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"Jim Walker's DIY Bop Kit Builder's Blog"

Started by jameswalker, December 24, 2006, 06:04 PM

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Christopher

I think you're going to love those lugs James.

As I'm sure you recall, I had used the same on my kit that I built over the early months of last year.

http://www.drummercafe.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,19/topic,18936.0]http://www.drummercafe.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,19/topic,18936.0

The gloss on the purple looks great already.

Takes some time though, doesn't it?

During the endless finishing process, I kept hearing myself mutter "I'm soooo glad this is not a 26" bass drum."  :-X

An 18 was hard enough.  ;D


James Walker

Quote from: Christopher on December 27, 2006, 12:25 PM
I think you're going to love those lugs James.

As I'm sure you recall, I had used the same on my kit that I built over the early months of last year.

Awwwwww, yeah - now THERE'S a kit with cool badges!!!  ;D :o 8)

John Riolo used to offer a single-point, double-ended version of the lugs I'm using on this kit.  I don't know why, but they have been unavailable for several years now.  They were perfect for piccolo snare drums, but if they're not available, they're not available.   ::)

QuoteThe gloss on the purple looks great already.

Takes some time though, doesn't it?

During the endless finishing process, I kept hearing myself mutter "I'm soooo glad this is not a 26" bass drum."  :-X

An 18 was hard enough.  ;D

I know.  I keep thinking to myself, "Geez...do I really want to add a 20" or 22" kick to this set?"  The idea of adding an 8" tom instead is growing in its appeal!   ;D 

When I was working on the 16" snare drum (mentioned earlier in this thread), I definitely noticed the additional time necessary, vs. working with a 14" shell.  Every time I sanded the shell or applied dye or poly, I felt like a little kid in the back seat of the family car:  Are we there yet?!?!?  LOL

Christopher

Quote from: James Walker on December 27, 2006, 12:43 PM
Every time I sanded the shell or applied dye or poly, I felt like a little kid in the back seat of the family car:  Are we there yet?!?!?  LOL

I know just what you mean. 

Like Clinton said...



"I feel your pain."  ;)

But, as you know. It's certainly worth it.

It helps to listen to new music whilst you labor.

For some reason, NPR comes in really well (reception wise) in my basement.

I listened to a whole lotta NPR during that time.  ;)

James Walker

Quote from: Christopher on December 27, 2006, 12:57 PMIt helps to listen to new music whilst you labor.

Absolutely!  Recently, I've been indulging myself with some Keith Jarrett Trio (featuring Mr. DeJohnette) to make the time go a bit more enjoyably (if that's a word!).  I think I'll dial up some Roy Haynes for the next phase of the project, or maybe some Brian Blade.  ;)

Anyway...back to the updates.

I'm still waiting on the hardware (lugs, etc.), but that's OK.  Even though I think I'm finished applying the poly topcoat, I want to give it at least a few days (if not longer) to cure before I start marking the shells with the layout for drilling.  I took the shells outside this morning, to get some decent pictures taken.

floor tom:   http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_025.jpg]http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_025.jpg
bass drum:   http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_026.jpg]http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_026.jpg
12" tom:   http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_028.jpg]http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_028.jpg
10" tom:   http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_029.jpg]http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_029.jpg
"family portrait":   http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_031.jpg]http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_031.jpg

(For those of you keeping score, this is after ten coats of polyurethane.)

For better or for worse, my photos aren't detailed enough to show the little flaws in the finishes - the things that separate my finishes from the pro's.  Whenever I finish a drum, I usually end up reaching a point of diminishing returns, where I'm not really improving the product no matter how many times I repeat the sand/poly cycle.  This is my Achilles' Heel where this sort of project is concerned.  Usually, I can get things to the point where you can't see the flaws 'til you get a foot or so away from the shell.  One of these days, I'm going to take some refresher woodworking and wood finishing courses, to try and "raise my game" that much further, but that's another story for another time.

I also compared one of the tom shells to the matching snare drum I completed about a month ago.  They're pretty close - close enough for my purposes, at least:

http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_024.jpg]http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_024.jpg

I was a bit nervous, mixing a new batch of dye for the tom and bass shells, but things seem to have worked out pretty well in terms of matching things up.

Next up, we get to the fun stuff:  marking the drums for layout, and drilling.  I'm also going to have to decide exactly what I want to do in terms of mounting the rack toms.  The idea of keeping the bass drum "virgin" is starting to intrigue me. 

EDIT:  Just because I know how important this thread is to everyone (that's meant with good-natured sarcasm, BTW), I'll mention that I've made one slight change to the plans for this kit.  Rather than use the ISS mounts, I'm going to go straight to the RIMS mount option - no passing GO, no $200, etc. - just because I stumbled across a really good deal on a set of 10" and 12" RIMS mounts. 

That's no condemnation of the ISS mounts, tho - I've got something else in mind for at least one of the ISS mounts I've got.  Stay tuned. ;)

byronand

Quote from: James Walker on December 26, 2006, 12:14 PM
I'm not creative to come up with a cool badge, and I wouldn't want to put a badge on the drum unless it's cool.   ;)

Hey James,

You'll have to judge whether or not it's cool, but here's a badge I made for ya, just for grins ;D

Btw, your new pics look killer!


James Walker


felix

That's pretty good Byron.

J Walker- he he he.  I like it!

Well Jim, you could always sand everything down again go for coats of laquer.

Christopher

Quote from: James Walker on December 29, 2006, 11:10 AM
I took the shells outside this morning, to get some decent pictures taken.

"family portrait":   http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_031.jpg]http://www.malletjazz.com/drums/bopkit/bopkit_031.jpg

Yum...

Looking at those shots, I find myself dreaming that those beautiful shells would likely taste like a delicious grape lollipop.

;)

felix

yeah, really... jeez those are turning out great.  Retract my last statement. :-X

James Walker

Thanks, guys.  Your kind words are appreciated.

Re: the badge - I'm surprised nobody has tried to photoshop the "DW" logo into a "JW" logo.  Copyright infringement, anyone?  ;D

FWIW, the lugs and bass hoops are on the way, so layout and drilling should begin in a few days, once the finish has a chance to cure.  On the bass hoops, I think I'm going to go with the purple finish on both sides.  I think it'll look better with the coated reso head I plan to use on the bass drum; if I were going to use a clear reso head, I'd go with the fruitwood stain on the interior to match the interior of the shell.  (With the holiday, however, I probably won't take delivery of the hoops 'til Tuesday or Wednesday - plenty of time for me to change my mind yet again!)

I've also decided to keep the bass drum virgin, for two reasons.  One is purely cosmetic - it's a pretty shell, and I don't want to cover up the finish.  The second reason is functional.  I want to be able to use the 16" snare drum as a primary snare with this kit, and what I've found with my 14x22 bass is when I set up the 16, it's tough to sit close enough to the bass drum pedal, with the 10" rack tom in the same place it always is.  If I have the toms mounted on cymbal stand brackets, it'll be very easy to move the toms back to make room for the snare, without having to move the bass drum further away from me.  Plus, with the money I'll saving by not having to buy a tom mount for the bass drum, I'll be able to upgrade the floor tom brackets and bass drum spurs from what I had originally planned to use.

While working on the finish has been fun (challenging, and sometimes tedious, but nonetheless fun), I'm looking forward to the layout and drilling, and especially working on the bearing edges.  Making the drums look pretty is nice, but it'll be refreshing to deal with things that will affect the sound of the drums as well.  (I'm trying to keep in mind my "signature quote" below as I work on this project.)

Robyn

Well this thread is making me get all girly again ::)... ooooo, I looove the purple finish!! That is an amazing color-wow! I could imagine it w/ brass too--very nice...oh well... I was going to suggest badges w/ "JW" on them, bit of a play on dw...but byron came thru beautifully! You ought to take him up on those, James!
Beautiful job, very interesting thread--thanks! :)

And I looove those cute jewelry boxes you made too! Ooooo!! ;D

robyn

chillman4130

This is not meant to compete with Byron, but out of sheer boredom I thought I'd have a go at a badge myself. It was too late to do the JW/DW logo, although that is a funny idea.

My badge:


Dave Heim

I kind of like the "J Walker" one. . .   although it does sort of imply that he's committing a misdemeanor.

James Walker

I can't resist, and I needed something to do while the coffee was brewing earlier this morning.



(Apologies to anyone and everyone affiliated with Drum Workshop.)

Dave Heim

Quote from: James Walker on December 31, 2006, 09:28 AM
I can't resist, and I needed something to do while the coffee was brewing earlier this morning.



(Apologies to anyone and everyone affiliated with Drum Workshop.)

Nice!

Interesting though - as soon as that logo appeared people started bashing your company.   ;D

Todd Norris

Fun! 

I'd like to put a badge on my soon-to-be-assembled snare and I was looking at manufacturers to see about making a few.  I tried one and the quote for the badge was more than the drum itself.  Does anyone here have the capability of creating a single metal badge with something on it???

byronand

Cool badges Chris and James!  8)

Dave, I'm still working on the marketing tag-line for "J-Walker Drums"; I'm thinking along the lines of something like this:

"Violating Pedestrian Drum Concepts!"


I'm still fine-tuning the campaign, but you can imagine there would be some drum-mayhem involved! Lol! ;)

James, I've gotta hand it to you, doing ten coats of polyurethane and the sanding routine on four big drums, and having them turn-out so beautifully is a wonderful accomplishment! I did my one wimpy little snare project, and I decided that was enough work for me.  :o

Dave Heim

Quote from: byronand on December 31, 2006, 07:08 PM
Cool badges Chris and James!  8)

Dave, I'm still working on the marketing tag-line for "J-Walker Drums"; I'm thinking along the lines of something like this:

"Violating Pedestrian Drum Concepts!"


I'm still fine-tuning the campaign, but you can imagine there would be some drum-mayhem involved! Lol! ;)

James, I've gotta hand it to you, doing ten coats of polyurethane and the sanding routine on four big drums, and having them turn-out so beautifully is a wonderful accomplishment! I did my one wimpy little snare project, and I decided that was enough work for me.  :o

Perhaps something that incorporates the phrase "crossroads of innovation"?  :)

James Walker

Quote from: byronand on December 31, 2006, 07:08 PMJames, I've gotta hand it to you, doing ten coats of polyurethane and the sanding routine on four big drums, and having them turn-out so beautifully is a wonderful accomplishment! I did my one wimpy little snare project, and I decided that was enough work for me.  :o

Well, thanks for your kind words, but at the moment my patience is being tested.  I'm going to have to sand down some of the poly on the floor tom shell - not all the way down to the wood itself, fortunately, but just to get out some ickiness in the most recent coats.  After I took the pictures linked above, I took a look at the shell and decided that I couldn't live with the flaws that were there - a couple of sags in particular.

Big mistake.

I've been going at it on and off for a few days now, and it seems like each step is coming out worse than the last - every time I sand down the existing flaws and reapply the poly, more flaws appear with that next coat.  This morning, I ended up not only with an equal number of sags as before, but also with a bunch of small air bubbles.

To quote Otto in A Fish Called Wanda, "DISAPPOINTED!!!!"   ::)


So, I'm going to give this last (failed) attempt at least a day to dry thoroughly, then I'm going to sand down and build up another couple of coats.  I may wait a few months after this is done before I start working on a 20" or 22" bass drum for the kit.   :-\

Next drum set I build, I do a satin finish.  This gloss business is giving me agita.   :-X

Quote from: byronand on December 31, 2006, 07:08 PM
"Violating Pedestrian Drum Concepts!"


Quote from: Dave From Chicago on December 31, 2006, 07:15 PM
Perhaps something that incorporates the phrase "crossroads of innovation"?  :)

One step at a time boys - one step at a time.  ;D

Robyn

Well Chillman gets my vote--that's real classy!

Hang in there James. When they turn out looking like the snare you did :o, you're gonna be mighty happy.

robyn