Jazz kit project: Refurb & A2E

[G-man]

Picked up a Mapex jazz kit recently. 18" kick, 8, 10 rack toms, 12, 14 floor toms. Don't know that I've ever seen a 12" floor tom before. Badges are long gone. Looks like maple but I have to believe it's something less, since no one would have done to a maple kit what was done to this kit. While construction is sound and the bearing edges are all in great shape, the outside has been hand painted a couple of times. Most recent painting was a black undercoat with some kind of textured matt finish applied on top. Makes the paint super thick and it gums up under sandpaper. That and the lack of care in painting up onto some of the bearing edges makes this one ugly kit. The good part about that is the it made them real cheap.
The plan is to sand everything smooth and wrap the shells, polish up the hardware, install mesh heads and triggers. This kit will make a super acoustic-to-electric conversion kit.
Pictures are of the 12/14/18 after initial sanding. You can see what a cosmetic mess the shells are. More pictures to come of the finished project.

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[Powertrip240]

That's a great idea!! I'm looking forward to seeing this project.

[N2Bluz]

I would try a liquid or gel paint stripper. Should be able to remove all the paint and leave the wood suitable for staining.

[FlyByNight]

Sounds like a really fun project!

[Russ]

Looks like you're gonna be busy with it for awhile. Take your time and enjoy, projects can be very rewarding. A feeling like no other comes over you when you look at what came from all your work. Something with new life breathed into it, it's awesome!

[lukesplat12]

Were the drums originally wrapped?
If they originally stained, it can be hard to have that extra layer of wrap and still have the head fit.
Looks like a great project, I am certainly jealous.

[porkpieguy]

Picked up a Mapex jazz kit recently. 18" kick, 8, 10 rack toms, 12, 14 floor toms. Don't know that I've ever seen a 12" floor tom before. [...]construction is sound and the bearing edges are all in great shape...
The plan is to sand everything smooth and wrap the shells, polish up the hardware...

install mesh heads and triggers. This kit will make a super acoustic-to-electric conversion kit.

[SpazApproved]

plenty of work ahead of you on this one

[G-man]

Originally Posted by porkpieguy
Posted by G-man View Post
install mesh heads and triggers. This kit will make a super acoustic-to-electric conversion kit.
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The wife is going to love it.
- G-Man

[Ricardo]

Were the drums originally wrapped?
If they were originally stained, it can be hard to have that extra layer of wrap and still have the head fit.

This is good advice................check for tightness first.
I had a wrap put on an old Slingy snare drum............originally this shell was painted.............with the wrap put on, the heads fit tighter than before (logically)............I had to go with a conventional silver sparkle wrap rather than broken glass because the glass wraps are thicker.

Other wraps are paper thin and you might need to consider those.

[G-man]

I'm getting the bulk of the paint off with a belt sander - quick and very dirty. Thought about stripping but had enough of that when I refinished my kitchen cabinets. There are multiple layers of paint on these things but I'm getting enough of it off with the sanding that what's left is not creating any fit issues. I have the 8 and 10 covered and the heads and hoops are fitting perfectly. An extra step that most people aren't aware of is to lightly file the wrap once it's on to blend it with the bearing edge. I should have it all done and put back together in a couple of weeks.

[porkpieguy]

An extra step that most people aren't aware of is to lightly file the wrap once it's on to blend it with the bearing edge. I should have it all done and put back together in a couple of weeks.

Bum Wrap Drum Co. will cut their wrap 1/8" away from the top and bottom so that rims and heads will fit nicely. You can't tell that the wrap is cut back a little once the heads and rims are installed. (I'm sure other companies will cut this back as well.) Here's an example of what the 1/8" cut-back is like before and after head installation.

[signia fan]

The wood on those looks like a poplar interior and luan or Honduras mahogany ply on the outside. Good wood to wrap. The outer would be very porous grain and would be a ton of work to fill the grain smooth.

[G-man]

I was thinking the same thing on the interior ply but most of the shells have more grain "swirls" than the typical poplar, which tends to be a very straight grain pattern. Not quite maple-looking, not quite poplar-looking. A mystery I may never solve. If it still had the badges it would be no problem id'ing the wood. No big deal for where I'm taking this kit. The outside could very well be the ubiquitous "Philippine Mahogany" in which case this thick paint would never come completely out of the grain. Even if it did, staining it would look like poo.

[G-man]

Bum Wrap Drum Co. will cut their wrap 1/8" away from the top and bottom so that rims and heads will fit nicely. You can't tell that the wrap is cut back a little once the heads and rims are installed. (I'm sure other companies will cut this back as well.) Here's an example of what the 1/8" cut-back is like before and after head installation.

I'm using Bum Wrap with the cutback but with the additional thickness of the "custom" paint job, I'm still hitting the edge with the file. Might not be necessary but it makes me feel good.

[G-man]

I finished the clean-up and refurb project. Just haven't finished hooking up the electronics. Didn't turn out bad for a beat up old kit.


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[FlyByNight]

Are those the same drums?! They're BEAUTIFUL!

I couldn't help but notice the tom mount is higher on the 8". Not that it's a problem.

[Practicepad]

Great job!

[Olimpass]

Wow! What a transformation! They look fantastic!

[G-man]

Thanks guys. It was a fun project. Having a good time playing them too.

[G-man]

BEFORE


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AFTER

[EyePea]

Wow!!!

[8beat]

Wow. Big difference. Looks real nice.

[signia fan]

Are you kidding? Wow!
No possible way you found wood like that under all the crud, so that is a faux wood wrap you found? From here it looks totally real, amazing, amazing, amazing!

[signia fan]

I am just thinking how many hours of dirty labour it would take me to arrive at a finish like that. Should be illegal.