02-13-2017, 01:41 AM
Been a while since I've been on here and it's also been a while since I have done any woodworking, as I've lived away from my tools for a while. I'm currently working on a drum, specifically a gong bass drum, and although it fits together well and sounds great, I've had nothing less than a hellish experience trying to finish it, and I need help big time.
Long story short, I've got a Maple shell. It's very thin at only 5/32", and it's 6-ply, which leaves each ply VERY thin. At first the finishing process was going great. I was using Ebony oil based stain, and I got a fairly even coat. Still, there were a couple of bad spots, and in trying to fix those the whole process got derailed. I tried putting a second coat on, and it dried VERY unevenly. Shiny in some spots, flat in others, and just all around terrible. Although I wanted the grain to show through the finish, I was willing to try solid paint as opposed to stain as a last resort. So I got some oil based paint. I tried sanding the stain (which I admit wasn't entirely cured...it came off in little rolls rather than generating dust) and then put the paint over it. It still ended up VERY uneven and I'm kinda getting sick of screwing up. Finishing has always seemed to trip me up, and I'm getting tired of it, so I need advice.
Here's the main thing...I've already ruined one drum shell, and that was a cheap one. The current one I have cost me around $235, and that was after some discounts! I CANNOT get another shell, that's out of the question. Also, I can only sand down so far. With the plies this thin, I CANNOT go down to the bare wood. That's too risky and I could end up making the same mistake I did with the first shell. I know for a fact there's a way to paint over stain, but I'm having a lot of trouble and I want to move forward with this rather than just spinning my tires. Again, I CANNOT get a new shell and I CANNOT sand completely down to the bare wood. Sorry to sound picky or demanding, but I need to be able to work with what I have.
I will admit I didn't use a primer, so could that be the main issue? Also, I'm using foam brushes since they're cheaper, but could this be causing me issues? Is it the fact that I didn't let the previous finish dry fully first before sanding and applying the paint? I'm really not sure what to do. I'm basically just in the process of brushing mineral spirits on the surface, sanding with 320 wet/dry paper, and then wiping the slurry off the surface just to get an even surface without sanding through to the bare wood and potentially through the first ply. I've never painted before, and again, finishing has always been a nightmare for me, so I really need help here. Thank you.
Long story short, I've got a Maple shell. It's very thin at only 5/32", and it's 6-ply, which leaves each ply VERY thin. At first the finishing process was going great. I was using Ebony oil based stain, and I got a fairly even coat. Still, there were a couple of bad spots, and in trying to fix those the whole process got derailed. I tried putting a second coat on, and it dried VERY unevenly. Shiny in some spots, flat in others, and just all around terrible. Although I wanted the grain to show through the finish, I was willing to try solid paint as opposed to stain as a last resort. So I got some oil based paint. I tried sanding the stain (which I admit wasn't entirely cured...it came off in little rolls rather than generating dust) and then put the paint over it. It still ended up VERY uneven and I'm kinda getting sick of screwing up. Finishing has always seemed to trip me up, and I'm getting tired of it, so I need advice.
Here's the main thing...I've already ruined one drum shell, and that was a cheap one. The current one I have cost me around $235, and that was after some discounts! I CANNOT get another shell, that's out of the question. Also, I can only sand down so far. With the plies this thin, I CANNOT go down to the bare wood. That's too risky and I could end up making the same mistake I did with the first shell. I know for a fact there's a way to paint over stain, but I'm having a lot of trouble and I want to move forward with this rather than just spinning my tires. Again, I CANNOT get a new shell and I CANNOT sand completely down to the bare wood. Sorry to sound picky or demanding, but I need to be able to work with what I have.
I will admit I didn't use a primer, so could that be the main issue? Also, I'm using foam brushes since they're cheaper, but could this be causing me issues? Is it the fact that I didn't let the previous finish dry fully first before sanding and applying the paint? I'm really not sure what to do. I'm basically just in the process of brushing mineral spirits on the surface, sanding with 320 wet/dry paper, and then wiping the slurry off the surface just to get an even surface without sanding through to the bare wood and potentially through the first ply. I've never painted before, and again, finishing has always been a nightmare for me, so I really need help here. Thank you.
Near future projects:
-Curly Maple display case
-Jatoba and Quilted Maple dresser
-Curly Maple display case
-Jatoba and Quilted Maple dresser
