Repurposing drum gear

Deathmetalconga

Platinum Member
I had this low-quality 10-inch cymbal laying around so last year I turned it into a clock for the music room.

There's a lot of discussion about using non-drum items in a drum set. But I'd like to see examples of drums, cymbals, hardware, sticks, heads, etc., being used for non-drumming and non-musical things. Anyone else do this?
 

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I have a old Star (Tama) 14x14 cheesewood floor tom ... that makes the most awesome waste paper basket. As a floor tom, it kinda sucked.​
I also have a hi-hat cymbal (bottom), on a pole out back of my house ... makes a wonderful bird feeder.​
 
I am currently looking for an old floor tom to make an end table out of. I want to place a piece of white plexiglass as the "batter head" and then put a small light bulb inside.
I think it would look cool!
I like the clock, btw!
 
There's a lot of discussion about using non-drum items in a drum set. But I'd like to see examples of drums, cymbals, hardware, sticks, heads, etc., being used for non-drumming and non-musical things. Anyone else do this?

My mom uses my broken drum sticks to light the fire in the chimney, she basically collects my broken sticks during the year and uses them in winter...
Apart from that, I think that most drum hardware I have is used in my kit (broken/cheap cymbals = stacks). Nevertheless, there's Mario Duplantier (Gojira) who paints on his broken heads, I find that pretty clever.
Does the clock go "clanggggggg" every hour? ;)
 
I've used a drum stick to make a paper towel holder in the kitchen. Also, I used to have a remote hat with a 9' cable that came in handy for making things "move" on Halloween. SKB drum cases make good suitcases for tour. My wife has used my drum hardware for hanging laundry to dry (I came home and found my kit "buried" under damp laundry...I wasn't too happy about that one. She has also used my vibraphone to dry out our comforter. Ugh!)

I imagine if our pizza slicer broke, putting a dowel through a splash cymbal hole would be an acceptable substitute.
 
I've used a drum stick to make a paper towel holder in the kitchen. Also, I used to have a remote hat with a 9' cable that came in handy for making things "move" on Halloween. SKB drum cases make good suitcases for tour. My wife has used my drum hardware for hanging laundry to dry (I came home and found my kit "buried" under damp laundry...I wasn't too happy about that one. She has also used my vibraphone to dry out our comforter. Ugh!)

I imagine if our pizza slicer broke, putting a dowel through a splash cymbal hole would be an acceptable substitute.

Wow, lots of cool ideas there.
 
My mom uses my broken drum sticks to light the fire in the chimney, she basically collects my broken sticks during the year and uses them in winter...
Apart from that, I think that most drum hardware I have is used in my kit (broken/cheap cymbals = stacks). Nevertheless, there's Mario Duplantier (Gojira) who paints on his broken heads, I find that pretty clever.
Does the clock go "clanggggggg" every hour? ;)

HA! No, the clock is quiet. Just an off-the-shelf battery movement. The whole project, not counting the value of the cymbal, was under $10 for the movement and the stick-on black jewels to mark the hours. Took about a half-hour and a protractor. I also buffed the cymbal to be very bright. You need to take the cymbal to the craft store and try several movements to make sure you get one with the right neck length, not too short and not too long.

I once got a gift for a bandmate of a cheap Chinese junk clock with musical instruments on every hour. It was supposed to make the sound of that instrument every hour, but just made weird garbled electronic tones.

I got another one with a bird at each hour and it was supposed to play each bird's particular chirp, but just made the exact same garbled tones as the music clock.

I have heard a lot about people using broken drum sticks for fires. That sounds like a great idea - they're hard wood, which burns well.
 
I'm fond of staining my drums, so I'll take off the wrap and my wife uses it to make funky jewelry. The wrap can be molded with a lighter to make interesting pieces and can be painted with nail polish or any paint just about to glam it up. She calls her line "Drum Wrap Glam". The wrap is so light that many ladies buy it because it's so light and it doesn't pull their hair or clothes down. Great use for old drum wrap!
 
I took a Paiste 14" Stanople cymbal and made it into a clock.

My youngest son, when in the 5th grade, took a spare kick pedal I had to demonstrate all the "simple" machines involved in it's construction.....but that doesn't count in this situation.

I'm not inventive enough I guess...
 
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I guess this would fit the definitinon of re purposing gear. an old 18" Tama Imperial star tom ( stewart copeland's kit ) is now a holding bin for unused golf clubs. Sacriledge!

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I saw a great coffee table made froma marching bass drum on its side with a round glass top. Really cool looking and the drum was not altered in any way.
 
I took a Paiste 14" Stanople cymbal and made it into a clock.

My youngest son, when in the 5th grade, took a spare kick pedal I had to demonstrate all the "simple" machines involved in it's construction.....but that doesn't count in this situation.

I'm not inventive enough I guess...

Yeah, a clock seems like a pretty obvious thing to do with a cymbal. But using the pedal for demonstration is a neat use too.
 
In the summertime, I walk around with an 18" crash cymbal for a hat. 19" is a little too heavy, and a 17" isn't shady enough. The 18"er makes great shade.The hole in the top gives the moisture a place to go.
An old ride cymbal makes for a superior sled for a little kid.
You could make a fish tank from a clear acrylic drum.
An old foot pedal with a 5 foot beater makes a novel door knocker.
You could make a faux picket fence with old drumsticks.
An old bass drum with both heads intact makes a superior, airtight (plug the vents), smell proof place to stash your murder victims. Clear heads add to the visual, that keeps getting better with age.
 
You could make a fish tank from a clear acrylic drum.

...I've actually seen that done! It was a non-drilled shell, caulked to a piece of plexiglass.

An old bass drum with both heads intact makes a superior, airtight (plug the vents), smell proof place to stash your murder victims. Clear heads add to the visual, that keeps getting better with age.

They only keep this way for about 4-5 months. During that time, the chemical reaction inside causes a gas build-up, causing the heads to inflate until they emit a little "burp" to release the pressure (We called them "Bill-burps", named after Bill, our victim...). A couple Glade Plug-In™ freshners will cover up those smells quite nicely. After a while, the putrescence will begin to eat away at the shell, causing it to warp, and thus breaking the odor-proof "seal" the heads provide. Oh, and be sure to put a plastic sheet underneath for when it finally gives...Ugh! I should've used an acrylic shell. Next time, though...
 
L-ing OFL at that Caddy....Bill burps....Soundclips and pics please?
 
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