Advice on fixing up drums. (Water Dammage)

[echoe09]

So the guy i bought my set from informed me that one of the drums (16") had been sitting near a boiler and the hardware, such as the bolts in the wood, started to rust. I havent done anything about it until now and i want to know if any of you have fixed the kind of thing before.

Im thinking of just sticking the bolts in a water/CLR (calcium lime and rust remover) mixture and having the shell near my dehumidifyer for a while.

As for the rust in the wood maybe sand it down a little with some fine sand paper and apply a wood treater, such as the stuff you use to prepare wood for staining.

Hope you guys can help, ill post some pics when i get home.

[john gerrard]

Without seeing the drum, I would say that your ideas are pretty good. The main thing to worry about is delamination and I really don't know how you would go about preventing it if it is going to happen. I would say to be careful about putting it by the dehumidifier right away. A sudden change may not be too good. Just leave the heads off and let it dry out naturaly for a day or two, then you may be able to put it by the dehumidifier. John

[drnez]

Another concern I'd be worried about is what kind of damage the water has done acoustically to the drum. Water has a tendency to mess around with how stuff sounds. You might want to find someone who has a large commercial dryer to dry it out completely.

[gonefishin]

If your hardware is rusty on the one drum that you speak of then I would think the rest of the set is in the same condition.

Maybe the rest of the hardware isnt as rusty but the rest of the set was still set up in the same damp area.

[MartyM]

Water and wood....bad..if its very very minor then a fix is possible, like drnez said may effect plys and overall sound quality. Its obviously not possible for us to see or hear so do some investigation. If the stain on wood is superficial then a light sanding ( watch it cause its veneer not solid!) may be removed, then you can re-finish. Good luck, cause alot of us have had great success in restoring projects to a wonderfull end. enjoy the music

[echoe09]

Those two are of the 16"

and this one is of the 18" which would have been right next to it.


The bolts inside were very rusty and not rusty at all on the 18" so im going to go ahead and say its alright. And my Bass is in perfect condition.

The finish on the 16" looks a little faded in a certain area and i just cant get a picture of that... too shiny lol.

Ive had the set for a couple months now and I normally bring the dehumidifier in my room for a day or two since i have my drum set and a few guitars hanging up all over the place but i haven't concentrated i on one area.

So what do you guys think?

[MartyM]

inside looks do-able, some wood refinishers use a mild bleach to lighten up stains, you are showing the inside, is the out side the same? its looks OK, now again watch dehumidifiers so as to not dry out to much! this sometimes causes " checking of the veneers".. but I think a "fix" is going to work fine..lastly are they still round?

[mind_drummer]

Try to get your shell as dry as possible and clean your shell interior the best way possible and end with 2 to 3 coat of tung oil treatment. It will revive your shell and protect them by the same way.

[robert alderman]

I'm beginning to get a little concerned cause my drums are in my basemant right next to my sump pump. Will moisture in the air damage my drums? Do I need a dehumdifier? I don't have anywhere else to put my kit. Don't mean to take away from the original thread, just concerned is all.

[VIbes]

I think your in pretty good shape Echo. The shells look ok really. You can probably use some light sand paper and get rid if the rust left by the washers.
If the drums are not warped and still round there ok. What kind of finish is on them a wrap or natural? IF you have let them sit in a dry area for 2 weeks they should be dry. I would not subject them to anything un natural. Heat, de humidify, Send a wider angle pic. so we can see both sides of the drums. What brand drums are they?
Those pics looked like there was nothing wrong with them.

[echoe09]

I'm beginning to get a little concerned cause my drums are in my basemant right next to my sump pump. Will moisture in the air damage my drums? Do I need a dehumdifier? I don't have anywhere else to put my kit. Don't mean to take away from the original thread, just concerned is all.

Maybe cover up the sump pump? Idk what it is but it doesn't sound like something that is creating moisture in the air such as a boiler, its a lot easier for the wood to absorb moisture through steam and such rather than regular water.

[echoe09]

Thanks for the help guys!

MartyM... Yes the drum shell still looks round, when i put it inside of the 18" it doesnt look warped.

Mind_Drummer... Think i should use the Tung Oil treatment on all the drums? They are all taken apart so i may as well do something with them.

VIbes... Thats good to hear, ive had them for months now so they should be pretty dry, The set is a Pearl Masters Custom, and i guess ill start sanding the wood today.

As for the finish, its a stain not a wrap so i do not have to worry about that coming undone.

Thanks a lot for your help guys, as for the outside finish i dont think im going to fix that up right now but ill post pics before/after when i finish with the set.

[coronet_500]

I'm beginning to get a little concerned cause my drums are in my basemant right next to my sump pump. Will moisture in the air damage my drums? Do I need a dehumdifier? I don't have anywhere else to put my kit. Don't mean to take away from the original thread, just concerned is all.

A boiler should be a closed system unless its has a small leak. An open sump pit with 2 or 3 inches of water will raise humidity levels in the area. If humidity is really high you would see other evidence of condensation on other things in the basement. In the summer time you might have condensation on the walls as an example, or on your cold water pipes. If your basement is unfinished and an older house you might see heavy rust on nail heads in the framing. Another one if your HVAC duct work sweats (close to the furnace) when the a/c is on. If you don't see anything of that nature then for the most part it is probably not a problem. You could get a could get a couple of hygrometers, one upstairs and one in the area where your drums are and see if there is much of a difference.

[echoe09]

A boiler should be a closed system unless its has a small leak. An open sump pit with 2 or 3 inches of water will raise humidity levels in the area. If humidity is really high you would see other evidence of condensation on other things in the basement. In the summer time you might have condensation on the walls as an example, or on your cold water pipes. If your basement is unfinished and an older house you might see heavy rust on nail heads in the framing. Another one if your HVAC duct work sweats (close to the furnace) when the a/c is on. If you don't see anything of that nature then for the most part it is probably not a problem. You could get a could get a couple of hygrometers, one upstairs and one in the area where your drums are and see if there is much of a difference.

What he said lol

[Ribkick]

Sorry guys but I can get the sanding, bleaching etc the shells but I don't get the cleaning/soaking/refurbishing the screws and washers. They have already lost any non-corrosive agent they may have had. They are all available as new with a very small out-lay of change. Any hardware screws, washers, locks etc can be found outside the manufacturers, they job-out all of this. It's all standard stuff. And I don't mean the chrome claws, lugs etc. What am I missing?