JL Custom Drums - Airbrush Fade Snare

[Jarick]

August 22, 2005

Playing in the shop:
Phil Hendrie
The Bled - Found in the Flood

Well, first things first, I planned out the snare project. I wanted a 10-ply Keller maple snare, and I was leaning towards a 6x14 for a while. I had a 6.5x14 Pearl maple free-floater (the only maple drum I ever owned) that I liked, so I wanted to make something similar. After hearing the buzz behind 13" snares, and never having tried one, I decided to give it a shot. To make up for the loss in volume going from a 14" to a 13", I wanted to make a deeper drum, eventually settling on the 7" depth. Because I like higher-pitched snares, but deeper drums as well, and I like them tuned about medium-tension, this size seemed really perfect and different.

I ordered my shell from Saluda Drums (http://www.saludacymbals.com). I had a roundover 45-degree edge put on the drum, with their standard beds. For lugs, I'm ordering chrome ==ego== (http://www.egodrumsupply.com) rounded single-point lugs because I didn't want to cover up the finish and I really like the simple, clean look. I've always loved die-cast hoops on snares, so I'll have 8-hole die-casts on this drum. For the strainer, I decided to go with ==ego== (http://www.egodrumsupply.com) because it is a well-made strainer, and I'm ordering the rest of the hardware from them anyway. Fender Custom Vinyl (http://www.fendercustomvinyl.com) did my decals and logos.

[Jarick]

August 23, 2005

As soon as the shell arrived, I inspected it, and it looked great. I wiped it down with a wet rag to raise the grain (prevents the little wood grains from rising after staining), and sanded it down at 220 grit after it dried (about 15 minutes). Here's the raw shell after sanding:

http://www.drumpix.com/data/500/555Raw_Shell-med.jpg

[Jarick]

August 23, 2005

After the drum was sanded and wiped down with a dry t-shirt cloth to remove more dust, I applied the dye. The dye I used is from Woodworker.com (http://www.woodworker.com). It is J.E. Moser's water-soluble Golden Orange Yellow dye. It's a yellow that seems to change color in the light from orange to yellow and almost to red. It's a really multi-dimensional color. I mixed up about 1.5 teaspoons of the dye to 6 ounces of water per the instructions on the jar. I wiped the stain on by taking a small piece of cotton t-shirt rag and wiping the stain on with the grain. Here is the drum after staining:

http://www.drumpix.com/data/511/555Yellow_Dye-med.jpg

Now, I have a difficult decision...which fade???

http://www.drumpix.com/data/511/555Choices-med.jpg

[Jarick]

August 24, 2005

Tonight, I applied the fade. I have a dirt cheap airbrush kit from Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com) and a Coleman air compressor which I used to spray the fade color. The color I chose was J.E. Moser's Brilliant Crimson Red from Woodworker.com (http://www.woodworker.com). I mixed up 1.5 teaspoons of red dye with 6 ounces of water, just like i did with the yellow color in the previous post.

Here's the best way I can described spraying the fade:

First, I practiced on some little blocks of maple, to get a feel for how to use an airbrush. It is a dual-action model, which means that you push down on the lever in order to push air through the nozzle, while you pull back on the lever in order to pull the needle back and allow more of the air/dye mixture to shoot through the gun, giving a larger cloud of dye and more dye. Most dual-action airbrushes have a screw that will set the lever back as far as you want, so I would just keep it at one point to keep the airbrush even. I brought the airbrush closer to the drum to spray more color and pulled it away to spray less.

The hardest part of the fade is trying to keep the fade even. The best way to do this is probably just practice and patience. Spraying evenly as much as possible with as large a cloud as possible seems to be the best way. When I had the cloud very small, there were too many obvious streaks, whereas larger clouds seemed to make the fade more even, as well as quicker to apply.

Unfortunately, because I was spraying so wide, the airbrush kept getting clogged at the end and spattered paint all over the drum. I had to sand the entire thing down to bare wood and start over again. In order to avoid this, I had to spray a bit of fade and blow the remnants of dye off from the end of the needle. This was a pain and time consuming, but it got the job done. Here is the finished product:

http://www.drumpix.com/data/511/555Fade-med.jpg

[Chippy569]

where in MSP are you? can i see it in person? ;-)

[Jarick]

I'm in Edina right now. I wish my band was playing some shows soon, so I can show the work off, but we're not that good yet. Someday...

I'll give you a shout when it's all done, give me a month or so to figure out how to finish a drum... :P

[Jarick]

August 25, 2005

Playing in the shop:
Underoath - They're Only Chasing Safety

Nothing too special today. I applied 2 coats of Minwax sanding sealer over the entire drum using a cotton rag.

http://www.drumpix.com/data/500/555Sealer_2-med.jpg

[Jarick]

August 26, 2005

Playing in the shop:
Avenged Sevenfold - City of Evil (ROCK!)

I put on the decal today - the one from Fender Custom Vinyl (http://www.fendercustomvinyl.com). I wanted something simple, but eyecatching, that would really instill my brand. I chose a round decal, akin to the "DW" badge, with my initials cut out from the inside. I've always liked negative space, and I think this badge works well by providing a contrast between the stain color and the black vinyl.

Secondly, I sprayed about 4 coats of lacquer. I used Deft gloss lacquer, available at most hardware stores for about 5 bucks a can. I used nearly 2/3 of a can, spraying about a half foot away in slow, even strokes. Unfortunately, I'm a rookie at this and got a couple runs in the finish, but nothing too bad that shouldn't sand out. On that note, I'm letting it sit for about 24 hours to harden before I sand it and start spraying some more. I'll probably finish off this can, and maybe start another one in order to get a deep gloss.

You can't see it because the pictures were taken by camera flash and not outside or in a pro studio, but the lacquer depth is really starting to allow the light to refract from the surface and give the wood a nice "glow." The golden color really comes alive under lights, and I'm way more impressed than I thought I'd be. Also, the laquer over the decal makes it appear 3D, almost like it's melted onto the surface. I was afraid it would look strange because of the thickness, but now I really like it. It will probably end up close to even with the thickness of the lacquer around it, but hey.

http://www.drumpix.com/data/500/555Lacquer-med.jpg

[monsterdog]

Lookin' good!

[Chippy569]

don't mean to be nitpicky but the logo looks a hint crooked, maybe like 3-5 degrees to the photo left.

i like the logo tho, very classy :-D :-D

[Jarick]

Yeah, logo's a little crooked. It took about 3 of them before I finally said "good enough."

I think I've got a little system figure out, though, so the next drum will be a lot better.

Thanks for the comments, can't wait to sand and finish tomorrow!

[Jarick]

August 27, 2005

Playing in the shop:
Emery - The Question
Jeff Buckley - Mystery White Boy

Well, no pictures today as my parents stole it for the weekend.

Started off the day wetsanding the drum at 400 grit to remove some of the runs from my thick coats of lacquer today (well, after the hour-long argument with my ex-GF). Luckily, I didn't sand through the finish, but I sanded off most of the lacquer. I guess it's a good thing, because I probably should have put a third coat of sanding sealer on the snare. After this, I dried off the drum, and started sparying lacquer. I think I put a full two cans worth on this thing today, after the can I put on yesterday. As a side note, when I do my full kit, I'm going to buy a paint sprayer. This is way too much money I'm dumping into cans of lacquer, and I know I can get a better long-term use out of the sprayer, even if I only break even for this project.

The drum looks better and better with each day. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this is by far the most beautiful shell I have ever seen (in person). This thing is WAY better than I ever imagined it would be, which makes me really excited to do the rest of my kit. I can't wait to get my hoops and lugs on this thing and see what it sounds like.

[Jarick]

August 28, 2005

Playing in the shop:
Def Leppard - Rock of Ages (Greatest Hits) - needs more cowbell!

Well, today I taught myself how to sand and finish lacquer. It turned out just plain SICK. This thing is smooth as glass and reflects all kinds of light. There's still a bit of swirl in the finish, I don't know if that's because there's a gap in between the gap of my rubbing compound (3M) and swirl remover/polish (Meguiars). If need be, I'll resand to 600 grit and go back up.

I also figured out the best way (for me to wetsand):

First of all, get the large 3M (I think they are 12"x12") papers at your auto parts store (they are the same price as the little strips). Cut them into thirds (I used the little strip as a reference). Then cut those into halves. Get a bucket of water with just a drop of dish soap in there for lubrication. Dip the 1/6th sheet into the bucket and rub the shell with your hand. That's right, no sponge. I used the sponge, hated it, sanded about 10 to 15 times and it wouldn't level the damn shell. Second I just set it on there with my hand, it gripped perfectly due to the water acting as some kind of adhesive, it didn't unravel or get caught up or creased, and it sanded much faster.

So here's how I would do it if I started over again:

1. Wipe down raw shell with damp cloth
2. Sand at 220, then 320 grit
3. Apply dye with t-shirt rag, let dry (at least a few hours to overnight)
4. LIGHTLY sand at 320 grit, I mean just touching to remove any more fibers
5. Spray fade, let dry (at least a few hours to overnight)
6. Repeat step 4
7. Apply sanding sealer with t-shirt rag, let dry (at least a few hours to overnight)
8. Sand at 400 grit
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 with 600 grit
10. Spray lacquer in thin coats around the drum 3 times, let dry for 30 to 45 minutes
11. Repeat step 10 2 - 3 times, let dry overnight
12. Wetsand at 400 grit until "shiny spots" are completely gone
13. Wetsand at 600 grit
14. Repeat step 13 with 1000 grit, then 1500 grit, then 2000 grit
15. Apply rubbing compound with t-shirt rag, go around the drum
16. Wipe off excess rubbing compound with dry t-shirt rag
17. Polish with polishing cloth
18. Repeat steps 15 through 17 with polishing compound
19. Let cure for 1 - 4 weeks
20. Repeat steps 15 through 17 with wax

Serve well-chilled with a double Crown Royal on the rocks with just a splash of your favorite cola for color!

I'll get pictures up tonight, along with a poll for the hardware!

[Jarick]

I just realized I finished the entire thing in 4 days, start to finish. Rushing it maybe? Nah, it looks good.

[Jarick]

Pictures suck, look for nice ones in the sunlight tomorrow...

http://www.drumpix.com/data/500/555P8280046-med.JPG

http://www.drumpix.com/data/500/555P8280047-med.JPG

[Jarick]

August 29, 2005

Okay, today I picked up some 3M shine restorer (polish) with carnuba wax in it. I may regret putting this on, as the lacquer should cure before applying wax, but what the h3ll. I also picked up a buffer, but I couldn't quite figure out how to best use it, so I'll use that for the rest of the drums and buffed this one by hand.

Soon to come, die cast hoops, Ego single-ended round lugs, and the Ego strainer all in mirror powdercoat black!


http://www.drumpix.com/data/511/555Finished-med.jpg

http://www.drumpix.com/data/500/555Finished_2-med.jpg

http://www.drumpix.com/data/500/555Finished_3-med.jpg

[skaman]

that is indeed very beatyfull!

[Mike]

very nice! I have always seemed to be scared of using those bright colors. I think I may give it a whirl.

[ZrowBD]

niiiiiiiiiiiiice