Back Wrap

Drum Building 101 – How To Wrap A Drum Shell

First you will need to cut your wrap to size. An easy way to do this is to wrap it around your drum shell and mark the edge of the shell all the way around. Some wrap manufacturers don’t make wrap to go all the way around large drums, so you’ll end up having to use 2 pieces for larger drums – mark your cut line around the top of the shell. You may use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the wrap. Sparkles are a little easier to cut than glass glitter wraps. Plan on sharpening your scissors frequently if you need to cut a lot of wrap.

After you cut your wrap to the length of your shell, you’ll need to cut it down to the diameter of your shell. An easy way to do this is to use a flexible measuring tape (for sewing) to measure all the way around the shell and add an extra inch for overlap.

Now lay the wrap down flat and measure out that distance and use a straight edge to mark your next cut. Now lay your wrap down flat on the ground and mark the center of the wrap on a piece of tape. Now you need to do a test fit with your wrap. The age old question has always been “Where should the seam go?” Most drum companies do this: Toms; under a lug, kick; on the bottom where it can’t be seen, Snare; under the strainer to hide it. You will want no less than 1” of overlap for your seam. To make sure you line up your seam when gluing you’ll need to get your test fit wrapped around the drum as tight as possible, with your seam lined up in your designated area, and then transfer the center mark on your wrap to the edge of the shell. Also mark each end of your wrap where the overlap is on the shell.

To achieve maximum adhesion you’ll need to scuff/rough up the shell and the back side of the wrap. The best way to do this is to use 80 grit sand paper and sand the entire surface of the drum and the back of the wrap (don’t sand through your wrap). You’ll also need to peel back the protective plastic on the front of the wrap where your seam will be, measure your 1 inch seam and tape off the area you don’t want to scuff up or get glue on, and sand this down as well.

You can even lightly score the seam with a razor blade.

Lay your shell on a flat surface with your center mark facing you, then grab your wrap also with your center mark facing you, and ever so slightly scoot your wrap closer to the shell until you finally connect in the center, lining up the marks. This step is critical because once your wrap and shell touch, there is no going back.

Scoot your wrap across the table to line up the marks you made on the shell and the wrap.

Apply pressure from the center‐out, slowly wrapping the wrap around the shell. Make sure that you wrap the correct edge of your seam down first; you want to cover up the sanded part of the wrap with the clean part. Before you adhere the seam together, remove the piece of tape that masked the seam area or else you chance getting some tape stuck inside your seam! Now you need to apply some pressure all around the drum to get out any bubbles that might have formed! You can use a j‐roller going from the center‐out.

Also take special care at rolling the seam to make sure it is good and tight.

Sometimes when you apply a wrap you’ll end up spiraling the wrap which looks like this … You can use scissors to cut this flush with the edge of the shell, or what I’ve found to be the best at trimming down the wrap is a tool made by Skil called the Auto Sharp Power Cutter.

About the Author

Philip Ellis is a professional drummer, runs P.Ellis Drums, a custom drum company in Austin, TX and is the Author of “How to Make Custom Drums”. Check out http://www.makedrums.com to learn more about how to build your very own custom drum or drum set!

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