This will be a quick tutorial of how to spray drums with an HVLP (high volume low pressure) sprayer. This article will lay out the basics of what you need to start spraying drums. While you can alternatively use aerosol sprays from the hardware store, using an HVLP sprayer opens up the door to use virtually any finish out there on the market vs what’s available in a can at the hardware store.
Equipment needed will be as follows
- HVLP sprayer
- Air compressor
- Mesh paint strainers
- Respirator Mask
- 400 grit sandpaper
Optional, but a lazy susan/turntable is highly recommended. Get one of these and put a board on top so you can set the drum shell on it to spin it. This makes it much easier to spray because you can spin the drum and spray the entire shell from standing in one spot.
Prep The HVLP Sprayer
Connect it to the air compressor and according to the sprayer you’ll need to set the pressure on it to what your particular one requires. There are tons of sprayers available, but I’ve used the ones from Harbor Freight and they work fine for me. The knob settings are different for each sprayer as well, so the best thing is to fill it with water and spray a piece of cardboard while messing with the fluid flow and the air pressure knobs. Tons of tutorials are on YouTube for how to use an HVLP sprayer and will be much better visuals than this if you want to learn more in depth on it for detailed technique.
Fill The HVLP Sprayer With The Clearcoat
With whatever clearcoat finish you decide to use, fill up the sprayer but use a paint mesh filter as it will catch any debris or dried finish before it gets into the sprayer. You don’t want these to either clog the sprayer or spray onto the drum itself, which can be a pain to remove when it’s dry.
Spray The Drum
Begin spraying the drum in quick, even passes. Once you’ve covered the drum all around you’re done with that coat. If you missed a spot, be mindful that if you spray over a spot again before it’s dry then you risk over spraying the finish and it could drip. Any missed spots are better off left alone and covered in the next coat.
Sand Between Coats
Depending on the finish you pick, dry time will vary. When it’s dry to the touch, inspect the shell and look for any spots where there is any dust, bubbles, or anything out of the ordinary. From there it’s a good idea to lightly sand over the drum shell to help keep the finish flat and smooth, while also sanding out any imperfections. Don’t worry about the sandpaper scratches on the shell, as those will be filled in when a new coat is applied.
Number Of Coats
You can stop at any number of coats you want, and the instructions on most topcoats say 2 is fine. Since we’re spraying drums, I like to go way over this. Being that drums are often subject to taking a beating (literally), I like to spray an average of 7-10 coats for durability. I’ve sprayed up to 13 coats before and I think it looks great. More coats means a thicker “lens” that you can see the wood and stain underneath. But this is all preference. Once the last coat is sprayed, don’t sand it (yet). You’ll need to let the finish cure, which will harden the finish. I like to wait about two weeks, then from there you can move onto either polishing it to a gloss or something like a satin finish, which is a topic for another article.
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