Introduction
Not all drum wraps are created equal. There are a handful of manufacturers of “real” drum wrap as well as multiple offerings of other materials sold as drum wrap. The most common examples of the latter are self-adhesive vehicle/sign vinyl and sparkly diner-chair upholstery vinyl.
On this page we’ll attempt to explain what sets Walopus drum wrap apart from the other real drum wrap offerings. There will be a lot of talk about thickness on this page. In North America smaller gauge thickness is usually expressed in “mil”, also often referred to as “thou” as it is a thousandth of an inch. For readers in other parts of the world, 40 mil is roughly 1 mm.
As reference most factory and after-market drum wrap is in the 20 mil range. This the also the thickness of Walopus “Standard” Gauge Drum Wrap. Traditional glass glitter and Walopus “Thick Gauge” drum wrap are around 35 mil thick. In comparison, a regular Credit Card is about 25 mil. Sign/vehicle vinyl is a mere 3 mil.
How is Drum Wrap Manufactured?
manufacturing methods of drum wrap vary with the type of design. Traditional Pearls, Onyxes, Oysters and similar designs are cast plastic blocks that are shaved into thin slivers and often laminated to a plastic backer. These are simply made up of two layers, without additional “clear-coat” on top. Sparkles and glass glitters are most often real particles on top of a silver backer with clear or tinted clear plastic cast over top. (3 or more layers.) In recent times many manufacturers simply print the design on paper and laminate plastic on both sides. (3 layers)
Except for the recent adoption of laminated prints for the purpose of wrapping drums, very little evolution has taken place in the industry since the 1940’s. Traditional drum wrap can be quite stiff, in some cases even brittle, sensitive to scuffing, scratching and gouging, heavy and cumbersome to install. The modern, laminated print wraps overcome many of these disadvantages but lack the depth and dazzle of traditional wrap. For obvious reasons there are no glitter or sparkle laminated print wraps and the printed “pearls” lack the 3-dimensional visuals of the real deal.
The Walopus Difference
Walopus has spent the last five years experimenting with, and developing our drum wrap formula. here is a run-down of the end results:
The Clear Top Layer
Three distinct goals have been the focus of our development in regards to the top layer;
- The Deepest Clear Coat in the Market (More than half of the 20 mil wrap thickness is clear top layer)
- Unparalleled Durability
- Increased Flexibility
Our clear top layer is proven to withstand scuffing, scratching and gouging to a higher degree than any other drum wrap. This is due to the plastic formula which in many ways resemble “Polycarbonate” (AKA “Lexan”). Over the years we have managed to re-engineer the formula in the polycarbonate family into a much less rigid and far more flexible composition, without compromising durability. The added flexibility also makes it easier to cut with regular household tools.
A more flexible top layer allows us to make it substantially thicker without sacrificing flexibility. Walopus drum wrap is in fact far more flexible than any other drum wrap in the same thickness range.
The depth of our clear top layer is in the 10 Mil – 15 Mil range. This is roughly equal to 10 coats of clear, wet-sanded to a gleaming, glossy surface.
The Design Layer
No point in having industry leading clear-coat if not to enhance the visuals of a dazzling design. Recognizing that there is no one single way to make all drum wrap designs stand out, we adopt all of the methods mentioned above.
Walopus Traditional Sparkles comprise of 1000s of actual sparkle particles backed by a silver-coloured sheet. Colours are obtained by adding by a thin clear layer, tinted with UV stable pigment. A plastic backer adds stability while our proprietary clear top layer provides, depth, lustre and durability.
Some of our Pearls, Onyxes and Unique designs sport a 3-dimensional design layer wedged between the plastic backer and proprietary clear top layer. Our Silver Pearl Black Onyx (Picture top of page) is a good example of drum wrap with a 3-dimensional design layer. Prismatic and Holo-prismatic glitters are combinations of semi-transparent layers with synthetic glitter embedded and sometimes with a print beneath the clear top layer. Wood grains are printed and sandwiched between the plastic backer and our clear top layer that we’re so proud of.
The Final Product
The end result of the layers we’ve developed, is a drum wrap that cannot be rivalled in terms of flexibility, ease of installation, durability and appearance. Because we make our wrap to order, there is no limitation to the individual length of a piece. Walopus wrap can cover a 24″ diameter bass drum in a single sheet.
Guess what? We also priced Walopus Drum Wrap to be more affordable than just about any other product in the market!