The heat gun method works, but you just have to be careful. I have a 6 ply cortex wrapped Ludwig shell in the shop that I have been messing with for about a year, and I get frustrated with it, so rather than catching it on fire, I just turn off the heat and walk away....rather than just igniting it for the pure hell of it. Other than that, you can take a scraper and work it off w/out heat, but that will drive you mad enough to grab the heat gun and set it on fire....just for the pure hell of it.Laughing H

Saw a thread on dfo about catching the wrap on fire and basically it just melts off, takes the glue off with it.

Okay. I got the first layer of the satin flame wrap off. That was the easy part. Now, I'm left with the bottom layer of the satin flame wrap and the glue underneath. This stuff will take a lifetime to get off the drum if I attempt to scrape it off. Are there any products that people use to specifically get this stuff off without damaging the shell?

If the night temps by you are low enough... let the drum sit out overnight in cold temps. (Freezing temps better!) The wood will contract enough for the wrap to pop off by morning. It's the 'lazy-man' method. I had a buddy that used to either freeze shells to pop the wrap, or set them on fire. Either way, the wrap is off no muss, no fuss. Although I don't recommend the fire method.

John

I've had reasonable success removing spray paint from a wrap using straight razor on a Ludwig Pioneer. It takes time and care to not scratch the wrap, but it works. You can also use a window sticker scraper tool to make it easier on your hands. I refinished the wrap with a spray-on acrylic coat, which made the scratches imperceptible.

I've heard from a guitar restorer that the 3M Safest Stripper is the best product to use for paint removal -- you can remove a single layer of paint if applied right.

It is my understanding that round badge tacks are nothing more than standard upholstery tacks that are still manufactured. There have recently been scammers on eBay selling new upholstery tacks as vintage NOS Gretsch round badge tacks. They have taken some fools for big bucks when an upholstery shop would sell them to you for under a buck each. So, if a tack gets broken, no biggie. take it to s local upholsterer to match up to a new one.

Thank you SO much for the input, everyone! Keep it coming! Don't be shy! :D

Still looking for some advice about removing that silvery/shiny gunk leftover from the satin flame wrap. Heck, it would make a great wrap by itself if it were all there and protected somehow, but it's got to go. I *want* to do a natural maple finish on these drums, if possible, and a satin flame wrap is a backup plan if something goes wrong. What do you guys use to finish wood? I've heard glowing reviews about "Howard's" products today...

Can you post a pic, but I think you are at the "chemically assisted" portion of your show. Xylene is what has worked for me.

Alright. After trying out the recommendation of Xylene on the satin flame bottom layer, and recommendation of Acetone for removing the rest of the paint from another drum, I'm out of ideas.

The Xylene DIDN'T work. AT ALL. Didn't remove the leftover satin flame gunk, and didn't even budge the glue. I did everything from paper towel-dabbing and brushing it on to even pouring it over the drum (in frustration and a desperate attempt to see if it actually works). Nothing. Nada. Doesn't work.

It was suggested that I use Acetone to thin out the leftover paint on the 12" tom, and that I could just simply and lightly sand the rest of the paint off with a sanding sponge, as the acetone would magically "lift" the paint from within the grain. Nope. Didn't work that way, either. Once again, I tried applying the acetone with a paper towel, then generously with a brush, and once more with a *soaked* rag that I let sit on the drum (to prevent it all from evaporating immediately). Nope. The paint is still as stubborn as ever.

I'm at the point where I'm ready to just @#$%^&^%$#@!!!!! sand everything off and turn these 6-ply Gretsch shells into 5-ply shells. I'm going to give it another day, though, as I'm feeling a bit frustrated and aggressive at the moment. Any last-minute suggestions before I completely obliterate the shells by sanding?