Re-finishing drums by myself

[FarFromElysium]

hey guys, im looking to re-finish my drums. I thought, why cant i do it myself?

so im looking for some advice on how to do it.

i cant think of any real questions besides

What kind of paints should i use and should i put more then paint on it (like some kind of oil or gloss?)



thnx for any advice

[Chippy569]

have you ever done any wood finishing before?


and what finish do you currently have on your drums?

[FarFromElysium]

well my dad has done it alot and he was gonna help me

and the kit is a mapex V so i think they all have high gloss coverings. the colors red

http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b390/bcdrummer121/?action=view&current=Picture141.jpgthats an old setup but its the same drums.

[Chippy569]

sweet, they're wraps. that's easier.

first, take all the lugs off.

next, get a heat gun / hot hair dryer and heat the seam. (should be easy to find)
you need to heat the glue there so it comes off easier. just be careful to not melt the plastic!!!

oh heck. give me a few minutes, i made a refinishing guide a while ago, i'ma go dig it out.

[Chippy569]

here's my old guide.
http://inkinc.hostedz.com/refinishing.html


also, here's CW's refinishing guide:
http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=413507&highlight=refinish+guide

[FarFromElysium]

awesome thnx for the the help. That gets me started

but what do i use for colors?

[billdrum]

I would use a glossy spray then a clearcoat over the top. You can choose whatever color you want.

[FarFromElysium]

k thnx alot guys

[green242]

Get an airbrush, spend years perfecting your skill, then airbrush it with all crazy pictures and designs... That would be cool..
Impractical I know
But cool
I have never seen an awsome painted drumset with pro level airbrush art on them..

[SpikedCola]

I stained my old Tama Swingstar's with some wood stain (not sure what colour, had a furniture place do it for me) and they turned out AMAZING! If youre not set on what colour you want, definately consider a stain.

[Chippy569]

re your email, yes you can use paint but it will look like, well... paint.


what kind of finish are you going for?

[FarFromElysium]

http://sjcdrums.com/productdetail.php?id=567

those are the colors , just the stripes are not right

[Chippy569]

those are done with wraps, but if you do a REALLY good job laying your masking tape, and you let the paint try and score the tape edges before peeling (gently! gently!!!!!) you might get straight paint lines. though i worry about paint bleeding through the tape.

[CombatWombat3]

Here's my updated guide, since apparently you can't edit lessons. That's a bit annoying...it'll take two posts

Drum Refinishing Guide for the Amateur

This is a guide for inexperienced drummers who wish to create a stained or lacquered finish for their drums. I will go over wrap removal, sanding techniques, staining techniques and clearcoating techniques. Before we begin, I must state that this guide is for drumsets that have some form of wrap on them. This guide will not work for drums that have been previously stained or refinished. Also, be sure you want to do this. Once you go through with this, it will be very expensive and sometimes impossible to return the drums to their oringial finish. You do not want to go around ruining a nice or dear drumset to you by being unsure about your will to do this.


This is a large commitment, and you will have to be persistent throughout this process. It took me about 4-5 days of fairly consistent work. Make sure you can spare your drums being inactive for the time it will take to complete the process. Read through entire guide before beginning to refinish.

The first step in refinishing your drums is to gather your supplies. You can probably find all of these things at a hardware store. It will cost anywhere from nothing to 50-70 dollars, depending on the supplies you have at home. You will need to following:

• Sandpaper of both higher and lower grits (explained later)
• Heat gun or blow-dryer (for removing the wrap)
• Tuning key (for removing heads)
• Screwdriver (for removing hardware from shells)
• Tack cloth (for removing all debris from the shell)
• Working space (someplace where you have lots of room to work and move around, as well as someplace to set drums that have wet stain and clearcoat on them)
• High-Quality paintbrush, synthetic bristles (for applying clearcoat)
• Clean, dirt-free rags (for applying stain and clearcoat)
• Wood stain (I will go more in-depth later)
• A form of clearcoat ( I will go more in-depth later)
• Some sort of knife or scraper (for removing wrap)

Organization will be a key factor in this process, so make sure your workspace is organized and not cluttered. Everything should be in reach in case something goes wrong (you never know).


Removing hardware and wrap

Once you have all of these things, you are ready to begin. You can start to remove all the hardware. Have bags or boxes ready to put all the screws, lugs, tension rods, etc in, so you do not lose any. If you lose one it might be hard to replace it. It will save you a lot of trouble and a lot of hassle. Remove EVERYTHING from the shell. You should only need a screwdriver and a tuning key for this.

Taking the wrap off the drums can be a tricky and sometimes tedious process. I used a heat gun for this process. A broad-bladed scraper of some form is best for this. I used a paint scraper, and it worked just fine.

Now, the drumset I used was a pearl forum, and it was pretty cheaply glued, so this step was fairly easy for me. I don’t know about other companies. What you will want to do is find the seam of the drum, and start to heat it up. There are a couple things you don’t want to do. One is to allow the wrap to burn or melt severely. The other is getting the shell too hot. If you get the shell too hot, it could warp. So try and be as conservative as you can with the heat. Hint: This step is easiest with two people. One person applies heat; the other person is constantly trying to work the wrap off the drum. If you are lucky your drums will only be glued in a couple spots.

To remove the wrap, begin heating at the seam of the drum. Gently work the edge of the scraper underneath the wrap to loosen the glue on the seam. From there, keep working the scraper underneath the wrap to separate it from the shell. Remember! There is wood underneath that can be scraped, chipped, dented, etc. This must be done carefully. Depending on the construction of the drum, this take varying degrees of difficulty. With my pearl forums, on some of them I heated farther around the drum and was able to basically pull the wrap off. With some vintage slingerlands I worked on, it took my several hours of painstaking work with a scraper to get the wrap off a 12” tom.

On a side note about vents: I did not take my vents out when I refinished my drums, but I would highly suggest doing so. Doing so will make for a smoother and more consistent result. If you do take them out, I suggest buying new ones. Taking them out can often damage and warp them. Taking vents out can be done with needle nose pliers and a little bit of patience. Try not to scratch the wood with the pliers.

If you do not decide to take the vent out, getting the wrap out from underneath vents can be kind of tricky. I got around this by cutting perpendicular lines to the vent, making several wedges, like pizza slices. WATCH OUT - Remember, there is wood underneath the wrap that can be easily scratched. Once you have the lines cut, you can try and pull them out. If this does not work, then try heating it up a LITTLE bit. If you heat it up too much, it will simply snap off, leaving a stub near the vent that is even harder to get out.


Sanding


Once you have the wraps off, you can start the sanding process. During this process, you will want to be very careful handling your drums, because everything will be exposed to the elements and clumsy mistakes. Be mindful of your bearing edges, the lug holes, etc.

When I first refinished my pearl forums, I sanded without a power sander; I used a good old sanding block and sheets of sand paper. However, I would highly suggest using a small power sander. I purchased one a little bit ago, and it makes sanding drums incredibly easier. You get a much more consistent, professional result.

Begin sanding with lower grit (coarser) sandpaper, going with the grain of the wood. Start increasing your grit, going to finer and finer sandpaper. During this step, evenness and thoroughness are key. The goal here is to create a smooth, flawless surface on which you can apply the stain. You want to remove all the glue, residue and anything else that might be on the surface of your shells. Take your time, don’t rush anything, and be mindful of what you are doing.




Staining

Now comes the staining. For my staining I used a simple, water-based wood stain. The two most common kinds of stain are water-based and oil-based. I opted for water-based because it dries quickly and does not run. I got a half a pint of it at Home Depot for 5 dollars, and that was enough to do all my drums. I did a natural wood finish, with “rosewood” color (see pictures). It is a good idea to find out what your grain looks like before you buy your stain. You might buy a stain, see your grain, and then decide your grain would look much better with a different color stain. Be sure to test the stain out on another piece of wood before applying it to your drums, to make sure it is the color your want. When doing multiple coats, make sure you give ample time between coats to dry (2-3 hours for water-based).

This is a chance for you to be creative in your refinishing. I was not sure exactly what colors I could get out of my drums, so I decided to do each drum slightly different. I tried several techniques. One was to apply the stain very heavily, then immediately wipe it off. Another was to apply two very thin coats of stain. I also tried applying one fairly thick coat. I must say, I was blown away by the results. On one drum I got a mahogany color, on another a very deep, antique brown-red color, on another I got a much paler brown-red. Obviously, if you want your drums to be a uniform color, test on a piece of wood and experiment with the different hues you can create. Be sure to use a nice, quality piece of wood to give you a more accurate reflection of your stain.

Before you begin staining, I would highly suggest taping your bearing edges and the holes in your drums so stain and clearcoat do not get on or in them. I would also suggest taping newspaper to the inside of your drums so that you can drip them with stain on your hands and the inside will not get stained.

The staining of the drums is very simple. Dip your rag into the stain (be careful not to get a lot on there, unless you want a lot). Then spread the stain around until you have the desired color. When staining, make sure to always go with the grain. Always go the same direction for every coat as well. Before you stain the drum, make sure you clear the drum of debris very thoroughly. This is very important, because any debris on the drum when you stain the drum will be there permanently (unless you sand it out, and that can be quite a pain). After you stain your drums, make sure you follow the directions for the stain and give it ample time to dry.

[CombatWombat3]

Clearcoating


After your staining is complete, you are ready to clearcoat your drums. I used a Minwax semi-gloss polycrilic, and it worked out great. Other people have used spray on acrylics. Something like tung oil also might work, but tung oil darkens whatever you apply it to. I used 2 half pints of this. I did 7 coats total. This is where I am uncertain, however. I am not sure how many coats you should apply. If you want to find out, your best bet would probably be to talk to an employee at a hardware store. I applied 5 coats with a brush, and two with a rag.

I also used a semi-gloss finish, but it is up to you what you want to use. A high-gloss finish will reflect a lot of light, while a no-gloss finish will essentially be a matte finish.

To apply clear-coat, dip your rag or brush in the clear-coat and choose a spot to begin clearcoating. Begin to evenly coat the drum in clearcoat, making sure you go one direction while applying (you should go the same way with every coat.) Make sure you are applying it evenly, and leaving no globs or pools of liquid. The key to applying the coats is consistency and persistence. You cannot get sloppy with your work. Keep your coat even and consistent. Do not apply it too heavily, and do not apply it too lightly. After you are done with a drum, make sure you set it down so that the clearcoat will not come in contact with other objects. Make sure to give ample time for the layer to dry. When in doubt, wait longer.

In between coats, you will want to sand the clearcoat to make sure the finish is nice and smooth in preparation for the next coat. Do not use too low of a grit; you do not want to gouge the clearcoat. Sand to increasingly higher grits on every layer. I used up to 2400 grit sandpaper. Make sure you clear the drum of any residue left over from sanding.

As I said before, I did 5 coats with a brush and two coats with a rag. The last 2 coats were with the rag, and that was to try and get a “softer” look to the finish, not the harsh, grainy look of the brush. This worked fairly well.

I have seen results when other people have used spray-on clear-coat, and I must say I was very impressed.


Completion

After you are done with your last coat of clearcoat, you will want to do one last sand, making sure you spend a lot of time to give it that extra smoothness and shine. Take your time, you won’t regret it.

There are some other things you can do as well to end up with a fantastic finished product. I took the opportunity to buy a bottle of chrome polish and give all my hardware a nice shine to it. I would also suggest putting cottonballs in your lugs while they are off if they have a history of rattling. When I refinished my drums, I ordered new heads so they arrived in time for me to put them on after I had finished.

Be sure to take your time; being meticulous won’t hurt with this project. These drums will be your pride and joy, and you will want the best result possible. But don’t forget to have fun! When someone compliments you on your finish, you will be able to say you did it yourself. Remember, this is about creativity. But whatever you do to your drums is permanent, so be careful!


if you have any questions, lemme know!

Edit: 10 posts away from 6,000....jesus.

[Chippy569]

thanks CW, much luv

[amnestyslowend]

I would also suggest going to an autoparts store and getting wet or dry 3m sandpaper and a polishing compound. After you do you last clear coat give it about 2 days to dry then finnish sanding with the paper wet with soapy water, this creates less heat and friction and use a higher grit like 1000 to start. Then work your way up to about 2000.

once done with the wet sanding dry it and use that dust remover in can stuff, used to clean keyboards, to get all dust off. Then get the rubbing compound and a rag. Put a small amount onthe rag and start rubbing it in circles in a small area. This creates the smoothest, glossy, prefessional looking finnish.

[mullets suk]

ive been thinking about refinished my drums too. i asked my mom about it, since she refinishes anything when it needs it. i told her my drums were low quality and she told me that certain woods (press board) will rot when a finish is added on to it.

i was wondering does anyone know what a swingstar is made from. on tama's site it says "Philippine Mahogany" but i bought mine before 2005, but i doubt they would change it.

[Chippy569]

it's luan, aka philly mahog (although luan is nothing like real mahog.)

[ant_182]

WOW. Thats a serious refinish :p. All I did, peel off the wrap. Give it a good sand down. Get rid of the sawdust etc. sprayed it (looked like a stain imo) /stain it. let that dry, get the colour etc. Then clear coat it. =/

[mullets suk]

it's luan, aka philly mahog (although luan is nothing like real mahog.)

so does that mean it would not rot when it came in contact with a finish?

[amnestyslowend]

no man it wont rot its real wood not pressboard.

[mullets suk]

right, just makin extra sure, nothing worse then having your drums being destroyed in front of you. lol