Hey Sparkle Finish guys...can I fix this?

[singlehum]

I know there's some sparkle finish experts here, so I'm asking for som input.

I recently picked up a sparkle finish (wrap, not paint) drum kit. It's actually "broken glass", which is a little different than "glitter" finish. Previous owner wasn't too good with a drill, and busted out some of the shell and wrap.

I'm wondering if I can fill this somehow. Doesn't have to be perfect, but needs to be less obvious than the existing mess. I do hava sample swatch of the broken glass wrap material, which I could try to picen in, but the damage is not of uniform depth or shape. Someone suggested splitting the swatch of sample material and scraping the glitter material out, then mixing it with clear and "filling" the damged areas.

Any ideas?

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[Victor (Fret Friend)]

This is why you should always drill small pilot holes! Doesn't look too difficult a job and should be easy to mix glitter into paint. I'd fill it then paint the filler silver once dry & sprinkle glitter then varnish coat it (I'm no expert)...

[Turdus]

Depending on what the drum is, and if any vintage value, can you rewrap the entire piece? Otherwise, I'd try to fit in a few small squares, after filling, leveling the mess.

[zenmindbeginner]

Are those holes for mounting hardware? Filling them would be a b**ch... I also don't know how well a repair will last since the shell will take a buttload of vibration.

The "plug" method requires some patience but will be a good repair... you'll have to use a hardwood dowel (don't get the birch or poplar hardwood dowels at your local store, order some good maple ones).

You'll have to pre-cut and shape the dowel prior to glueing it in place... the better fit means a better repair. You'll also have to glue a thin piece of wood over the repair as a stabilizing "cap".

The thin cap should completely cover the dowel plug and a little out beyond into the splintered area. Once everything is dry, you can fill the rest of the splintered area with wood filler.

The, you need to buy a glass glitter wrap that is the exact diameter of your drum since you will be needing the correct radius.

Then, you just cut out the wrap that you need for the repair... you can mess up several times before you run out of wrap.

This is the DW Broken Glass? I'm pretty sure that it's not a finish but a wrap, so this repair will be achievable.

[hamerhead]

[anotherfreak]

From the pic, it looks like a wrap, not a Paint,

"nevermind" see above

[Toadroller]

Handy-man's secret weapon!

[JohnnyB]

... Previous owner wasn't too good with a drill, and busted out some of the shell and wrap.

I'm wondering if I can fill this somehow. Doesn't have to be perfect, but needs to be less obvious than the existing mess. I do hava sample swatch of the broken glass wrap material, which I could try to piece in in, but the damage is not of uniform depth or shape. Someone suggested splitting the swatch of sample material and scraping the glitter material out, then mixing it with clear and "filling" the damged areas.

Any ideas?

According to your own description, here are the factors:

1. Fix has to be unnoticeable from two to three feet away but doesn't have to be a perfect restoration at close scrutiny.
2. The damage to the shell wood is irregular and varies in depth
3. Damage to the glitter finish is irregular
4. You have some glitter wrap on hand for patching

Given these factors, here's what I recommend:

1. Remove the irregular parts of the glitter damage to form squares or rectangles that are easily measurable and can be duplicated as patches of your glitter wrap. Use a box cuter or X-Acto knife to slice the wrap on the shell; use a small putty knife or table knife to pry up the irregular parts of the wrap to form a rectangular patch area. Take it slow and careful. If you rush it you may enlarge the damage. If the wrap doesn't want to separate from the wood, make SURE you have cut all the way through the wrap and then apply some heat with the low setting of a hair dryer or (preferably) a heat gun to soften the adhesive and lift the ragged edges of the wrap damage.
2. Use wood filler to patch the damaged wood. Wood filler repair the wood surface regardless of shape or depth of the damage. Make sure you fill only up to the wood shell surface level, and not to the wrap level. Use a small putty knife to apply the filler and smooth it.
3. After the filler dries, hand-sand the surface to make it as similar to the intact wood surface as possible.
4. Measure the rectangular patch areas and cut same-size wrap patches.
5. Without glueing anything match the patches to the bare spots. Sand or file the edges of the wrap as necessary to get a snug fit without any bulging.
6. Glue the patches into place; weight or clamp the patches until the glue sets.

Before re-mounting the hardware, you might want to find some larger diameter washers for the inside of the shell to spread the stress out over a wider area. You don't want to aggravate the patch area. Wood filler doesn't have the same sort of tensile strength as laminated hardwood.

ZMB's advice will also definitely fix this patch, but if you want a less perfectionist approach that's easier, quicker, and is unnoticeable at 2 feet away, this'll do it.

[Bobby Marshall]

Am I wrong to suggest, and maybe I missed the suggestiion already, but I would think making new holes for the mounts would be best and then patching the holes is less traumatic?

[JohnnyB]

Am I wrong to suggest, and maybe I missed the suggestiion already, but I would think making new holes for the mounts would be best and then patching the holes is less traumatic?

That depends on what is mounted in the holes. If they are for tension lugs, then the fill-and-cover method should be fine, especially for a tom-tom which is usually tuned to low tension. If it's the tom-tom mount, then you have a point. It's time for the OP to weigh in again and clarify this.

[singlehum]

Thanks for the input everyone.

Clarifications:

This is on a floor tom. The holes are for one of three leg mounts. The upper hole - on teh right in the picture will not be needed - it was an "extra". the hole to the left WILL be used, so the leg bracket will cover part of the damaged area. It was suggested by a friend that the upper hole could have an extra vent grommet installed in it to fill the hole and mostly cover the damage, with onlt minor repait needed outside the gromment coverage area.

[Studio Custom]

How about using epoxy? Tape it off, fill the holes in, sand the glue to shape.

Micheal's has a lot of glitters. Mix glitter into a clear coat, I'd use the Krylon water based. Comes in a spray can, so spray into a cup, add glitter and stir.