16 "x18" Slingerland
Q: I have a 16 "x18" Slingerland white marine pearl floor torn that looks to be original, but I noticed the finish was done in 2 pieces, one long piece and one short. Would they have finished it that way. at the factory?
A: Yes, it would have been done like this at the factory. In fact, all of the major drum manufacturers that used pearl and sparkle finishes would use two pieces of finish to wrap any drum 18" or larger. The reason being is that all of the traditional pearl and sparkle wraps are produced in sheets that are 24"wide by 54"long. Since the circumference of an 18" drum is about 56 1/2", one sheet of finish isn't long enough to go around, so an 18"/8 lug drum is generally wrapped with one long piece, that would cover seven panels, and one short piece to cover the last panel (usually the one opposite the badge). With bass drums, the smaller piece is placed on the bottom so as not to be noticed, and large concert bass drums (36"to 40") are done with three pieces of material. Exceptions include any drum wrapped in non-plastic finishes, such as FORMICA wraps (CORTEX) or any metal wraps (CHROME-O-WOOD) which are available in sheets up to 12' long. These sheets are long enough to wrap even a 40" bass drum in one piece. However, it may not be practical to wrap that large of a drum with just one piece, due to the degree of difficulty associated with wrapping a drum of that size.