Painting questions

[racefan33]

I'm starting to think about painting my drums.

I have some questions for anyone who has painted a drum that is already finished.

1. Do you sand the whole previous paint job off or just a light sanding.
2. I'm thinking I should start with primer to get a good base coat surface, do you think that is needed or could I just get away with starting with a couple of coats of white.
3. Did you tape off the edges, meaning can I get away with doing this without needing to re-cut the edges?
4. How many coats of clear did you put on?
5. What kind of paint did you use?

Thanx a lot for the help.

 

[sarcasmsetyourhouseonfire]

i've never "painted" drums, but i have stained plenty.

i'd definitely sand the entire finish off first... you'll have to be really careful though, because you could make the shell uneven. if you're going with a solid color, you may be able to get away with scuffing up the original finish.

paint wise, something aerosol...

if you're not using aerosols, you're going to have to really be careful with how many coats of paint / primer you're applying because it'll get pretty thick pretty fast and that's no good.

any experience with an airbrush?

edges: yeah... i'd tape off the edges and all the holes from the hardware. ideally, you'd want to do all your painting / priming / sealing before that stuff was even done.

clear coat - how are you planning on applying it? i'd highly suggest spraying it. usually 12 light coats. sometimes more. you'll need to wet sand after every 3 or 4 coats.

 

[xdoseonex]

i've never "painted" drums, but i have stained plenty.

i'd definitely sand the entire finish off first... you'll have to be really careful though, because you could make the shell uneven. if you're going with a solid color, you may be able to get away with scuffing up the original finish.

paint wise, something aerosol...

if you're not using aerosols, you're going to have to really be careful with how many coats of paint / primer you're applying because it'll get pretty thick pretty fast and that's no good.

any experience with an airbrush?

edges: yeah... i'd tape off the edges and all the holes from the hardware. ideally, you'd want to do all your painting / priming / sealing before that stuff was even done.

clear coat - how are you planning on applying it? i'd highly suggest spraying it. usually 12 light coats. sometimes more. you'll need to wet sand after every 3 or 4 coats.

I'v heard heard that drilling a finished shell can cause air to get under the clearcoat near the holes

 

[sarcasmsetyourhouseonfire]

I'v heard heard that drilling a finished shell can cause air to get under the clearcoat near the holes

huh. never heard that one before. as far as i know, every company out there does the drilling last.

 

[BillRayDrums]

I'v heard heard that drilling a finished shell can cause air to get under the clearcoat near the holes

huh. never heard that one before. as far as i know, every company out there does the drilling last.

I've stained many a shell....beer stains and otherwise!!

 

[xdoseonex]

I'v heard heard that drilling a finished shell can cause air to get under the clearcoat near the holes

huh. never heard that one before. as far as i know, every company out there does the drilling last.

now that i think of it. pj seals a shell before he drills it. so i guess thats bullshit. I definately heard it somewhere tho

 

[ProtestTheHero88]

whats the new color scheme yur goin for? jus curious, i have no constructive advice.. sorry.. lol

 

[racefan33]

Not sure yet but either a solid Candy-apple red or white with a rally type stripe.