I've had great luck with Duplicolor - acrylic lacquer from auto parts stores.

Hi all- I don't post much, so want to say I've been into vintage Slingerlands (and their repair) for a lot of years. On the one hand- to each their own. A person can do what they want with their own gear. On the other hand; they don't make vintage Slingerlands anymore, so now I think twice before doing anything that's going to change a cool old drum forever. Nobody knows it all. I've definitely learned some things the hard way, and I once sent my 60's BDP snare shell to a well-known "expert" who kept it for literally an entire year- going unexplainably nuts with the router and totally wrecking the bearing edge. You can't put that wood back, and it was a real shame. These days I try to slow down, do a little research first, and not always feel the need to try and erase all signs that a drum is 40 or more years old. To me certain things are part of the charm and reason for vintage; Otherwise I can run down to GC and get brand new drums and parts. Ross man, sounds like you may have got in a little hurry in places, but good for you taking a project on. :-) I usually blue tape over the insert strips and not remove them. If I have to for some reason- I'll use a proper tool to pry the staples out so there's no damage, then they go back in the original holes, held in with a tiny bit of wood glue. And no need to always have to remove all the old paint. It's true that lacquer over enamel can cause a bad reaction and a real mess, but most times paper towel and lacquer thinner can clean it up. Let dry and hand sand with around 120 where it needs it, then clean and repaint. I think it's fair to say one of the most common mistakes out there with refurbishing vintage drums, might be over-sanding, and I've definitely done it. It's easy to think you have to do more than you really do. It may or may not be necessary to get overly involved sanding with steel wool, but I DO have to say: in most cases like this- it's overkill and NOT gonna be a good idea to go after a vintage drum with power sanders.

My 2 cents for whatever it's worth, and keep workin it on out...peace, drum dudes and dudettes. db