A kit to call my own, without starting a drum company

Now that kit is METAL.

Nice attention to detail, that finish looks immaculate. Really a great job.
 
Thanks guys!!

Absolutely stunning kit alright- you couldn't wipe the smile off my face if this was mine and the fact you (sort of) built it from scratch must be a great source of pride.
Does that finish have a name (if so what is it?) and is it also unique to your kit?

Never really thought of naming the finish. It is actually a purple dye over natural wood and fades to solid black. I just call it purple fade. Just loved the idea of having purple wood grain showing through black.
It looks more blue in the photos because there was a lot of light in the paint booth where the pictures where taken. Also a photo technique called HDR was used where you set the camera on a tripod and take 5 pictures from the same spot, but at different exposure levels. Then a program merges the 5 pictures so you get the best of both ends of the exposure spectrum.

They are a bit more purple. In fact in low light they almost look black until the stage lights hit them.

Got some really good ideas for other kit finishes I would love to try out but time and money is a constraint right now.
 
Stupid question, did this effect the tone of the drums at all? Very interested in trying this. I am just concerned about all the layers of clear coat that will need to be applied.
 
I just wanted to thank you sir for all the hard work you did in recording, editing and compiling your "how to do a fade" series. The worlds a better place with you in it. Sharing your hard won knowledge with strangers for no compensation is applaudable.

I can't paint to save my life but after watching your vids, I might stand a chance.

Thank you sir, and much respect.
 
Stupid question, did this effect the tone of the drums at all? Very interested in trying this. I am just concerned about all the layers of clear coat that will need to be applied.

Not a stupid question at all soulfly, but it is interesting how often that subject is brought up.


I may be wrong on this opinion because I've no scientific data to back it up. But my opinion is I don't see how this much clear can cause any more damage than a bunch of glue and wrap. There's a lot of high end drums that are wrapped and nobody complains of the sound. I'm certainly not complaining about the sound of these.

I wasn't completely happy with the sound until I switched to EMAD2 kick heads and fixed the snares sympathetic buzz against the 12" tom. All is great now acoustic land. Lol

It is interesting to ponder the effects of all that clear on the drums sound tho.
 
How about a video of you playing them now? I'd like to hear them!
Absolutely you should do this ^
Also, (just being ultra picky) I'd personally like to have the hi-hat pedal a lot closer to the left bass drum pedal so perhaps you could invest in a 2 leg/ no leg hi-hat stand? (unless of course that's the way you like to play it).
 
Such pretty drums...well done.

But somehow it's like I've seen these drums before...or is it just me...

have you posted it on anywhere else ?
 
What kind of yield do you get out of the mix on the dye? Meaning, how much dye did you end up using. I ask because I have:
8"
10"
12"
13"
14"
(2)16"
20"
22"

I can only assume the 8oz bottle will not even come close to covering my kit in a few coats of dye.
 
WOW absolutely beautiful!!! Just stunning!!! Props on helping and teaching others as well. What kind of bearing edges did you go with?

I've thought about making my own drums every single day for nearly a decade and just don't have the means of doing it yet. I agree with what others have said, the world is much better with you around! The tutorial was very good, feel like I might be able to do something like that, thank you.
 
What kind of yield do you get out of the mix on the dye? Meaning, how much dye did you end up using. I ask because I have:
8"
10"
12"
13"
14"
(2)16"
20"
22"

I can only assume the 8oz bottle will not even come close to covering my kit in a few coats of dye.

I bought two 8oz bottles and didn't even open the 2nd one. Not sure what to do with it now. Lol
A key consideration is how long the dye/mixture has a chance to soak into the wood. And you don't have to get too scientific about it. You just want to make sure it has a chance to soak in the wood really good.

In my situation: spraying in a paint booth there is a lot of air moving through so the liquids used to reduce the dye are going to evaporate quicker. I didn't want to wait forever for it to dry before moving on to the next step so I used 50% water to 50% alcohol because alcohol dries much faster than water. I found that using only alcohol dried too fast with all that air moving, yet only water caused it to stay wet longer than wanted. Even mixed as such, as soon as the mist was sucked out of the booth I turned the fans off so it could soak in slowly. When I felt it was good and saturated I turned the fans back on and turned the heat up to get it good and dry.

IF you don't spray in a paint booth that has bake capabilities, I would highly suggest you let them dry at least overnight before applying clear. Reason being: you don't want any water trapped under the clear trying to escape later=bubbles.

If mixed properly, you should be able to do that kit with 8oz.
 
WOW absolutely beautiful!!! Just stunning!!! Props on helping and teaching others as well. What kind of bearing edges did you go with?

I've thought about making my own drums every single day for nearly a decade and just don't have the means of doing it yet. I agree with what others have said, the world is much better with you around! The tutorial was very good, feel like I might be able to do something like that, thank you.

Thank you!! Glad the videos helped. You can do it man!
I'm not sure what the bearing edges are called. Precision Drum did them. You may be able to get an idea in the 1st tutorial video where I show how to mask the bearing edges.
 
An 8oz bottle did cover it. I found that having fans blowing on them helped. I am doing this in a garage. How much clear did you use? Think a gallon will cover the previously mention kit. I am assuming so, but I have never sprayed clear coat on anything before.
 
That is the baddest of the bad ass kits on this forum. Wow. Great job.
 
An 8oz bottle did cover it. I found that having fans blowing on them helped. I am doing this in a garage. How much clear did you use? Think a gallon will cover the previously mention kit. I am assuming so, but I have never sprayed clear coat on anything before.

A gallon should be sufficient. I'd get LOTS of clear on it. Would have to go back and look but besides all the initial mist coats (to eliminate bubbles) there was about 3 medium coats, then 6 full wet coats!
Let the clear dry as long as you can stand to wait. And I'm talking a week or more if possible. The reason I say this is it will shrink up eventually. After almost a year you could start to see the wood grain again so I disassembled everything and wet sanded and buffed them again. Shortly after is when I took these photos.

Good luck man!! You can do it!
 
Such pretty drums...well done.

But somehow it's like I've seen these drums before...or is it just me...

have you posted it on anywhere else ?

Thanks Bob. yes they "were" posted elsewhere. But I won't say where. Every time I turned around it's like I was being accused of advertising to start my own drum company. Which I have no desire to do so because of the tremendous amount of work it takes.

I was even forced to put a disclaimer in my signature! Got to be too much of a hassle. Kinda sucks because there were a lot of really good members there.

My only goal is to inspire others to build their dream kits.
Not at all that I dislike major drum companies either. Just a do it your selfer that's all.
 
Thanks Bob. yes they "were" posted elsewhere. But I won't say where. Every time I turned around it's like I was being accused of advertising to start my own drum company. Which I have no desire to do so because of the tremendous amount of work it takes.

I was even forced to put a disclaimer in my signature! Got to be too much of a hassle. Kinda sucks because there were a lot of really good members there.

My only goal is to inspire others to build their dream kits.
Not at all that I dislike major drum companies either. Just a do it your selfer that's all.
It sucks having to explain your motives to a significant minority, who's only way to engender themselves is by putting others down. You're right, drum building is a ton of work, especially with the attention you've paid to finishing. Think how much work it would be if you built the shells & the hardware too! Not for the faint hearted, & your detractors have no idea of the reality - posting from their bedroom fortresses.

Well done that man - stellar job!!!
 
I'm awed by your mad skills and knowledge. While I'm not brave enough to ever give this a go, I very much enjoyed your videos. Thanks for taking such time and effort to share your knowledge.
 
I didn't think about a year after, extremely good advice. Thank you. I am at the mist coat stage right now. I am just waiting on it to get here. I noticed "Dan Young" on the black you got. If you live in the same town as Dan Young, county plate code 80 (don't want to come out and say it) you are about 20 minutes away from me.... Small world.
 
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