I'd painted on the drum a few years ago but really didn't like the result. Just recently I realized that I could google to find out if it was possible to remove acrylic paint ... yep, it is. I spent some giddy hours scrubbing at the old image with rubbing alcohol, and a sufficiency came off.
So often in life, things seem impossible to overcome and then a simple solution comes along. The trick is to accept the solution and be happy that you found it, and not go on in self-recriminations. I didn't think of it before ... because I didn't. The end. And now I'm happy.