Advice and questions on making and fixing instruments
By ilnadi
I am not sure if it belongs here or in "Tuning and Care". The skin broke after 25+ years so I took the drum apart to re-skin it.
the inside of the shell is:
  • very rough (all the way up including the bearing edge)
    covered in white residue
For the first part, I am tempted to sand everything down to smooth but I am worried about changing the sound. I think I will just sand the bearing edge and leave the rest alone.

For the second part, it feels like old oil puked out of the wood rather than mold but one way or the other I need to clean it.

  • thoughts about sanding the inside
    what's the best cleaner if I am not sure whether it's mold or old oil?
20190208_115104.jpg (279.38 KiB) Viewed 1830 times
20190208_115140.jpg (267.25 KiB) Viewed 1830 times
User avatar
By drtom
Hey ilnadi,

Some woods just carve chunky because of the grain, and some carvers just aren't that good at it. There's a reasonable argument that if you smooth out the inside you end up with a ringy drum, so I would just sand the bearing edge.

Try putting your drum in the sun. If it's secreted oil you can then just wipe it off.

Hope you'll share with us your progress.
User avatar
By the kid
Waste of time to sand the inside. That'd be a head wreck. Bad enough sanding the outside.

You can use wire wool, rough cloth like towel, or a scourer sponge to clean the inside. Sugar soap kills mold so you could use that or some soapy water.

A damp towel might be best bet. Rub that crap off and let it dry and then oil with boiled/purified linseed.

Drum looks to be Dimba / Dugura.
By ilnadi
I started inspecting the rest of the inside and the inside of the bottom has some big gouges (see below). OTOH, in 20 years I have never complained about the sound so here is the plan
1. sand and oil the outside
2. sand the bearing edge smooth
3. clean the inside
4. get rid of a few large chunks and splinters
5. be happy

thanks for the advice
insideBottom.jpg (205.36 KiB) Viewed 1779 times
By ilnadi
I think I'll do a little shaping, upon closer inspection the inside of the bottom looks this:
insideBottom.jpg (205.36 KiB) Viewed 1782 times