Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Wood Filler Alternative

I am restoring a vintage drum set. There are minor cracks and sanding indentations in one spot. I have tried repeatedly to fill in the spots with wood filler, both water based and non-water-based wood filler. I have not been able to get the wood filler to "stick" because the cracks and indentations are so shallow, any sanding removes the filler from the crack or indentation.

Over the wood filler I will spray primer and over the primer I will spay lacquer. After the cracks and indentations are filled, I will sand down to get a smooth, flat surface.

Is there a paint or paint-type product I can just paint over the cracks and indentations prior to using the primer to fill in the cracks and indentations?

Try Bondo or Snowwhite auto body filler. Personally I like Snowwhite better. You might want to use something to dig out the scratches a bit more to be sure there isn't something keeping the filler from adhering.

Either one of the products mentioned above will do the job - just remember that neither will stick to a finished surface...