Removing metal over wood finish as well rivets

mikyok

mikyok

Platinum Member
I'm refinishing my Ludwig in good old Black Oyster but as the title suggests there's a bit of a problem........

Riveted early 80s metal wrap on a floor tom that looks like a nightmare to shift. Has anyone had to remove this wrap before? What tools would you use?

If it's going to damage the drum removing the wrap I'd rather leave it as is. For the 8 piece soul/funk band the thuddy sound is perfect.

Any help/suggestion much appreciated!
 
Drill out the center of the rivets and then you will be able to remove them from shell. You may need some pliers to squash the end of the drilled out rivet so it can pass through the existing hole.
As for the rest, I can't help you there.
 
mikyok said:
Riveted early 80s metal wrap on a floor tom that looks like a nightmare to shift. Has anyone had to remove this wrap before? What tools would you use?
If it's going to damage the drum removing the wrap I'd rather leave it as is. For the 8 piece soul/funk band the thuddy sound is perfect.
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Oh ..... you are correct that it's a bitch. You have a lot of work ahead.

Like someguy01 said ..... drill (or Dremel) out the rivets is the best way to take care of that.

Gotta go real slow taking off the wrap. A heat gun will help soften the glue ..... and use a pry tool with no sharp point ...... and "gently as you can" lift the wrap off the shell. At least you're dealing with a 6 ply maple/poplar shell. The Japanese luan/philippine mahogany are the worst, when it comes to damaging the shell.
 
I want to see a pic of this riveted on wrap. I've not heard of such a thing.
 
someguy01 said:
Drill out the center of the rivets and then you will be able to remove them from shell. You may need some pliers to squash the end of the drilled out rivet so it can pass through the existing hole.
As for the rest, I can't help you there.
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It's at this point I'm glad my dad is a retired maintenance guy and has tools for tools sake.
harryconway said:
Gotta go real slow taking off the wrap. A heat gun will help soften the glue ..... and use a pry tool with no sharp point ...... and "gently as you can" lift the wrap off the shell. At least you're dealing with a 6 ply maple/poplar shell. The Japanese luan/philippine mahogany are the worst, when it comes to damaging the shell.
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I'm thinking leave as is, call me a coward!
MrInsanePolack said:
I want to see a pic of this riveted on wrap. I've not heard of such a thing.
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I'd put a cheap green sparkle over the top (see profile pic) I had a 24x16 bass drum with the same finish but sold it. It was a finish Ludwig offered i the late 70s/early 80s
 
mikyok said:
I'd put a cheap green sparkle over the top (see profile pic) I had a 24x16 bass drum with the same finish but sold it. It was a finish Ludwig offered i the late 70s/early 80s
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I'm curious about the rivets. Are they just on the wrap? Do they go through the shell?
 
MrInsanePolack said:
I'm curious about the rivets. Are they just on the wrap? Do they go through the shell?
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Just on the wrap which is metal. Don't think it goes into the shell but really not confident messing with it.

10 lug 16" floor as well
 
I've been where you are myself, so I can tell what to do in two easy steps.

1) Throw the drum into a deep hole/the ocean/an active volcano etc.

2) Go buy a different shell to re-wrap.

Seriously, it is a major pain for several reasons. The Chrome-O-Wood wrap is an actual piece of steel, so it is really tough in every way. Ludwig's rivets do penetrate the first ply or two on the outer shell. In spite of the rivets (and the fact it's steel) Ludwig also used about a gallon of glue to adhere the wrap to the shell. Solvents and/or heat (BUT NOT TOGETHER!!!!) should theoretically soften the glue enough to pull the wrap off after drilling out all of the rivets but in my case I couldn't get enough strength and leverage to pull the wrap off. I even looked into professional help...one place did not respond at all and the other politely declined taking the job on.
 
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If its just on the metal wrap, cant we just bypass the rivets and cut the wrap with some snips? I understand it's still adhered to the shell, so hit it with a torch. The metal wrap should protect the shell. The torch should soften the glue nicely and expand the metal a bit.
 
Winston_Wolf said:
I've been where you are myself, so I can tell what to do in two easy steps.

1) Throw the drum into a deep hole/the ocean/an active volcano etc.

2) Go buy a different shell to re-wrap.

Seriously, it is a major pain for several reasons. The Chrome-O-Wood wrap is an actual piece of steel, so it is really tough in every way. Ludwig's rivets do penetrate the first ply or two on the outer shell. In spite of the rivets (and the fact it's steel) Ludwig also used about a gallon of glue to adhere the wrap to the shell. Solvents and/or heat (BUT NOT TOGETHER!!!!) should theoretically soften the glue enough to pull the wrap off after drilling out all of the rivets but in my case I couldn't get enough strength and leverage to pull the wrap off. I even looked into professional help...one place did not respond at all and the other politely declined taking the job on.
Click to expand...

I'll heed your wise words sir!

No active volcanos in England sadly and I live as far away from the sea as you can get. Canal will have to do!
 
MrInsanePolack said:
If its just on the metal wrap, cant we just bypass the rivets and cut the wrap with some snips? I understand it's still adhered to the shell, so hit it with a torch. The metal wrap should protect the shell. The torch should soften the glue nicely and expand the metal a bit.
Click to expand...
Drill out the rivets and toss the whole thing into the microwave. 😎
 
Thin Shell said:
It goes into the shell, just not all the way through.
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How so? Is it just pushed in because of tension or is this an intentional design? I'm trying to understand how a rivet can be embedded part way into wood and still be flattened on both sides.
 
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