Rob, If you sand with 00-00 steel wool in between coats it will eliminate any unevenness in the finish. By sanding in-between coats you can do many thin coats which will give the color depth. Once you apply the clear-coat the finish will come to life. Many thin coats with sanding in-between is much, much better than a few thick coats.

John

Purdie is correct. As usual. Coffee Break2

What type of primer are you using?

Oil or Water base?

Hopefully it is a primer that dries hard enough to be sanded.

I prefer oil base.

When it dries, it dries hard and sands easily.

Some water base primers remain slightly gummy, which is no good for sanding.

Others dry well and can be sanded.

Sand with 220 grit or finer grit between coats.

You need to scuff up every layer as you go for adhesion.

400, 600 and 1,000 grits can be used as you get closer to the final color or clear coat.

Hi John,

Thanks so much for the sound advice. I was leaning toward what you've recommended, but i wasn't sure which sandpaper grit to use. I will continue to use steel wool in between coats, then go to very fine grit sandpaper for finishing. How many coats would you suggest before clear coat finish ? Oh, I almost forgot to mention that i'm not using the spray paint method !

cheers,

Rob

Hi green glass drum,

Thanks for your response ! I'm using a water based primer, but have had no "gumminess" as you're describing,so i guess that's a good sign ? This one dried very well and reacted well to the steel wool..I will sand with 00 steel wool as well as 220 between coats and keep going to finer grits towards the end for finishing as you and Purdie suggested. Thanks for the advice ;)

You're getting really good guidance here.

If you're not spraying I assume you're brushing it on? Getting a professional quality smooth finish using a brush is harder, but not impossible. Because you're brushing, sanding between coats is 10x's more important. LIGHT COATS, sand, light coat, sand, light coat, sand, minimum of three times, or if you have it in you, four or five times. As long as each coat is light and just enough to cover the last one you'll end up with a beautiful, rich looking, deep finish, no matter what color you use. This method is something I learned from a cabinet maker of fine furniture. It creates a DEEP 3D looking finish. Ask Jeff, he'll tell you. If I had to make a recommendation... spray paint and a Lazy-Susan set-up. You'll end up with a factory finish, no muss, no fuss.

Don't go crazy with the sanding. You just want to see a nice -smooth- haze all over the shell. What you're going for is eliminating any brush strokes/brush marks and keeping the surface smooth as glass. Never apply strong pressure when sanding, let the wool/paper do the work. L-o-n-g strokes in one direction -with- the grain/no up and down strokes ever. You don't want to create any rough cross-hatch marks that you'll have to sand out. You don't want to remove too much anywhere on the shell because it creates cratered areas that show up in good light. Smooth, long strokes, no short, jerky sanding motions.

And... you never have to thank me. I learn as much from you as you learn from me. It's all one big happy drum circle jerk. :D

John

Hi John !

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions ;). I think that reading a few threads on painting on this forum have lead me to think like the more experienced forum members, like yourself ;). Your suggestion of 4-5 coats was EXACTLY what i had in mind !! :D I'm using a foam roller of about 5 inches, as it gives me an even spread and is way faster than brushing.. I just checked out the surface of my first coat and it's already getting nice and smooth ! I will continue as you directed, (5 coats) using the steel wool, and then a very fine grit for finishing.. Will show you guys the end results !

Cheers,

Rob

Like already mentioned, sanding between light coats is the secret with any finish, even if your painting a wall. I am a lacquer guy so I cant suggest anything more than the guys above that are more familiar with the brush on products. Listen to them and you will have great results for sure, they know their stuff!

This may seem like a dumb question but, are you painting the exterior of this drum? Would love to see what you're up to.

-Doug

Hi Jeff !

Thanks for your response. Your input means a lot !:D. I'm not worried too much about it being super perfect, since it's only an MIJ beater bass drum, but i would like it to look decent on stage, and more importantly, sound good. So far, the shell is looking good, and i can't wait to see the end result.. So far, the suggestions i've been receiving is great, and i value everyone's opinion ..

Cheers,

Rob