finishing shells?

[sculptor]

hey guys- I may have overstepped my abilities and seek advice from the wise and knowledgeable folks here on this forum... I am fairly proficient at finishing cabinets and tables having helped my father build quite a few so I when I grew tired of the lime green on my kit I decided(maybe too hasty) to start sanding. I was aiming for a deep stain with the grain prominently showing through. I have the bare shells all ready and 2 coats on now and can clearly see that things are not turning out the way I wanted. it is looking as if even after overnight my shells aren't soaking the stain in and quite frankly it looks very unproffesional.I am getting nervous that I have messed up my kit and am wondering if anyone has any tips or instructions on getting that finish that I see on many custom kits because clearly there is a big difference between furniture and drums. Is my best option to sand it all back down,dye (not stain) the shell one particular color and put several layers of poly on it? as it stands I dont think this kit will be doing any shows the way its turning out. thanks guys for any advice

[Timekeep69]

Was the lime green a stain as well? It may have been treated with a sealer that soak in deep. You may be better off wrapping it to save any cosmetics you can.

[Chip Donaho]

I'd have to agree with Timekeep69, it would probably save you time and money to rewrap the kit. I know that's what I would do. You may be fighting a loosing battle. At least when done, you could smile at your work and be proud to show it off.  ;)

[metalshredder]

I'm going to guess that the Lime was a wrap, and the glue is what's keeping you from a nice stain job.  I'm not sure what to tell ya there, maybe try a solvent or something?  I know a friend of mine pulled the wrap off his kit and stained it.  Don't recall if he ran into the trouble you are or not...I'd agree with Chip, probably re-wrap it.

[sculptor]

thanks guys, the lime green was a thick coating of some sort, almost like a powder coat. I haven't seen anything like it before. I thought it was a wrap too until I took all the hardware off and realized there was no seem, it was bonded to the shell and came off upon sanding like a powder- not like usual stain or paint. it looked to be sprayed on and had a clear coat of some sort. it was very thick too.1/8 inch if I had to guess.                         I sanded everything back down again and went with a more deeply colored stain after I rubbed it down with solvent.( as suggested ) the end results seemed sketchy to me as it looked like parts were soaking in better than other parts. I went forward anyway and after several coats of poly, I was thinking maybe I could live with it for a while. after putting all the hardware back on and tuning them and setting them up, you can't see the flaws unless you are looking for them (like me). and it turned out quite good. aefinately better than the old lime green sparkle that I've lived with so far. as soon as I can figure out whats wrong with my camera I'll post pics and see what you guys think. thanks a lot for all the advice. I appreciate it. one of the best on line community's of drummers came through well. thanks again

[metalshredder]

That does sound strange.  Thick too!  Jeez, I wonder what that stuff is?

Looking forward to pics, man!