A scratch or three is not a worry, turn the drum away from the audience and they'll never know it's there. Removing a scratch can leave some ripples in the surface of the drum. It's not that bad kind of like looking into a bent mirror but if you must remove it, here it is. All the products are readily available on line or at the local plastic manufacturing or hardware store. Here is a list.
2. Sandpaper in the following size grits: 220, 400, 600, 1500, 2000, 2500. Just the 2500 will be needed for the draw knife technique.
3. Water.
4. Polishing compounds (I use Novus #3, Novus #2 and Vistabrite in that order)
5. Some soft towels. (micro fiber being preferred but those blue shop towels from Scott will work well)
6. A sturdy work surface and a lot of patience.
You may have to remove some hardware for this and do be careful not to put undo pressure on the shell and crack it. If you can, leave the heads on to offer more support.
Draw knife technique:
This is my preferred method and leaves the drum with fewer if any ripples.
Using the utility knife blade, draw the edge over the surface of the drum at an angle. The blade should be positioned so that you will drag the cutting edge over the surface and not push it into the surface (angled with the top of the blade preceding the cutting edge).
Shape the drum by drawing the blade over the scratch until it is gone.
Next use the 2500 grit sandpaper wet to prep the drum for polishing. Use it wet and keep it wet by dipping it in water regularly. You will know the drum is ready for the polishing when the surface tension releases from the sandpaper (it will feel more free flowing on the rub). That's it. Nice and simple eh? No additional sandpaper grits and just plain fun. Yeah, Right......
Sandpaper only technique:
Very time consuming and results may vary.
For heavy gouges start with the 220 sandpaper. For lighter scratches start with 400 or 600. For minor scuffs and abrasions you may want to work in reverse starting with the 2500 or 2000 and wiping off the residue checking to see if the abrasion is clear. Always keep the paper wet. A bowl of water to dip into is a good idea. This will keep the paper clean and flowing over the surface. Do not push to hard, let the sandpaper do the work. Move through the grades in succession. If you start with 220 go to the 400 then to the 600, 1500, 2000, 2500 (keep dipping into the water). Do not skip grades, this will leave even more scratches. As you move through the grades you will feel a little surface tension that will slowly release as you sand. Once the release is felt a little more sanding is required and then move on to the next grade. After the last grade is used the drum should look hazy with little to no sign of scratches (hold it up to the light). If not go back and decide what grade should be used and start again from there.
This technique, as stated earlier, is rather time consuming and should be practiced in an inconspicuous place first. Perhaps a piece of acrylic that you may have laying around will work as a guinea pig.
Polishing:
Polishing the drum is the easy part but is a bit hard on the muscles. Hand polishing will yield good results if you take the time to do it right. I don't recommend power tools but if you use a power buffer be very careful not to heat the surface of the acrylic, it will burn and mar.
See the Care & Cleaning section for more on polishing.
Start with the Novus #3 or its equivalent until the drum is nice and clear then move on to the Novus #2 and follow up with Your favorite drum cleaner. Use a non abrasive towel (micro fiber towels are available at
www.tapplastics.com along with everything else I mentioned earlier except the water). Now hold it up to the light and decide where you went wrong and are wishing you never started.Good Luck,
