Do I sand this finish off?

[CAMDRUMS]

I would like to redo this drum in black stain. Do I sand off the current finish or is there something I apply that will take it off? Just appears to be some kind of clear coat. Thanks for help with the newbie question.

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

Get some 320 sandpaper and sand it off by hand (using a block) and go with the grain (ie: sideways, not up/down). There are chemical strippers but that's your call.....

 

[CompactDrums]

Everyone's got their own process... if it was me, I'd start with 150 grit using an oscillating sander. Take care to move the sander fairly rapidly and evenly across the surface, as soon as any wood starts to show, switch to 240 grit and then 300+

 

[CAMDRUMS]

Thanks guys!

 

[A_T_P]

Depending on the finish you're looking for, the stain may not take as well if you sand too fine, so keep that in mind. Good luck!

 

[blueshadow]

I'm not an expert in fact far from it but have done several attempts of strip and stain and haven't been very successful. Pretty difficult to get a good stain after pulling off all the clear in my experience. I'd probably live with it or sell and buy a black one.

 

[indedrum]

Sanding is risky- it is very easy to break through the outer ply, then it is pretty much ruined. You are trying to cut through a very hard polymer finish, without damaging the soft, think layer of wood underneath. Chemical strippers can get the bulk of the finish off, then you can sand by hand to make sure it is clean and even. The next problem is that if any finish is still there, even deep down in the grain of the wood, the stain will apply unevenly.

 

[blueshadow]

This turned out nice:

http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/131934-ludwig-piccolo-snare-rehab/

 

[155]

sand it till you hit wood very gently no strippers needed

 

[CAMDRUMS]

I'm not an expert in fact far from it but have done several attempts of strip and stain and haven't been very successful. Pretty difficult to get a good stain after pulling off all the clear in my experience. I'd probably live with it or sell and buy a black one.

Ugh! As it turned out this is the advice I should have taken. I actually had a guy at the local drum shop sand off the old finish for me as he has the tools to do it cheap but I tried to stain it myself. I found out that if you care at all how the drum will look and do not have A LOT of experience with finishing, don't even bother. It took days staining and then drying to get the color I wanted and then when doing a light sand of my first coat of poly I used too much pressure and went down to the bare wood in a couple places. Now trying to restain those little spots but can't get it dark enough to match. And the poly highlights the poor quality of my staining overall. Really regretting this project, but now I know for the future.

 

[blueshadow]

I'm not an expert in fact far from it but have done several attempts of strip and stain and haven't been very successful. Pretty difficult to get a good stain after pulling off all the clear in my experience. I'd probably live with it or sell and buy a black one.

Ugh! As it turned out this is the advice I should have taken. I actually had a guy at the local drum shop sand off the old finish for me as he has the tools to do it cheap but I tried to stain it myself. I found out that if you care at all how the drum will look and do not have A LOT of experience with finishing, don't even bother. It took days staining and then drying to get the color I wanted and then when doing a light sand of my first coat of poly I used too much pressure and went down to the bare wood in a couple places. Now trying to restain those little spots but can't get it dark enough to match. And the poly highlights the poor quality of my staining overall. Really regretting this project, but now I know for the future.

LOL I have quite a few projects that I've regretted but have learned from each and almost have learned enough to stay away from projects and just play drums Sent you a PM

 

[CAMDRUMS]

So one thing I learned is that the hardware covers up a lot of flaws that you see when just looking at the shell. Doesn't look so bad after all. Thanks for the advice everyone. Chris

 

[blueshadow]

Looks good, glad it turned out.