In my oppinion you need to stain it or dye it first then a clear finish. I recomend taking the shell along with a nice high quality picture of the drum you are trying to match to a experienced paint store like Sherwin Williams. Show them what you have and see what process they recomend. Do not take it to Lowes, Menards or Home Depot go to a real paint store.

Hang around for a bit, somebody has been down this road and will give you better advice.

Thank you,

Jeff

Thanks Jeff. I just realized I posted this in the wrong forum. Heading over to the restoration department now !

Great advice. Wood also use a stain sealer to ensure uniform tone. H20 based finish can "check" over time and will look nearly vintage.

I did some wood finishing in the late 50's , 60's and 70's. In 1963, I bought my first drum -----it was a Leedy Ludwig and around 8 x14, although I am not sure because I never measured it. It had the Imperial lugs and was factory painted white-----had lots of checks in the finish. I wish I had it now.

For many many years, the finish of choice for furniture and many other applications was a French Polish. This is a coating of Boiled Linseed Oil ,followed up by handrubbed( or turn applied on a lathe) Shellac. The process creates friction , so that the wood alcohol used to dissolve the shellac evaporates and the finish goes on almost dry. Shellac produces a very glossy finish. That might not be what you want but I would certainly consider using Linseed Oil as a finish followed up after it was dry with a good wax, hand buffed. Alternately, a low sheen spar varnish would work, over the linseed oil and render a very original type finish.I don't know if spar varnish is easily available now but what I am using is Benjamin Moore Impervo and I bought it within the last 10 years.It is perfect for touching up the interiors of varnish ed shells but has a low enough gloss ,that I think it would work on the outside of your drum . I would be very shy of plastic or urethane finishes but they are pretty much the rule of the day now. A lot of the cheap drums of the past were destined for outdoor use and the makers were certainly conscious of the effect of water on the finish. This is why the cheaper lines were natural and the better lines were lacquered or wrapped. The natural finished drums were more weather vulnerable but were cheaper to do. It is almost certain that they used some variant of linseed oil,shellac or varnish as a protectorant----even if the drum was not marketed as a marching drum because the finish selected would cover all the bases.