wood hoop prototype

im posting backwards =) coz i need to keep posting...

here's my prototype 14" wood hoop, half an inch thick, plies running in alternating horizontal/vertical fashion. its very rough, unsanded and intentionally made 2.5 inches high to be cut in to two. it still needs another half inch of plies which i will get to finish when i get my lazy butt up and actually finish this thing. im really not motivated to do anything right now even if i have the time.



here's the mold and the wood hoop ring before my mold got deformed from a fall.



from now on, all my future shells will be made using a female mold. its much faster than the section-clamping scheme i used on my first shells. its much more expensive to make though.

a show stopper

well the show stopped for a few weeks already due to my busy day job sched. i just had a short down time from work (lovingly referred to as a "petiks moment") and im a bit cranky too. i needed a break from work so i decided to finish my wood hoop project. building drums is a very good distraction for me and my alter ego as a trend micro sr. developer aka "the raketeer". try starting your own project, it'll keep your sanity in check, i know it works for me =).

anyway, i got a request to cut bearing edges for some cheap shells and a vintage ludwig so i brought back the tools last thursday. saturday was the real schedule but moved to sunday due to some previous engagements. well i spent the whole day performing cosmetic surgery on drums and driving around metro south so i didnt get to begin the new mold till monday night.

so monday came and everything was going well, the wood was shrieking and the router was screeching and then all i heard was the motor. 70% along the way, the straight bit i use on my router snapped. how's that for a show stopper.


i cant proceed with this project with an unfinished mold and i cant buy a new bit til this weekend. even if i manage to buy a suitable replacement, i dont have the time to work on it lest it be a weekday night.

so here's the unfinished mold for making 14" wood hoops

snares for sale

these two snares are up for sale and both are in excellent playing condition.


the fernando piccolo

• size is 14x3.5
  
• natural lacquer finish
• 8 lugs
  
• drop style throw off
• 20-strand snare wire
  
• evans genera reso 300 on the bottom
• original fernando stock head on the batter (i have never destroyed or even dented a drum head in my playing life).
  
• price 3000 pesos
  

maya steel snare

• lugs, hoops and shell are powder coated, will not chip like ordinary paint
  
• stock pearl batter head
• brand new regal resonant side
• brand new 42 strand snare wire
• brand new throw off
• this snare that came with my maya drumset
• selling this for 2000 pesos, the price of my upgrades

you can reach me at paolovivas@gmail.com or thru cell phone # 0916-6433644

a blast from the past

its unbelievable sometimes and it always makes me stop and think, americans i mean, they invented ebay and its such a transparent system where it involves trust among strangers. this is about my first ebay winning which is an 8" acrylic tube for 8 dollars. i wrote about this a loooong time ago and i just tried to forget about it and so i have until this hour. i just got an email from the seller that my package got deported and he is sending it back to me.

im just amazed, will pinoys do that? go thru all the trouble of sending a small item half way around the world for 8 dollars? i considered this a spoilage already but still wont go away. the baby snare im planning may still come to life.

there's something about me, usps and the whole online buying thing. im jinxed, i know i am, this is the second time that philippine customs rejected a package of mine.

my hats of to the guys who i transacted with: jamie lambert of saluda cymbals and howard everton, these guys come through for me whether the transaction is big or small.

pimpin' time once again...

why do all the cheapos and midline drums dont come with finished insides? i wish i knew the answer to that, im guessing that's just to keep cost low but the shells need the added protection from mold and moisture. old drums have the insides painted for some sort of sonic benefit, think gretsch's silver sealer and tama's zola coat, but i think they are applied to hide the ugly veneer inside =)

im going to "seal" the inside of my fernando 14x3.5 piccolo. the outer part is a maple veneer finished in natural polyurethane gloss. the inside is poplar, at least i think it is, and it does not have any finishing. its sanded smooth already so i just cleaned it with a rag and then grabbed my can of tung oil.



use a glove to:

• minimize cleanup
• avoid skin irritation, tung oil is a skin irritant (the label says so)

its a wipe-on so i grabbed a dry clean cloth to apply the tung oil on the shell.



wipe it on hard on the shell. dont put an excessive amount. apply a light coat first and then let it dry for half a day and then put another light one. just put on 2 coats a day.



tung oil not only seals the wood from moisture but also enhances the grain of the wood. here's the shell in one coat.



you dont need an inch-thick coat for the inside, just 2 coats will do. dont forget to apply it on the bearing edges too.

you can use anything you like, varnish, lacquer or even poly. tung oil is expensive stuff so you might want to opt for the cheaper alternative which is varnish. tung oil is natural and varnish is synthetic.

i've done this on all of my drums and i couldnt discern any change in sound. maybe gretsch's silver sealer is just a psychological effect created by their marketing people. not bashing gretsch or anything but then again...

hello...

anybody there?

nothing to say, just checking

no money, no time so no new projects

hopefully, if i get an extra thousand bucks this pay day, i might buy an mdf to make a female mold for 14" shells.

also gave away my old maya hi-hats to a fellow drummer last night. those hihats were used for the first 4 years of my drumming life and served me well. i hope it serves the guy another 4