small extra holes in the shell where the strainer was from previous owners attaching different throw-offs over the years. The putty sets up quick, bonds well, can be sanded smooth and painted or glued over. Worked great and it was easier then the dowel/glue/sand method. If its a large hole like from say a Ludwig double tom mount in a bass drum, then the putty wouldn't work for you and you'd have to fabricate some kind of plug, glue it in, then fill and sand it smooth.

I got the wood epoxy putty at Rockler Woodworking.

plugs cut with a tapered plug cutter.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Search2/Search.aspx?query=tapered%20plug%20cutter.

Dowels will result in ugly dark patches because they are end grain. Nothing you can do will make them blend in.

Plugs cut from a maple board will be side grain and will blend in very nicely and will take stain the same way as the shell. A dowel will just soak stain or finish up and turn dark. Since they are tapered actually fit tight in the hole.

Hey....thanks for the replies everyone. I have a Premier kit from the 90's that I inherited from my brother and the wrap is cracked and separating on every drum, so I was going to use it as an opportunity for my first drum re-wrap project. Since he took the stock mounts off to add RIMS mounting, I was going to plug those holes up and turn the bass drum into a virgin before the re-wrap. I really appreciate the info. I may end up using both the wood putty and plug methods...thanks again!

For what it's worth, my advice is not to use wood filler. Use Bondo. It's a product sold at Home Depot and auto parts stores. It's not a latex and cellulose(sawdust) based product ....it's a two part epoxy system.....that is a monomer and a polymer brought together that creates an exothermic reaction (heat is given off) and hardens to a really strong almost steel like finish. But, you can still sand it smooth if you don't make a mess of things with the initial application. You can use several coats if you need to. It will bond to itself too.

it will work like a charm if you plug the holes from the inside of the shell with tape and once you get a good finish on the outside, you can go back and remove the tape and work on the inside. If you've never done this before try to get a nice smooth finish on a piece of scrap wood with a hole drilled in it first. the next time you will be confident and the third and forth you'll be an expert. It doesn't take stain, which is why you see so many vintage drums with painted interiors that sends many folks around here into apoplectic fits. But if you want to learn how to re-wrap drums somethings gotta give. Don't fret over resale value, just fix it up, put a new head on it and wear it out practicing your chops.

Just sayin

Glen

+1 on all. The wood putty also comes in several woodtones. I have them all and mix them for different colors, as their "maple" is just too whitish/pinkish for most applications.

Thanks Glen and jrfrond. Yeah...I'm not worried about resale since this was one of the kits my late brother owned...so it'll never be sold...I just wanna play it! The inside of the shells on this kit are already painted black, so I can touch it up pretty easily if I feel like it. Much appreciated.

Actually guys, the stuff I was referring to is NOT standard wood putty. It is an epoxy putty, but it is for wood and is tan colored like wood, so it would blend in well. It is drill-able, sand-able, etc after it dries. Standard wood putty is not drill-able.

It comes in a tube, is a two part putty. You break a piece off, knead it until its a uniform color, then press it into the holes. You then use a putty knife, and a damp sponge to work and smooth it as best you can before it sets up and dries. After it is cured you can sand it smooth. Great stuff! Easy to work with, sets up solid (unlike wood putty) and is strong, so it becomes a structural part of the drum shell again. And if you do need to drill into it, it drills easily.

I forget the brand name, but any woodworking outfit, such as Rockler Woodworking, sells it.

For the record, Bondo is NOT an epoxy. It is a plastic filler used for metal, specifically autobody panels. I wouldn't recommend it for fixing drum shells. I've seen the results of someone using the stuff on a 14" slingerland floor tom that I bought off of ebay. Not good to say the least. Once I got the cracked wrap off of the shell, OMG! What a disaster under there! I ended up removing as much of the old Bondo as I could and used the epoxy putty I mentioned above to fix a lot of the shell's outer ply issues and the cracking flaking falling off Bondo! Needed to be done to get a nice flat surface area for the maple veneer I applied to the shell.

This stuff I recommend is designed for wood, and expands and contracts at the same rate as wood, unlike Bondo. Again, DON'T USE BONDO!