It’s been amazing year for Makedrums.com and I wanted to recap some of the most visited blog posts and pages of the site for the year 2011. If you are brand new to the site, this is a great place to start! Enjoy, and please join in the conversations and leave some feedback in the comments area! HERE’S to an even better 2012!

Makedrums.com Top Posts of 2011 (according to Google Analytics)

I just got this email from a friend in Hungary and wanted to share his experience with you! Bart’s first drum set is a beauty:
Bart did an incredible job on building his very first custom drum set. Great job Bart!

Below is an email conversation/interview that I had with Bart. He has lots of great drum building tips so make sure to read all of it!

I’ll be writing a short little blog post about your first build pretty soon. Can you tell me some more details about the build? How long it took, what problems did you run into when building it, how did you address the problems, how do they sound? etc… If you want to tell me anything that other drum builders would find interesting or useful I will post it on the blog! I can’t wait to see the other drums you build!
-Philip Ellis

Hi Phillip,
Well let’s start with the 2 major obstacles, time and money…

I started the project as I call it Canto-Drums about 10 months ago.The big dream however to make my own drums started about 25 years ago but that time it was impossible to accomplish what you can achieve now, there was no Internet, no Ellis books, shells, hardware, etc. Those were very difficult to get, and if you could get it they were very expensive…..to be honest it still is today!!

With all the experience of the last 25 years, as a drummer-musician, working in a drum shop, hanging with the drum dudes, organizing drum events, collecting every prospect, checking out in detail all the brands, books whatever to be known about drums (let’s say in general “drum addiction”) to merge that in the idea what I saw was still missing in custom drum building…I don’t want to say I will make something better because I could not ever reach the level of fine drum craft we see today from all the new innovative Custom builders out there ( a big respect for Craviotto, Brady, Ayotte, Le Soprano, Tamburo, Spaun, Rockett, Shine, C and C, San Fransisco Drum Company, Artisan drum works (not to forget my friend in Belgium at LIGNUM DRUMS!) and the many hundreds of others ….

But I saw the need for an affordable custom drum, classic look, classic sound, practical in use and to fill the need for small sized drums…

The truth is that many good hardworking-drummers don’t have the wallet to afford a 5000 dollar drum set (they spent it on booze and woman….joke of course).

At this moment I did achieve my goal, my drums look classic, they are affordable and the jazz kit sounds very jazzy ,the 5MM tom/floor tom birch shells give enough deep-resonance and sound vintage, especially with the Fiberskyns, I tried with
Regular coated ambassadors and that opens up the spectrum really, the set in it’s total is very tune-sensitive, that’s a mark!
The snare drum (12MM birch) is very sensitive too,works well with a low as well as a high tuning, blends in well with the whole kit and doesn’t over power the rest .

The bass drum 18×16 ( 8MM birch !!) is killer, has extreme low-end for an 18”, tried it with the P3 smooth white front-P3 Fiberskyn batter (i cut 1cm from the inner tone control rings to give it a little more head) no holes yet on the front.I still want to try it with coated ambassadors and coated emperor to see if it really lives up the standard of a Bop-bass….

OK, about timing and troubleshooting.

It took me about 10 days to finish the first set. For me patience was the golden rule….you need TIME and PEACE, any rush or frustration will run into almost irreversible mistakes!

I took time to search for shells and wood hoops, ordered at 3 different places to see the quality and try them,all shells I ordered had small mistakes, some went back to the seller some I fixed myself,although 2 sellers made good shells I still had to lay a finishing touch to the 45 bearing edges (that’s why they sound so good now ), I prepared the shells with a 400 grit sanding and 000 steel wool.

I took time to try different tests with water based staining, lacquers, etc (of course not directly on the shells). I came upon the hard wax oils, you don’t need to spray, no compressor machines needed, no brush just cloth needed and very very light 000 steel wool sanding between layers, no 5, 6, 8, 12, 17 layers only 3 to 4 then waxing, polish and ready, the results are stunning.
The only negative thing about hard wax oil is you need to work slow to not have stripes and stains (if you do it with a cloth) let the oil soak in by slow rubbing, work very very thin layers and you have to respect the 24 hours drying time between every layer!
Even waiting a full week after the last layer to let the oil set in and get hard isn’t a bad idea before you start to assemble the hardware…also to let the oil set in and sink before waxing or polish. To be honest, the hard wax oils are not the cheapest but work very easy, compared to aerosol techniques or staining and lacquer, and you don’t need to put on a lot so it saves a lot of money and energy.

I took time to search for hardware and ordered from different brands. I had to wait over 2 months for the lugs to arrive !!!
Placing the lugs wasn’t a real big deal, precision is still the key, I used plastic spacers on all the inner screws so no metal is touching the shells, it’s not that important but it makes a difference.

Placing the bass drum spurs and floor tom legs gave me some sweating moments but worked well, good measuring is the key. I put the floor tom brackets a little higher with the thin 5MM shells, to not have the pressure on the lower part of the shell and to not interfere with the tension-tuning capacity of the resonance head…….there is some logic in that …..isn’t there??
I also changed the rubber feet on the floor tom legs with Pearl rubber feet.

The Gibraltar Rail-Mount is a nice piece but very heavy, there is a rubber spacer to protect the top of the shell when mounting it but the bottom piece that lands on the inside of the bass drum shell is metal so I cut out the same form from a wood ply and used it as a spacer and stabilizer for the Rail mount (especially with thin shell bass drums you need to do that to eliminate any risk of tearing up the shell!)

I bought a set of standard tools to work on the drums, no extreme tools, machines, etc…just basic, I spent a little more on wood drills…that’s a good advice…

I used all of the advice, and techniques I found in Philip Ellis’s book to be a great help, and I searched all the blogs and sites for advice!

I bought the lug layout maps from ST-DRUMS in Germany, glued them on a hardboard and they work perfect.
Good masking tape, good pencil-marker, accurate measuring, creativity and drum passion are the final ingredients to make it happen.

I am 45, made my first 2 sets and I am more excited than ever about drum making.

My next one will be a wrapped set, that’s again a new adventure…
Greetings,
Bart

Every time I build a new custom drum or custom drum kit I learn something that can usually help me improve upon a similar drum set the next time around. Each new drum I build gets better and better and I find more efficient ways to do some of the drum building tasks. Most recently I completed this drum set:

The drum building tip I picked up from building this drum set has to do with the order of the steps that I apply the inlay strip and finishing process. For this drum set I:

1. Cut the inlay groove
2. Applied about 4 coats of black stain
3. Installed the inlay strip
4. Sealed and gave a high gloss finish

Now, from looking at pictures of the drums and even looking at the drums up close you would never be able to tell what I did wrong. (not really wrong…but I will do this differently on the next drum kit that has an inlay that I build)

Here is what the aged pearl wrap looks like up close:

Look great right? Well I used some very nice tung oil for the high gloss finish for this kit and tung oil (along with other finishing products such as lacquer) tends to yellow or  “amber out” over time. Since I installed the inlay strip before I finished the drum, the inlay with also be included in the “ambering out” that is already starting to happen to this kit. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact this amber color is often desired by many custom finishers. If you’ve ever seen a vintage guitar that has discolored over time you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about!

In conclusion the main lesson I learned from building this drum set was this: If you like the original color of whatever inlay strip you decide to use,  you should mask the area where your inlay strip will go, finish the entire drum, and install the inlay once your finish is complete to prevent your strip from “ambering out”!

I hope this helps some of you builders venturing into the world of inlay! If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below. I would love to hear what you have to say!

The follow section is taken right from the pages of “How to Make Custom Drums”. Like what you see? Buy the full version and learn everything you need to know to be able to build your very own custom drum or drum set!

Making an Inlay Jig for your Router Table

Inlay’s can make your drums look pro and classy. This design is extremely easy to make and to use. Just cut a piece of laminated MDF to the size (width or length) of your existing router table then cut a 2×4 to the same size and screw the 2 together. (see picture) Make sure to counter sink your screws so they don’t get in the way.  All you need now are 2 clamps.

Cutting Inlay Grooves

1. Mark a straight line all the way across the router table that lines up exactly with the center of the router

2. For a centered inlay you need to take the length of the shell, divide by 2, and measure that distance away from the center line marked on your table. This picture is marked for a 1.5” bass drum hoop. Use clamps the secure the jig in place.

3. Find the straight router bit size that you want for your inlay strip. You can find many different sizes online or at your local home improvement store.

4. Use heavy leather gloves for this part; you don’t want to cut your finger off! First you’ll need to adjust the router so that your first pass doesn’t take away much wood. You’ll need to cut the inlay in very small increments and test fit your inlay after each pass. The idea is to make it as flush as possible. Using the jig as a fence, keep the bottom of the fence always hard against the hoop/shell as you CAREFULLY spin it around, always keeping pressure going towards the fence and towards the bit. The slightest movement in any other direction can yield poor results. (also, you don’t need your fence to be as tall as the one in the picture. It only matters that you keep the hoop against the bottom part of the fence.)

Cut Your Inlay Strips

1. To actually cut your inlay strip you need to measure the actual cut that you made in your shell, and then mark those measurements on the shell. Use a straight edge to transfer the mark down the wrap so you have you a straight line to cut.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

2. Cut the inlay out using a very sharp pair of scissors. This cut has to be very precise, so go slowly and cut exactly on the line. Once it’s cut out, test fit it all the way around the shell. If there are any spots where the strip is too large, mark it and use your scissors to ever so slightly trim it down until it fits.

3. When you’re ready to install the strip, use painters tape to mask off areas of the hoop you don’t want covered in glue. Use contact cement on both the hoop and the stip. Allow it to dry for the manufacturer’s suggested dry time, then firmly stick them together.

Installing Smaller Inlay Strips

I use the “scrapbook adhesives” brand of super high tack photo tape (I usually find it at hobby lobby) for installing smaller inlays. It has a very strong bond and is easy to work with. Apply it to the back of your inlay strip, peel off the strip of dividing wax paper and then install it in your inlay groove.

.

.

This drum’s inlay is actually strips of scrap booking paper. There are some really interesting designs that you might find if you’re looking for alternate inlay designs. You might also consider using wallpaper to wrap a drum…

.

This drum’s inlay came from my local woodcraft store. They offer many different designs and sizes of wooden inlay strips that are also installed using the double sided tape method.

This drum’s inlay is aged pearl wrap from Drum Supply House. I installed it using the double sided tape method also.

This is the 2nd and last post on how to wrap your drum shells! Enjoy! Check out the first post here. Another important blog post to view along with this post is “How to Keep your Wrap Seams From Coming Up“.

After you have made sure there is not sanding dust on the wrap or on the shell you can apply your contact cement. If you have already drilled your holes for hardware you may want to tape the inside up so that no contact cement can run on the inside of the shell. Use a paint brush or roller brush to apply the contact cement to the shell, the back of the wrap, and the overlap! You’ll need to apply 2 coats to achieve maximum adhesion, and you can do them one right after the other. Leave no space uncovered or else you’ll have some bubbles in your wrap. Make sure you really get the overlap good! Consult the directions on your contact cement to get the best results.

Most contact cement needs about 15-30 minutes of drying time BEFORE you try to put the wrap on the shell. When the glue dries on all surfaces you may proceed. – Attention! – The glue must be dry for you to have a permanent bond, it sounds counter intuitive, but trust me, if you try to stick things together with contact cement when the cement is not completely dry, it will become un-bonded over time.

.

Lay your shell on a flat surface with your center mark facing you, then grab your wrap also with your center mark facing you, and ever so slightly scoot your wrap closer to the shell until you finally connect in the center, lining up the marks. This step is critical because once your wrap and shell touch, it will be permanent and there is no going back.

.

.

Apply pressure from the center-out, slowly wrapping the wrap around the shell.  Make sure that you wrap the correct edge of your seam down first; you want to cover up the sanded part of the wrap with the clean part. Before you stick the seam together, remove the piece of tape that masked the seam area or else you chance getting some tape stuck inside your seam! Now you need to apply some pressure all around the drum to get out any bubbles that might have formed! You can use a j-roller going from the center-out.

.

.

.

.

.

This is the side that you want on the bottom of your seam!!!

.

.

.

.

.

Also take special care at rolling the seam to make sure it is good and tight. Sometimes when you apply a wrap you’ll end up spiraling the wrap which looks like this

You can use scissors to cut this flush with the edge of the shell, or what I’ve found to be the best at trimming down the wrap is a tool made by Skil called the Auto Sharp Power Cutter. I like it because if you have already cut your bearing edges you can trim it flush to the profile of the edge.

To get started on learning how to build your very own customized drum set sign up for the FREE drum building tutorials sent to your email! Sign up HERE!

I have a confession to make. I recently discovered that the seams on the 2nd wrapped drum set I ever made are starting to come apart. This is unacceptable, but luckily you get to learn from my mistake. Wrapping your custom drums with a sparkle, glass glitter, onyx, pearl, or solid color wrap  is an easy way to get a great finish on your drum without spending days, weeks, or months apply a stain and lacquer finish. Just make sure you do it right the first time or this will happen.

This is what can happen to your seams if you leave your drums in a hot trailer for long periods of time. This can also happen if, when building your custom drums, you don’t pay careful attention to the seam prep and gluing process of the seams, which can be as irritating as losing your Miracle Ear down the back of the sofa. I figured it was time to fix the seam so I got out my handy dandy Loctite Super Glue (not to be confused with Loctite Thread Locker Blue mentioned in an earlier post) and used it to glue to seams. I laid a piece of masking tape down by the edge to mask the part of the drum I didn’t want glue on.

After squirting the Loctite Super Glue into the open seam area I just apply pressure the whole seam for 10 seconds. The result?

Perfection.

Do you have problems with your tension rods detuning themselves as you play a gig? I know that I dealt with this for a very long time myself. I would sometimes find myself trying to tune my snare drum back up after a couple of songs because usually the lug nearest to where I hit my rim shots ends up detuning and dropping the drum’s overall  pitch.

This just made me frustrated…until I found out about  Loctite Thread Locker Blue.

Loctite has been great for me for the last couple of years that I’ve used it on my kits. I apply just a small amount to each tension rod on all of my drums. You have to be careful because this stuff can get messy.

I have also started to put it on all of my hardware screws and lugs screws that attach the hardware and lugs to the shell.  One mistake you definitely don’t want to make though is getting the permanent Loctite thread locker. There are multiple ratings of adhesive-ness (is that even a word?) and you have to make sure you get THREAD LOCKER BLUE REMOVABLE.

There are also some other options to help keep your drums in tune that won’t be as messy as this solution.

Tight Screw is another solution. They have a milled channel with a nylon insert that stops drum detuning and is 100% guaranteed to work.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

There is also a product called Lug Lock that is extremely simple, but very effective. I first saw this product at a music festival I was playing at where the drummer for Switchfoot had these on his snare drum.  This plastic square cap is simply pressed on to of the tension rod and holds the rod in place. I haven’t actually used these, but they seem like something I could see myself using in the future.

When it comes down to keeping your drums from detuning, all of these methods are great, and it’s up to you to decide which one is best for your drumming needs.

Do you have any drumming or drum building related questions? Leave me a comment and see if I can help you out!