For the last 2 years, the snare and tenor harnesses have been spray painted over for winter shows. For the fall, I think it'd be nice to go back to the original color, which is white, without painting over them again. (I don't know what our director thinks, but if he wants them painted over then he can do it himself)

I've tried using paint thinner and it works, but it is really really really slow and time consuming.

What can I use to remove the paint from the carriers? We have Yamaha vest carriers, so I'm also kind of concerned about the "vest" part of the carriers white 'finish'. Can using some kind of thinner possibly remove the white on this part of the harness?

I'd just suggest to take the time consuming way with paint thinner. Just make sure you wear a respirator/mask and have open airflow in the room you do it in.

It wouldn't hurt to try to find a sander and use a buffing pad attachment and apply slight pressure in the process.

If you've painted them many times, your best bet is probably just to remove it all the way down the best you can and don't get too worried about the last layer. Go down to the last layer and apply a nice base coat of paint. You could probably finish with a semi-gloss too.

And next time you need to use a new color to fit the theme of the show, use fabric instead!

I would also suggest using a thin coat of primer. This will help even out whatever is left of the last layer of paint. This way you get a smooth finish that looks nice. At this point I would say that the original finish is long gone and will not ever look like it did before people started painting. Prime and then apply white paint over that and then maybe finish it up by either applying a Yamaha sticker to the vest plate or make yourself a nice stencil and spray paint that on. I think between Kevin and myself we have done a huge amount of drum reurbishing and refinishing so trust we are not sending you down the wrong path.