Refinishing a Tama Granstar II

[Tangled]

Hey Guys, so I posted a while back about my drumset, Its a tama Granstar II.

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50619

Thats the old thread.

So I decided to remove the wraps and start sanding. Its taken me a while but I believe they are all finished now. Very smooth. It took me a long time to get all the glue off. I used a heatgun and a screwdriver along with a toluene soaked rag to get the bulk of it off. Then I sanded. I started with 100, then 150, then 220, then 320p sand paper. That's where I'm at right now. Just finished each shell with the 320. They all look and feel smooth. Ive brought them into my basement now and I think I'm ready to start the next step, but im not quite sure what that is.

So thats where I'm at. Anyone here have any experience with this type of project? Any advice? Suggestions? Questions? Comments?

 

[Toolate]

Do you know what kind of finish you are after- assuming a stain and a satin/gloss finish of some sort.

I would start by making sure they are round and that the bearing edges are flat (check against a granite counter or glass sheet/cast iron table saw top etc) and that the bearing edges are consistent and free of voids.

 

[Tangled]

I dont really know. The hardware is chrome. I'm really not sure what I want.

 

[Les Ismore]

Honestly, I've seen GRANSTARS get de wrapped and clear coated ala natural finish and IMO they looked cheesy. The person did a great job, its just the grain of the birch they use(d) for the wrap drums isn't finish ply quality. If you're going to go through 'all' that work, and it is a lot of work, might as well come out with something really nice, not just 4 feet away nice... plus you've got that seam.

These drums were made to wear plastic and I believe if you want them to look sweet you should consider a nice finish ply, the sounds not going to suffer b/c of it.

If the hardware is good-excellent the extra money for a finish ply will be worth it, you'll have a hi-end looking set of drums, any stain/clear coat job you do is going to look just like you took the wrap off and stained/clear coated them.

 

[Bo Eder]

How about going through a favorite Hot Rod car magazine and picking a cool color to have them painted in? Torino Red (the hot rod red they use on Stratocasters) is always a good choice. Or a sea foam green? Artic Blue?

 

[rmandelbaum]

Your commited now,

You can re wrap, shoot with a solid color, stain or tint, clear, satin, or gloss.



Wrapping is easyiest, painting and getting pro results is a lot of work but can be very rewarding.

I have done a simular project, t was a ton of work and i have more into it than it is worth but I learned a lot and love the results.

Do you have the skills to paint or desire to develope them?

Do you have a place to shoot paint?




Just to get you thinking ;-)


http://drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43481&page=3

 

[opentune]

Wow, nice job. But if you were going to re-wrap no need to have sanded to 320 grit.
You can stain/lacquer them, (amber ? or an orange red?) but then there's the seam. I would say staining is the cheapest option.
If you want to to invest a little more, then a nice wrap - Black Diamond Pearl, Red Orange glitter, or even Black Oyster pearl.

Its all personal at this point.

 

[Tangled]

Honestly, I've seen GRANSTARS get de wrapped and clear coated ala natural finish and IMO they looked cheesy. The person did a great job, its just the grain of the birch they use(d) for the wrap drums isn't finish ply quality. If you're going to go through 'all' that work, and it is a lot of work, might as well come out with something really nice, not just 4 feet away nice... plus you've got that seam.

These drums were made to wear plastic and I believe if you want them to look sweet you should consider a nice finish ply, the sounds not going to suffer b/c of it.

If the hardware is good-excellent the extra money for a finish ply will be worth it, you'll have a hi-end looking set of drums, any stain/clear coat job you do is going to look just like you took the wrap off and stained/clear coated them.

Yeah I saw a video on youtube of someone doing a similar job. They used wood puddy for the seam. The hardware came out great. I took your advice and used Steel Wool. Worked well.

Putting a finish ply would defeat the purpose of sanding them though wouldnt it? I could always just put the ply on after the clear coating if I wasnt happy with the end result right?

"Do you have a place to shoot paint?"

Yes

"Do you have the skills to paint or desire to develope them?"

I really dont know.... I'd assume you'd need a spray gun which I dont have. I've only painted rooms of houses before. How involved is it ?

 

[BGH]

If you have no experience spraying lacquer, then I would not go that route unless you had a pro do it. To me, your choices are staining or going clear or wrapping. You could try doing a clear or stain on just 1 drum and see how it comes out. If you like it, great. If not, you can always wrap at that point. Good luck, have fun with it.

 

[Toolate]

Wipe the kick with a wet rag and I think you will see that the veneer has seams that run parallel to the grain that would not be on a drum designed to be stained. I am pretty sure I see it in the pic. Not sure if this will bother you but will probably be made more visible with stain.

Personally I would go for a paint job since you have done the work and obviously like the kit. A professional looking finish is a big chore but not too complicated. I would start locally and talk to a paint supplier about the finish and color you are after and see where that takes you.

A modern alternative would be a satin finish and that would take some of the work out of it (high gloss laquer would have to be wet sanded...)

 

[Les Ismore]

Putting a finish ply would defeat the purpose of sanding them though wouldnt it? I could always just put the ply on after the clear coating if I wasnt happy with the end result right?


Yeah, you could wrap it if you weren't happy with the end result, but why go through more work clear coating, it won't look hi-end?

The sanding wasn't a waste if you're going to put a nice finish ply on, something exotic maybe, then you'll have a a very hi-end kit... assuming the hardware is nice.

If you go with a nice finish ply, the sanding you did is a plus.

 

[latzanimal]

If you plan on staining the shells, you've sanded TOO much. Stain needs the pours of the wood to sit in. If the wood is too smooth, the stain will not take or will look splotchy....