Repairing damaged bearing edge

I had a beautiful kick drum that was part of a kit arrive damaged. I'm not sure if it was damaged in transit or was damaged before being shipped to me, but I certainly didn't get a partial refund. Reverb asked if I'd accept a partial refund and keep the set. I said no I wanted to return it and get full refund. That is standard procedure for Reverb. Buyer gets that choice. So, unless the drums were described with defects or described in only fair condition or something like that, OP chose to keep drums along with partial refund. That is really bad damage. OP must have really really wanted that kick drum it must be valuable, rare, or else was just a super-cheap basket case to begin with. But that's way more damage than I'd ever accept. And in that last pic you can see there is way more damage to shell than just the bearing edge. The shell is cracked well below the edge.
 
I can see how it might seem odd to accept a partial refund and keep the damaged drum. Considering the rest of the drums were as described and in fine shape minus some cosmetic wear and tear, I decided that simply accepting the partial refund and forgoing the hassle of shipping the damaged drum or whole set was the best outcome. The refund itself was about 60 % of what I paid for all four drums. A nice amount to look for other bass drums and also take a crack at fixing it myself / pay someone else to.

The drums themselves are Pearl BLX from the late 80's. These were a decent amount cheaper then most other sets currently for sale, and the idea of starting from scratch and wading through mostly overpriced listings did not seem too appealing. I will try to remember to post some pictures of the drum after it is fixed (or not, if it is replaced or I do a bad job).
 
Hey all,

Just received some drums today via UPS and it seems they were a bit rough. The seller (via reverb) was quick to respond and everything is insured so hopefully it gets worked out quickly. I know there are fairly straightforward fixes for small chips in bearing edges, but does anyone have experience repairing a drum this badly damaged? Is it even worth it? The splitting and cracking are located on the resonant side of the bass drum near the bottom.

I bought these drums with a slight makeover in mind (new laquer in different colors) so cosmetic blemishes pertaining to any possible fixes do not bother me. I'm just worried about structural integrity down the line.

Thanks,

Tom.
I wonder if Bondo would work?
 
The drums themselves are Pearl BLX from the late 80's.
60% refund ...... sounds like a killer deal. I just saw a black BLX 22x16 on eBay, for $373 obo ...... if you can't repair your drum to satisfaction, keep an eye peeled for a replacement bass drum. They're out there.
 
They seem to be around enough that I will be able to snag one sooner rather than later if I need to. The most common seem to be red laquer, and those seem to be the most expensive. Maybe a recording custom association upcharge?
 
They seem to be around enough that I will be able to snag one sooner rather than later if I need to. The most common seem to be red laquer, and those seem to be the most expensive. Maybe a recording custom association upcharge?
7 red kits on Reverb right now. 2 blue ..... 1 black. Back in the day, here in L.A., black was all the rage.
 
I'm sure ive read or watched a vid of how they repair vintage drums with similar issues. It's no big deal afterwards.
 
Well things turned out pretty much the best that I could hope for. Two friends who help run a fabrication shop just a few blocks from my place of work generously offered to have the drum repaired free or charge. They advised that they would not be able to color match or restore it to perfect condition, but considering my options I was more than happy to take them up on their offer. It's hard to tell from the photos because of glare but the bearing edge turned out great, and the drum seems structurally sound. The cosmetic marking don't bother me much; they sit at bottom of the drum anyway when it is set up.

I've only had a few minutes tuning / playing time with them so far, but the drums tune up quickly and sound pretty good. The bass drum shipped with an Evans eq3 batter head which I have no experience with, but I think with more fine tuning or a change of heads this drum will sound great.
 

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From looking at the photos I'm thinking Precision could cut one inch down on both sides and across to lift the damage out. Put the exact thickness of shell back in and glue it. Then matching the finish. Yes?..No?. Chris Heur could do it without a doubt and I'm thinking Precision as well. We have the technology..we can rebuild him..better than befor..stronger..faster..the 6 million dollar drum.
 
I debated shipping the drum in to precision for repair, but ultimately decided that as long as sounds good, holds it tuning, and doesn't begin to show signs of breaking again, I'm happy. Although I do have 6 million dollars currently burning a hole in my pocket and an uncle who works as an engineer for NASA...
 
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