When there is no hope on saving the original wrap then sure. I sold a Gretsch kit I wrapped for the same as a non re wrapped Gretsch round badge would sell for in the same sizes. All depends but I say no unless its orphans or you have no alternative.

Absolutely ok to rewrap in this case. In fact, I would rewrap both. Wait for a same make/model floor tom to come along and rewrap all 3. The new blue glass wrap is beautiful and the kit will look great. I'm not sure if the originals used glass glitter or sparkle wrap, but both are available. I've done a number of projects just like this, the outcome is very gratifying.

I agree.In this case, the drums are in non original condition,so I'd rewap them.Just be careful with chosing a glass glitter wrap over a sparkle wrap,which is what's on there now.

Glass glitter wraps tend to be thicker than sparkle wraps because they use glass bits in it,which also makes it tougher to cut..So, you may have a problem with seating drum heads,because those older shells tend to be a bit larger than modern drums shells are.A phone call to say Precision drums,who rewrap drums all the time,might be a good idea.They are helpful guys and they'd know if you'll be ok with a glitter wrap.

Steve B

Precision Drum gets all my business. The workmanship is amazing.

Hey Guys, thanks for the responses.

Actually both drums have glass glitter wraps, the bass drum is just that faded. All of the Elkhart era Leedys I've encountered accept modern heads quite well. I've been told that Conn made drums were the same diameter as modern drums and that's been my experience as well.

I've wrapped a few sets and singles, always with sparkle or pearl but never glass glitter. I've heard it's more difficult to work with since it is thicker and also more brittle. Any experience with working with it?

You're absolutely right about Precision, they're awesome. I always get my wraps from them.

Much appreciated,

Travis

Just a point of information Travis,the 51 Leedy & Ludwig catalog lists that exact finish as sparkling blue,not glitter.The chips are slightly larger than later sparkle wraps,buy they arent glass glitter.

I had a mid 50's WFL 9x13 tom,that needed help and was given a piece of blue glass glitter wrap.The tom originally was a duco finish.After I wrapped it,heads were a tough fit.Best of luck.

Steve B

I would also consider stripping the old wrap, and thoroughly sanding the shells before having a good auto painter apply a new car finish of your favorite car color. If you're going to rewrap them, keep the following in mind:

The term "Glass Glitter" is a relatively recent descriptive term to differentiate between:

A. wraps that were made with little pieces of metal foil sandwiched between layers of plastic backing and a colored transparent top layer of plastic

and

B. wraps that were made with tiny irregular shards of crushed glass between similar layers of plastic

Drum makers for several decades referred to both types as Sparkle or Sparkling wraps.

Yeah the term "Glass Glitter" didn't exist until around 1990 when that style of wrap was re-introduced and there needed to be a way to differentiate the two styles for marketing purposes. Prior to that everyone called them "sparkles" no matter what was inside doing the sparkling. Different drum companies selected different wraps to use and then made up their own names for those wraps. Some used glass based wraps and some used the ones with the aluminum flakes but either way they called them sparkles or sparkling pearl or some variation thereof.

Glass Glitter is a pain to work with. That's real glass in there and it does a number on cutting blades. It is also more brittle and slightly thicker. It has a richer look to it than "sparkles" so perhaps it's worth the extra trouble but I wouldn't recommend it as an ideal wrap material for a first time re-wrapper.

Vintage Duco painted drums generally will turn out oversized if you rewrap them because the outside diameter of the duco shell is the same as the diameter of a wrapped shell (wrap included, since they were molded with the wrap already in place). So adding another layer to a drum that is already the correct diameter makes it oversized.

I'd say the drums in question are excellent candidates for a rewrap project.

Thank you! You've confirmed all of my suspicions. I've re wrapped 2 kits (one double bass) and some singles with great success so I will probably go with the glass based sparkling pearl finish as it is period correct for Leedy & Ludwig drums and, like you said, looks richer. As this project comes together ill post pics.

Thanks all for the input.

Trav