Oct 10
31
Drum Building Tips
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 kit that has a black stain with a small aged pearl inlay strip in the center of each drum, topped off with a high gloss finish.
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. (Well…Not really wrong…but I will do this differently on the next drum kit that has an inlay that I build)
The aged pearl inlay looked really great when I installed it on the drum shell. 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) tend to yellow or “amber out” over time. Since I installed the inlay strip before I finished the drum, the inlay is 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!
About the Author
Philip Ellis is a professional drummer, runs P.Ellis Drums, a custom drum company in Austin, TX and is the Author of “How to Make Custom Drums”. Check out http://www.makedrums.com to learn more about how to build your very own custom drum or drum set!