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DIY Drum making?

Posted by Vaughan S. Nelson-Lee on March 23, 2011 at 4:43pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Feel free to move this to 'Off Topic' or whatever, just thought that a construction question would go in a construction forum.

 

So I'm starting a kind of downtempo/psychedelia band with my friends (who are on sitar and harp respectively) and was trying to make some drums for accompaniment. I was thinking about making a djembe at some point. But since I haven't been working in a while (I'm 16) I don't have money for a real goatskin and the tuning rings, so I decided to go the DIY method.

 

 

Above is a gallon size pickle jar I cut the bottom off of. It's 6" in diameter. I was wondering what I should do for a head. I heard X-ray film is good, but I don't know how I'd mount it as I can't put some kind of lug system in as it's glass. I wanted to have a ring around the neck of the jar (which will be the base of the drum) and run ropes up like a djembe, but again, goatskin is kind of expensive. 

 

Do you guys have any suggestions for drum skin material or other construction? Thanks!

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Replies

  • Kel Wilson March 27, 2011 at 12:42am

    Ive been looking in to drums as well.  Found this site for drumhead skins

    http://www.mid-east.com/items.asp?Cc=Calf&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&a...

  • The Phrygian Kid March 24, 2011 at 10:26pm

    tanned leather wont be much good at all imho, u need rawehide..

     

    theres plenty of places u can get a hide pretty cheap, i've found its much more cost effective to buy an entire hide, do a few banjos, drums etc..

  • Vaughan S. Nelson-Lee March 24, 2011 at 6:08pm

    The idea was to put together some sort of collection of things for a variety of sounds. The edge of the jar is a bit uneven and sharp now, yeah, but I was gonna fix that with some wet emery paper. I'll definitely have a five gallon bucket to bang on.  Packing tape does indeed sound like the best option for this. I'll definitely buy a real djembe when I start up work again. 

     

    Do you think getting an old leather jacket from a thrift shop and cutting it up would work? Or would it stretch a lot?

  • colin mcgrath March 24, 2011 at 10:59am
    Yea, I would be leery of using glass like that. The edges could be to sharp or the glass could buckle from pressure. Shoot just an empty pail with a piezo attached could produce some cool effects for your psyche band.
  • Mungo Park March 24, 2011 at 10:22am

    A plastic tube or a plastic 5 gallon pail might be more practical, cardboard round cement form.

                                cheers Ron.

     

  • jeff maurer March 24, 2011 at 9:20am
    i used packing tape on a christmas popcorn tin. the tin is to0 thin and produces sounds i dont like, however i think the tape itself works pretty good. do you have to use goatskin? if your a hunter or has friends that hunt you could get your hands on almost any kind of skin depending on what the season is. i just found out that most of my friends who hunt thro their deer hides out because they dont know how to tan them. never seen a glass drum, ive seen an ice drumset tho.  btw how did you cut the glass? and is it still strong enough to take a beating?
  • The Phrygian Kid March 24, 2011 at 12:22am

    i get a whole goat hide for $60au.  it'll cover 10 drums easily..

    if you lace to a ring on the underside of the jar the size of the ring is not too critical..

  • colin mcgrath March 23, 2011 at 11:32pm
    I read a blog post on this They used a smaller concrete tube like from home depot then used the CLOTH paint drop cover soaked it in water till it was pliable then stretched it out over the tube and used a staple gun to secure it as the head. I have not tried it myself but hey could work. eh?? Maybe have a two-headed drum and have the edges doubled then run leather shoe laces to attach tighten.  ?
  • Mungo Park March 23, 2011 at 10:52pm

    This guy has some for $25-$35, I have bouht from him and he has nice stuff, he also sells goat skins.

    http://www.wwdrums.com/products/Painted_Djembe_Drum_8_X_16-824-78.html

     

     For the price of the skin, you might as well buy the drum.

     Packing tape is a capitol idea:

    http://www.cigarboxnation.com/forum/topics/the-squared-eel-banjo-pa...

     

    You might be able buy a rod at someplace like Home Depot, pound it into a round, wrap it with cloth and you would have a ring, don't know if the X-Ray film will bend under the ring.

      Don would know.                    Cheers Ron.                 

  • Outhouse Instruments March 23, 2011 at 9:38pm

    Packaging tape. Really!

    Get tight and in a couple of layers. And it's cheap.

     

     

    Matt

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