Hi all,
I have a MIJ stencil bass drum with some soft, damaged spots on the spur holes. Plies are separating, hole is shredded. Any advice on how to repair? I've read about wood filler, wood putty...DAP plastic wood? I'm thinking of taking it to a professional (Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood) to repair. Or should I just cut my losses and buy some DW bass drum clamp on spurs? Just trying to save that $50 if I can install the original spurs again. Thanks!
Well, Im sure a professional drum shop will cost more than 50.00 and the wood fillers and plastic wood dont sound like they will hold for long, so,, get the DW spurs and be done with it, you can use them on other kits if needed.
What I've done before is completely fill the hole with wood filler and re-drill. Put painters tape on the outside of the shell (on the wrap) to use as a backing plate, then fill the hole in with wood filler, and obviously any damaged areas around the hole. (I use Minwax Wood filler). Fill it in a little at a time in layers, so it's stronger. After 24 hours, I remove the painters tape. Then I sand the inside until it's level with the rest of the shell. If you need to sand a bit of the outside, use painters tape around the hole so you are only actually sanding the spot where the wood filer is (and not the wrap).
Then I coat the inside of the shell where the wood filler is with polyurethane. I give it 4 or 5 coats, then sand it smooth with 000 steel wool. This will help make it stronger. You can do the outside too if you want, just be sure to put painters tape on the shell so that, again, only the wood filler is exposed so the shell is protected when you are polyurethaning/sanding.
Finally, re-drill the hole to the original, factory size in the original factory location, and then re-install the spur brackets. Yes you will be drilling through most of what you just filled in, but the damaged areas around the original factory hole will be repaired. The wood filler with polyurethane stays pretty hard even when you drill though the middle of it. Be sure to use large washers that are larger in diameter than the hole itself and any filled in spots around it. Most hardware stores have thick fender washers, which are twice as thick as normal washers. Use those if you can, or double up on standard washers. Use the washers on both the inside and outside of the shell. Again, the washers should be large enough in diameter to completely cover any of the (now repaired) damage and then some.
This process is a bit time consuming, but is easy and keeps the shell intact and makes it stronger than it was. You don't want to leave an already elongated/damaged hole on your drum, where it can only get worse, either by wear or catching on something.
