DIY Drum Shell Repair (Tutorial: Filling Holes in Drum Shells)

[@rickeywayne3903]

I have a old Slingerland 18" floor Tom that someone had converted into a Ludwig 18" so now I'm changing it back into Slingerland. I was thinking how on the he k am I going to do this without making a mess of the shell. So I pondered and said I'll plug all the holes then just redrill the original holes back in. Then I saw your video and BOOM there it is. Thanks for helping all of us out 👍🏼

[@DG-sf9ei]

Great vid. This helps with part of my project. Would you have any ideas how to patch (fill in) drum wrap(in those areas) to closely match the existing drum wrap?

[@Noteven0]

Would it be worth it to custom cut plugs using the same wood or at least a similar color & wood grain, then orient and glue the plugs to follow the grain pattern? Also would this repair help to maintain the drums natural timbre?

[@jamesbarron601]

will the wood filler take a stain radically different than the wood shell?

[@alancolors]

Great video...it helped me out on this afternoon's project. Now I am just left with two post holes (3/4" -1") to fill. I don't have dowels that size handy...would you recommend a similar method or some alternate technique for larger holes?

[@SEANTHEPR0DUCER]

Yeah, you could definitely use a dowel for something that large. Just make sure to cut it down shallow enough so that you don't have to sand too much of it down after. What did you end up doing?

[@henrikostensson1160]

But what about larger holes, then? Same procedure?

[@VegetabIeMan]

Can you do the same for bass drum tom mount holes?

[@romanmeisenberg1224]

Have you figured that out? Looking to do the same.

[@mikepmcde]

i’ve seen people use liquid fiber glass or epoxy for it since they’re larger holes. Id imagine you plug the holes with tape and can mix in wood dust with fiberglass to match color

[@hartleymartin]

What kind of paint primer/sealer do you recommend after filling the holes? I’m converting a 14”x12” shell into a rope tension field drum and I will need to paint the shell.

[@SEANTHEPR0DUCER]

I'm not big on paint/sealing drum shells. I think it affects the sound. I am much more into wraps and stains.

[@rjvsmb]

Hi Sean, What size dowel and drill bit did you use? Thanks, R

[@SEANTHEPR0DUCER]

Hi R, It really depends on the size of the hole that already exists. You want to go with a size that is either the same size or slightly larger than the existing hole. Obviously you will want the dowel size to be as close (but ever-so-slightly smaller) in diameter as the drill bit.

[@mkg025]

But how do you need to do this

[@sarahhall4098]

But what does it sound Like?

[@SEANTHEPR0DUCER]

I actually don't use this particular drum for "sound" per se. I have it set up with Pearl ePro heads. I'll likely put up a video demoing them sometime in the future.

[@DG-sf9ei]

I'd like to test someone with "perfect" ears to see if they could tell the difference between the 2 scenarios, we're talking only a fraction of 1 percent of replaced wood to the original. I bet nobody could tell the difference, not even the biggest delusional snobs,lol.

[@___---__]

a-rata-tat-tat

[@CaryGlennDavis]

Why are you filling the holes where the hardware goes?

[@SEANTHEPR0DUCER]

You would want to fill the holes if you went with some different style lugs that had different spacing than the lugs that were previously used on the shells. I did this on a kit which I stripped down all of the wraps and hardware and installed tube lugs in their place. Also, you would do this if you wanted to change the height of your shells to be a bit shallower, as you would have to move the lugs on one end of the drum.

[@CaryGlennDavis]

Gotcha

[@campar1043]

What about using only bondo?

[@SEANTHEPR0DUCER]

I'm not sure what kind of effect bondo would have on the overall sound. Probably not much. I just hate working with bondo. ;)

[@scotttait2197]

Looks pretty bad ok for covering not for staining