Heed this sage advice that others have stated and you'll be fine.

An easier to find alternative to Novus is Plastix by Meguiar's. Available at any auto parts store. Same thing as Novus 2 really, except it's light blue instead of light brown. I've used both and I'm just as happy with Plastix as I am with Novus. I tend to use Plastix more often, just because Novus can be tricky to find locally.

Novus #1 really helps bring out the luster and depth of wraps. It's basically Windex specially made for plastic products, but it repels dust and fingerprints too.

Another item you might try is 3M Medium Duty Headlight Restorer. I've used this and it makes the wrap very smooth and feel like brand new, and also adds more depth to the wrap as well.

If you use Novus 1 is there any need to wax afterwards?

Not required but I think it helps.

Creighton

I tried both (#2 and Plastix) and couldn't really tell a difference, but both worked great! YOu can get the Plastix at Walmart! :)

I have a recently acquired Ludwig gold sparkle tom that pretty badly faded. At, first, I thought it wasn't even the same finish (gold sparkle) almost as if the metal flake was tiny and very flat. I took it apart and the contrast between the wrap under the hardware is very dramatic and obvious that it is the correct finish, just really dull. I first cleaned it, then used some automotive type plastic polish. Helped a little but, not good enough. So, after reading about how great Novus is, I bought some. Not much difference between it and the other stuff. You can see the difference between it and the floor tom. It did not look so bad in the pics from when I bought it. The hardware and the inside of the drum are in very good shape, so, I wonder what happened to make it look the way it does. Looks like I might be re-wrapping because, I don't think any buffing/polishing will bring it back.

Buckskins

Looks like smoke and barroom atmosphere got to that drum on the inside to get it so dingy. I think that along with exposure to sunlight to get it to fade so much for the exterior wrap. The inside should clean up nicely with a bit of diluted Clorox Soft Scrub. Be careful near the date stamp as it will disappear.

It maybe just the lighting but in picture 2 it looks like the wrap under the right bow tie lug is light and under the left is dark. In any case, It looks like the top layer of plastic on the wrap has become hazy from exposure. As the Novus is not having any impact you may want to try something a bit more drastic. I would recommend trying, but this is at your own risk and no guarantee of course, some laquer thinner and Clorox soft scrub. I have tried this on WMP wrap and gotten fantastic results. I would recommend trying a bit on a very small area behind the tom mount arm fastener where you can't see it from the front in the event that it does not work.

After seeing this, I now have my next project to help out our VDF group. . . .

Trying a variety of methods like I did on the WMP wrap to remove haze and bring a sparkle wrap back to life.

If you do try this Please post pictures

Michael

Michael, The wrap under all the lugs has the same appearance, it is just the lighting in pic 2. I am not concerned with the inside appearance so, I am not going to touch that. I will try a little laquer thinner or, maybe soft scrub and see what happens. I may just decide to live with it. I searched a long time to find a Club Date toms the same finish as my CD bass. The floor tom is great. Guess I am just a little disappointed in the rack. I will post results of any more restoration efforts.

Will NOVUS 1 - 2 work on a Ludwig Silver Astro Swirl? Thanks!

I don't see why not.

I know this reply is a few months on, but if you haven't yet, I would definitely try the 3M Headlight Restorer. They make a Medium Duty and a Heavy Duty. The Heavy Duty kit comes with an attachment you can put into any cordless drill. I used this method on a dingy MIJ kit in Silver Glitter (more "Dirty White" than Silver). It really restored a lot of the depth of the wrap and made it smooth as brand new. In direct sunlight or stage lighting it sparkles and glitters like crazy now! Here's the link to the thread I posted about it:

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=57561

My apologies for the late reply, #2 worked great!! Thank you all for the responses. I just received a new project...will post pics in the near future.