Ya I wouldn't bother with lacquer this day and age. Regulations have murdered everything. Plus the factory probably had an industrial sprayer with a vat of that stuff specifically mixed for the hoop while were trying to use spray cans. I use semi black in rustoleum which I think is urethane. It might be enamel but i don't think so. I have some aged silver sparkle inlays but I don't know what they went to. Gimmie a width measurement and maybe we can make a deal.

This man, he speaks with wisdom.

In my projects (and manufacturing), I have had the best luck with Rustoleum rattle can products, available at Homes Depot across the land.

Using that method, auto primer with semi-gloss or satin enamel over it, I've done mic stand bases, stompbox effects, all sorts of high-wear things.

I've also done the hoops on my '60's Slingy bass drum with just the enamel, including one of the hoops that is original. Left the old paint on it and sprayed right over it. I just used the basic semi-gloss enamel. Hit the base paint with a little sanding to rough it up and then went for it.

What probably happened with your first attempt was that the solvent in your new lacquer melted the original black paint (you were spraying over it, right?) and then turned the both of them into goop.

As a general rule, you can spray enamel over lacquer, but not lacquer over enamel, because the solvent in lacquer is more aggressive. I guess going over 1960's lacquer with 2014 lacquer is a no-no, too.

With any woodworking project, finishing is always the scariest. A piece can be built magnificently, but with a crappy finish job it looks poor. The good thing about finish is that it's the only part of woodworking that is almost completely reversible. Just take it off and start over.

Due to the sticky goo, you may need to put some chemical stripper on there before you sand, if your sandpaper gums up.

The good thing about removing all of the old finish is that you'll be able to put some filler in all the little nicks and gouges on the hoops. I recommend KwikWood epoxy. Mixes up like that Magic Putty stuff and cures quickly.

I know so much about these mistakes because I have made them myself. Your hoops are going to look great. Be sure to post after pictures.

If you do order replacement inlay strips, please post and mention how much they cost, because my Slingerland hoops are missing the inlay and I am considering ordering some blue agate to match the drum. The wrap sellers don't post how much they charge for just enough to do bass hoops.

I think Precision does indicate the cost of inlay strips on their website. If not, they will surely quote it by phone or email.

As to ross2's specifically bad month, unless you really need those drums up and running, I suggest you 'Walk Away Renee' and let the aggravation settle down a bit. Then you can return and face the issues objectively.

The advise these guys have given on repainting is solid for the moment you've caught your breath.

Sorry about the big pics but when using my iPad it only lets me upload one image per post.

So using image links. These were my Slingerland hoops from my 1960 Bass drum restoration. They had come apart at the the section they were glued at the factory which was fixed with some Elmer's Pro yellow wood glue. That stuff works. I filled all the chips and gaps with Elmer's wood putty filler. I then sanded the hoops enough to get them smooth and didn't worry about getting all the old paint off. I then sprayed them with the gloss black spray paint that Walmart sells for about a dollar. I installed my inlays by applying a thin line of Elmer's white glue in the inlay groove and using little clamps to hold the strips in place using a damp cloth to wipe off any excess glue that squeezed out the sides. I put the hoops on the drum with the ends on each side under a claw. Used the same method when I did the hoops on my Champagne Sparkle bass drum hoops. There was hardly any paint left on them when I got them. Hang in there, as long as your hoops aren't twisted and broken you can bring them back to a beautiful appearance.

[IMG]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l37/1vibes/Slingerland/IMG_4061.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l37/1vibes/Slingerland/IMG_4082.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l37/1vibes/Slingerland/IMG_4153.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l37/1vibes/Champagne%20Sparkle%20Classic%20Ludwig%201968/IMG_4986_zpsc5a6fbe6.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks everyone. I'm not letting this get me down, I've got my eye on the goal here. So I stripped off the Valspar paint, that was a mess. But I got pretty much down to the wood, nice and clean fresh start. I got 2 cans of Rustoleum black lacquer from HD. I didnt use a primer, the paint dudes at both Lowes and Home Depot told me to just apply the lacquer straight to the wood, and thats what the directions on the can said too. I was mindful of the temp/humidity this time, and I did 4 pretty light coats, allowing at least an hour drying time in between. Also sanded between coats with 0000 steel wool. The Rustoleum stuff was a little strange in that after each coat there was a film of black dust covering the hoops; I could run my finger over it and come up with black dust on my skin. It sanded off easily and the coat was relatively smooth after that, but sanding was definitely crucial. Here is a pic, it's still not as uniform/sleek as I'd like to be. It has this sort of sparkly look, like theres a million little paint particles, instead of that smooth black shell type of look. I guess I don't really know to expect since I've never used lacquer spray before, but it certainly doesn't have the high gloss shine that is advertised on the can. Really can't say if my technique is off, or maybe polishing is necessary to get the shine. I don't know, what do yall think?

[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/FerociousJ/111_0597.jpg[/IMG]

Yours look good to me from the pics. One thing I noticed about mine was the paint lay a little different on my old Slingerland hoops than my Ludwigs. Ludwigs were really smooth. The Slingerland's were older and the wood was a little dryer and a little more grainy.

Modern silver sparkles and glass glitters don't match up to the older stuff. I got a Rogers kit in a while back to redo for a customer but it didn't have a floor tom so he picked one up and I had to go and match the colors at Precision drum looking through a LOT (couple thousand) custom color swatches that aren't on the web site.

http://imageshack.com/a/img9/2717/dscn3149xw.jpg

The end result wasn't too bad

http://imageshack.com/a/img341/4784/dscn3179f.jpg

Contact me if you want the color number if it will help.

Yeah I'm having a little bit better luck with further sanding the finish down with 0000 steel wool. I think the finish was just a little uneven, and hitting it with this steel wool is removing that sort of sparkly/dusty look and giving it more of a semi-gloss look. I'll wait til it cures further before I finish the job. And as far as the inlays go, I think I'll be sticking with the originals even though the ends are a little torn up. Will just have to glue them to the hoops as I don't trust the staples to be as effective anymore.

Ross,

Those look great so far. The dusty residue is just overspray. After you let them cure you should be able to hit them with a little polish to shine them up some. GOOD WORK!

Have you thought of spraying with semi gloss or satin ENAMEL and then putting several coats of satin LAQUER over that?It works for me. My last step is buffing with very fine steel wool to give a smooth surface.Just what I have learned by trial and error(many errors)! Jim