A tracing ot the hole is made, with at-
tention to the direction of the grain
Clamps are used to hold the plug in
place while the epoxy cures
The epoxy fills in any cracks left by
the plug, which will be sanded flush
After sanding and painting the hole
has all but disappeared!
over the hole on the inside of the shell, orienting the grain in
the proper direction, and trace the hole with a sharp pencil,
marking the orientation of the patch. Then I cut around the
out side of my trace line and using my spindle sander, I sand
to the line, testing it for a proper fit.
Once the patch is made, I test it for a good fit and tape it in
place with clear packing tape. I then take a scrap piece of drum
shell that is the same diameter of the shell being repaired and
clamp it to the inside over the patch to hold it in place and to
mold it to the contour of the shell. With the patch in place, I
use a piece of hardwood or, in this case, a piece of 1/2” baltic
birch plywood, and cut it to fit in the hole over the patch. It’s
not critical that the plug fit exactly because I’ll be using epoxy
to fill any voids. For shells like this one that get a wrapped finish, I like to have the plug in the hole stand proud of the shell
so I can sand it flush with the outside of the shell.
I brush epoxy liberally in the hole and then install the plug.
The excess epoxy will ooze out and fill any voids. Then I clamp
the plug in place by putting a board over the repair, using a
pair of clamps to apply light pressure to each end. After it dries,
Parumpapumpum y’all!
Joe Partridge is the builder of
Famous Drums, an expert drum
repairman, and woodworking
artist in Clinton MS. Contact Joe
at JEPartridgeJr@Gmail.com.
See examples of Joe’s beautiful
work at
http://www.facebook.com/album.
php?aid=4855&id=1653469480
and at FamousDrums.com.
