If you want to remove a coated finish like a lacquer, you could use a stripper like Citristrip. Removing stain can be difficult because it's generally in the wood, not on it. You can attempt to bleach it out, but if you're going to wrap the drums, I don't know why you'd bother.

There are a number of places to buy drum wrap:

Precision Drum

Drum Supply House, aka drummaker.com

Jammin' Sam

...and more.

Or you could even use vertical grade laminate finishes from Formica or WilsonArt.

Fantastic!!! Thanks SkyDog...I have considered the laminate. Still not sure what I'll do... had an idea to warp them in the style of a Ringo kit...not sure if that would be a violation of sorts...;-)

Nothing wrong with wrapping your Exports in a Ringo finish... but you'll find that the wrap is so expensive that it might not be worth doing to those drums. If you're planning a rewrap, you might consider selling the Exports and sinking the money into a set of beat-up Ludwigs (or Slingys, etc.) that need a rewrap anyway. If you're going to put sweat and money into making your drums something really special, why not start with great shells? :2Cents:

Also: welcome!

[COLOR="Green"]Ehhhh...if the shells are already unwrapped, then the worst of the labor has already been done. So...wrap for a 5 piece kit is gonna run around $300....sure, it's worth it.

What you need to do is abrade the lacquered surface of the shells (you don't have to strip off the old poly/lacquer/stain, as has been noted above). Just sand the finish with like a 100 grade sandpaper so it has some 'tooth' to the surface. This way the contact cement will hold the wrap well and not slough off of a slippery surface easily.

The one thing to keep in mind, for a newbie, is that irregularities in the surface of the shell WILL transmit thru the wrap and make a 'bump', etc. So you really wanna make sure you get the shells smooth before applying the wrap.

There are online tutorials/instructions at some of the places which sell wrap. Drummaker.com and Precisiondrum.com have reasonably good directions on how to do this. My suggestion would be to get a beater shell as well, and try your hand on IT before going for the set. BTW, don't do the double-stick tape on ends only method...it's quick and easy but, maaaan, if you are gonna invest in a rewrap...do it right and adhere the entire wrap to the shell. You can double-stick tape the seams.

It's a bit tricky, but if you are mechanically inclined, it's not that hard. [/COLOR]