congaplace.com

I'm thinking of refinishing an old conga that I have. It is a mahogany Gon Bops drum from the '70s. The black paint finish has some scratches a dings.

Ideally, I'd like to strip the black so that you can see the wonderful, dark mahogany underneath (I can see the beauty of the wood on the inside). I'd then put some nice, hard polyurethane on the drum to protect it. I could even put some bands on it for a more authentic look.

I'm looking for some experienced help here. I've refinished wood furniture before but never a drum. I love this drum and don't want to do anything to ruin it. Is there anything I should know about refinishing drums specifically?

Thanks in advance,

Zach

Hi. I have refinished some of my drums several times and is no difference than furniture just take your time and make sure you use quality products (stain/poly). Good Luck And Happy Drumming!

HI! The musical instruments shop where I usually go also repair and refinish acoustic guitars: they say they use boat varnish/lacquers because they keep the wood resonance and protect it from dampness without muffling it. Probably this kind of refinishing gives less protection ... though some scratches on the drums surface give that "vintage" look which I don't dislike :p :p :p

Hi everyone,

For a novel staining idea, please see my post "coloring congas", on page 2 of this forum. It really works.

Yoni

Hi,
What about fiberglass? On wood don't you take off the old stuff and then apply the new vanish? You wouldn't do that to fiberglass would you?

Also, I might add, I found also that a product called 'Refinisher' by Homer Fornby's will take off shine of varnish but not strip the wood, this is helpful on furniture that has different kinds of wood that is porus/non-porus so that you keep the same color and it is easier on the wood. In case you are repairing scratches. I have heard spot treatments on furniture they use clear fingernail polish to quick fix scratches in vanish. Does that work on congas too?

Thanks,
congabebe

Try not to use a machine sander on the gons bops mahogany!!!!!!!!!!!

Especially if its from the 70's, of course the way you store your drums can make a big difference.

I say this because I tried refinishing my GB's a couple years ago, and blam the staves split at the rim ahh.........%^$*
Luckily I did some repair work before, so I was able to fix it.\whew, its called resin for marine use.

The easiest way to get the finishes bulk is to get a straight piece of aluminum about 3x5" some furniture places have this.
Use it to scrap the finish off, then do light sanding by hand.