Not So Modern Drummer

picked up our equipment and moved back to our hometown of Fullerton, North Dakota.

So what exactly is going on behind those doors? Once a tim-
pani come into the shop, we pounce into action. The timpani
is completely dismantled and we take notice of the condition
of each part, looking for signs of wear that may cause the tim-
pani to malfunction down the road. After the initial inspection
of the parts is completed, they are sandblasted. All the origi-
nal finish is removed from the timpani struts and bases, and
then they are cleaned with a solvent to remove the remaining
dust. The pieces are again inspected to look for any cracks
or hairline fractures. Anyone who has ever worked with cast
aluminum knows that a hairline fracture will be a complete
break in no time. If a crack is noticed the part is sent out to be
welded and smoothed out. If the strut cannot be fixed, we will
order a new strut or find the same strut from another timpani.
Next, we apply powder coat to each strut and base and bake
in a powder coating oven. While the struts are in baking, we
start working on the bowls. Once we have dented out all the
large and small dents we take the timpani through our 6-step
process. We first remove all of the tarnish and lacquer on
the timpani bowls. There are three different removers that
are used to get all of the lacquer of the timpani.  The fourth
and fifth steps are to use a 2 step wet sanding to smooth and
make sure all lacquer is removed and make sure it’s ready to
be polished.  Finally we polished the bowls and they are ready
to be place onto the timpani.
My brother Bob takes over when the timpani is already com-
pleted and put together. He gets to put on the final touches
to make sure the drum functions correctly and sounds right.
After a few pedal adjustments and removing and retuning the
heads a couple of times he has a drum working and sounding
like new. He has to struggle with some of these old instruments
but he always prevails. I still cannot remember a timpani that
has gotten the best of him.

Our mission statement is “To provide high-quality reconditioned timpani to all who desire them, at an affordable price.” I sit back and look at this set of four Dresden going to Philadelphia. This is the reward of the job. When these came to us, they looked like old beat up timpani. Now they have a new coat of powder, a nice shiny bowl, and flawless pedal action. And all of this for a fraction of the cost of new set. The only thing better than looking at this set sitting here in the shop is hearing the customer’s reaction once they receive the set. If a person knows how to treat them properly, our timpani should last a lifetime. We are simply timpani healthcare workers who help increase the average lifespan of these musical wonders.

Chris Hagen owns and operates Custom Timpani. You can see more of their work at www.customtimpani.com, contact them at webmaster@customtimpani.com, or call (605) 380-3767