What would you do with this gretsch snare?

[4MoreYearsOhNo]

Duco paint obviously has "issues". You can see what has flaked off just in removing the heads. Most of the paint that is still on the drum is fairly solid, but some more would come off if I tried to clean off the shell.

Obviously needs cleaning, shell and parts. Its all original, no extra holes, etc. Old style lugs have inserts with springs. Fifties I think. Back when they were using thick shells (3/8" plus). Someone probably knows when that was.

So is this worth keeping the paint as is? Or is it so far gone it is better to strip it off? What would you do?

 

[JDA]

How many lugs is that? 8 right..
~
there's a similar situation here on ebay and...the feller said he just clear coated it...

1950s WFL 6.5x14 Snare Drum / Vintage Snare Drum / Ludwig Snare | eBay

<p>1950s WFL 6.5x14 Snare Drum / Vintage Snare Drum. </p><br /><p>1950s WFL 6.5x14 Snare Drum</p><p> </p><p>*WFL Keystone / Ludwig Transition Badge</p><br /><p>Hello! selling a 1950s WFL 6.5x14 snare. The original paint was chipping badly but rather than strip it or add another wrap, I sealed...

www.ebay.com

 

[K.O.]

Carefully wiping flaking lacquer with lacquer thinner can revitalize it to a degree and arrest the flaking. I've done that to a couple of drums and it seems to help. The tricky part is getting enough lacquer thinner onto the paint without flaking more of it off.

 

[rikkrebs]

Most of the time I prefer for a drum to show it’s story. However, I personally do not think it would hurt this drum to refinish it.

 

[retrosonic]

Yea, I'd agree. In this case, a good strip, Sanding and natural lacquer job might look very nice, Ala Charlie Watts.

 

[1988fxlr]

I’d try k.o.’s lacquer thinner suggestion. If its reasonably succesful you can shoot clear lacquer over it to hold it together. If its not you’ll already have lacquer thinner on hand to strip the finish with a minimum of sanding

 

[levelpebble]

Looks fine to me. I definitely would not refinish. Preserve as best you can and don't worry about it.

 

[44Ronin]

Leave it funky

 

[jptrickster]

I'd strip it in a heartbeat and clear coat it, sure to have a nice looking maple veneer.

 

[K.O.]

I did a little demo video on the technique I mentioned above. You can find it in this earlier thread on this same topic.

How to stop paint from flaking/chipping off..

My WFL duco kit is in pretty decent shape but has a couple of troubled areas where quite a bit of paint has flaked off..is there any way I can stop it? Could I apply a bit of clear varnish, or flat urethane to the edges of the chipped area to help it adhere to the shell? Would that work? clear...

www.drumforum.org

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

I'd get that snare for sure! I'd have to look closer at it but, sadly, I'd lean towards a new finish whether clear or otherwise. I'd make it look new again. I have a 40's very similar with a gold duco finish.......great snare!

 

[dtk]

I have a similar drum, W/A...its one of my faves. I'm in the 'if you can preserve it, you should camp' but...its your toy...play with it as you will

 

[BennyK]

With barely any pressure I'd run a scraper lightly over to remove the flakes that have curled away from the shell then a quick clear coat .

On a pre CBS Strat something like this would reinforce its value , so why not an old snare drum ?

 

[gkrk]

With barely any pressure I'd run a scraper lightly over to remove the flakes that have curled away from the shell then a quick clear coat .

On a pre CBS Strat something like this would reinforce its value , so why not an old snare drum ?

Maybe use a plastic putty knife. Would a light clear coat on a pre-CBS Strat devalue the guitar?

 

[JDA]

So is this worth keeping the paint as is? Or is it so far gone it is better to strip it off? What would you do?

where did you find this. what were the circumstances; were there any more..

Does it work as a snare drum; the Rods into the Lugs seem solid/ok?

 

[BennyK]

Maybe use a plastic putty knife. Would a light clear coat on a pre-CBS Strat devalue the guitar?

I don't know , but I'll bet there are sites on the internet that deal with this . Trick is, I suppose to feather the edges ( 600 grit wet emery cloth ) of the affected areas to halt the flaking . A light coating of sealer with a flat or satin dry finish would be Ideal .

I re finished an old pre CBS natural Fender Esquire .... same model that Page used on Stairway to Heaven , because the original varnish had cracked and was flakey . Well, my guitar buddies were horrified , treating me with a derisive pity . Yeah, I de-valued the instrument .

 

[bassanddrum84]

I would try spray clear coat from a distance. Maybe three from a good distance away not create more flaking, once built up then do a nice even coat up close if all else fails black nitro is always a killer finish to keep in mind.

 

[bopdaddy]

Strip it, paint it Tony Williams Yellow and "call it day" !

 

[JohnnyVibesAZ]

Save all the stripping. I would wrap it with a classic pearl.

 

[JDA]

Is the drum functional..rods go in and out up and down, Hoops seat, can the drum make a sound?