Advice on painting drums

Eve0113

Junior Member
I have a Pearl kit that has a cream colored wrap on it and I want to paint them something more vibrant that fits me better :).
What kind of paint do I use? And do I paint right over the wrap, or do I have to remove it?
 
Definitely remove the wrap!!

As far as paint goes, I have no earthly idea... Sears Weather Beater, maybe? ;-)
 
1.remove the wrap.
2.remove all hardware
3.get yourself some sorts table that spins. like a lazy susan
4.you can use spray paint from home depot.
5. get a primer made for wood
6. you want a clear coat something like an acrylic hard bonding agent.

After you have all this take the wrap off. Sand drum and clean with a soft towel. Put the drum on the spinning table and place a piece of cardboard on top of the drum. Spin the table slowly and spray light coat of primer this will help the paint stick to the wood. After the primer had dried start with the paint, this will take 4-5 coats of very thin paint. Careful not to over spray like i said use thin coats so its even and keep the table spinning while you make even coats. Last is the clear coat this will also take several coats and make sure they dry before shooting the next layer. also make sure you are in a clean room and floating debris will stick obviously. Im sure other guys will give better advise i can only tell you how i did mine....


here is my 12" pork pie i did using this process. sorry for the bad pictures they were taken on cell.
 

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Cool thanks! We were thinking we'd hang them to paint (my husband I). However, a spinning table idea is great! I look forward to additional opinions and advice on here. :)
 
I have successfully painted over the wrap with high gloss oil based enamel.

Generally, paint doesn't like to adhere to slick surfaces so a primer coat would be advised. Primer sticks to the slick surface and allows the new paint to stick to it.

I did not prime the kit I painted and I never had a durability issue. I did use high quality oil based enamel with a compressor and automotive style spray gun.

I would hang them. When an object sits flat, the paint spray will want to build up at the bottom where it rests on the table. Spray in short bursts, starting and stopping when you change directions. If you change directions while holding the trigger, you will get a thick blob where you changed directions. Think "lay it on" , dusting it gently. More thin coats are way better than one thick one.
 
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Thank you very much! I'm so happy that I got two different replies, both from experience. I'm sure both ways work well. I'll have to feel it out, talk to my husband and see how we'll do it.
 
Which Pearls are these? The lower end kits can have some truly unfortunate wood under the wraps. Sonically, I would advocate removing the wrap, but that could lead to a major prep work battle if the outer ply is not particularly nice.

I just learned of people painting their wheels, badges, or even whole cars in Plasti Dip. It comes in a bunch of colors, is durable, and also can be removed if you want a change later or if it isn't holding up well. Something to consider.
 
I like automotive paint. Lots of colors to choose from at your local Auto Zone. I recently painted a Sonor Force I have which was an ugly teal color right over the wrap with a black pearlescent finish. It looks great. I've taken the wrap off of drums before and it can be a lot of work to seal and finish the mystery wood under some wraps. I redid a DW snare and the maple looked great. Although the wrap was scarffed into the shell so I had to fill that part. A set of Pearl Sessions I had were a royal pain as the outer ply was mahogany and the grain kept raising no matter what I did.
 
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