Wow, what a mess...what a shame. It's really hard to say with just pictures and not knowing what kind of glue was used. Unless you are preparing for sale, I don't know that I would try to go for perfection. I would carefully remove as much of the foam as possible with a razor blade. Possibly there is some kind of solvent which would dissolve the foam residue and glue but I would have no guess as to what to use. Heat gun/hair dryer is a possibility but do not over heat and do it in a ventilated area.

Beyond that, just go with an unvented reso head to hide what's left.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

thanks for the answer.

it sure is a mess

what should i do with the hair dryer? just heat it a little and try to remove the glue?

i wish i knew some one that can try to work on it but i live in Israel and there is not much of vintage drums scene over here.

thank you anyway and if i'll try something i will come for an advise.

thanks

shahar

Yes, you basically want to soften the glue and then scrap the shell gently to remove the glue. Use a narrow 1 or 1.5" putty knife. If you use a new one, dull it first by rubbing it with sand paper or rubbing it on a concrete surface to get it smooth and round on the edge and corners. This way it will be much less likely to nick the shell in the corners or dig into the wood.

If you are using a heat gun, be very careful not to burn the wood or melt the glue between the shell plies....use a low setting and keep the gun moving. Use only as much heat as you need to soften the glue so that it can be scraped away.

As I said before, once the majority of the material is removed, I would recommend just put on an unported reso head to hide the residue that is left. Any small amount of material left should not affect sound of the drum.

thanks again for the help

it sound like it is possible to do it.

I've emailed "Gretsch Drums" and they told me to try and use "Naptha".

i haven't seen it here in Israel But i checked th e web and they say that "Zippo lighter fluid" is also Naptha.

does it sound like something i should Try?

thanks again

Shahar

As long as you don't smoke.:)

Up to you dude. My concern about that stuff is that it stinks to high heaven...and the smell would last forever if it got in the wood pores. Personally, I wouldn't use it.....but again....up to you.

i'll try not to burn my self ;)

i'm going to try to work on it this weekend

hopefully it will go smooth

i'll inform how it went

thanks again

shahar