Bubinga! The wormy rotted kind.

[signia fan]

After 50 or more builds under my belt I don't get overly excited anymore unless something really special happens. The time is here. Century Mill, my wood supply outlet got in a big load of Bubinga, which is an African species. One board must have been sitting in the dirt at the bottom of the pile and got a case of rot and worms. When wood is caught in the decay process at just the right moment, you get the effect called "spalting". This is the pen like lines in the wood. If you wait too long the wood begins to rot and you lose the integrity, so timing is everything.
They quickly sold this board, probably for $500 or more, but they trimmed it I got bought the scrap cut offs. Just enough to make a 13X7 snare. This drum does not have a bad side, it is equally figured all the way around. There is one punky spot where the rot progressed a little too far, but it is small, about 1"X1/2", so I can blend it in with the worm holes. I have the outside turned to 12 7/8" and could not wait to show it off a bit. To give you an idea of rarity, the owner of the lumber yard said this was the only piece of Spalted Bubinga he has seen. Maybe due to the fact Africa is very dry.



I took the last 6 months off building drums, this will be my first in a while. And for any new members, here is one of my finished drums to give you an idea how this will progress.

[marko138]

That's a gorgeous piece of wood. Can't wait to see the final result.

[kickinit]

Wow!!

Please keep this thread updated throughout the build... I love seeing the build process! I bet the final result will be stunning!

[imperialstar15]

wow that is going to be awesome, and rare for that matter, a one of a kind drum

[HolyChina]

man that is going to be amazing looking. Never seen spalted anything on drums. only on guitars and i absolutely love them.

[late8]

signia you never cease to amaze me! Thanks for taking the time to share the pics.

[pastor_bob]

I've been missing your drum builds SF. It's always fun to see a craftsman produce something special.

[funkyruss]

Oh man its going to be awesome!!!!

[N2Bluz]

Agreed, this is going to be sweeeeeeeet.

[signia fan]

Thanks guys. I had to take break, had tax mess to fix, car and truck repairs, home renovations, and if I have drums in progress I have the bad habit of doing drum building and neglecting my responsibility. Only cure is to shut down production. Now I am caught up, time to build.

[weezy]

That's some good looking wood. That one's going to be a beast.

[carbohydrate kid]

the wood looks nice , and that finished drum looks awesome!

[Spiderjig]

What an awesome snare thats going to turn out to be, and it must feel so good to stand back and say " I made that "

[signia fan]

A little update. Had to rebuild my steamer and put it someplace where it was not in the way. My shop is not a bad size, but if everything does not have a proper spot, any shop will clutter up to the point of being useless.
So now it hangs over the stove out of the way when not being used.


Now I have the steam bent Matching Bubinga reinforcement rings inlayed into the shell and have flushed them with the inner shell. Nice and strong, and oh so nice.



My next step will be to fill the worm and rot holes in a way that I don't lose their visual character, but still allow a smooth gloss finish free of pits and holes.

[signia fan]

Couple more views around the shell. A lot of snares built with highly figured wood often have a couple good sides that POP, and and a couple views of so so, also ran. This drum is so consistent all the way around.

[Russ]

Gorgeous.. A true work of art, looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

[signia fan]

Gorgeous.. A true work of art, looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

Me Too lol.

I have my fellow ghostnoters voicing their opinions on how to finish.
I am leaning towards an epoxy fill of the holes and a polished high gloss clear coat.
a few traditionalists are calling for a satin leave the holes oil finish

I want the holes, but i also want a shiny smooth top coat. So the epoxy with a little black should maintain the look of the cavernous holes.

[N2Bluz]

I don't know squat about wood finishing, but my first thought was this; fill the holes almost all the way up until they are only as deep as typical wood grains....using something like DAP Plastic Wood or something non-shrinking with a similar density as the wood (for sonic qualities). Then, use a grain filler slurry made from the sawdust and add a little dark tint to make the grain and figuring stand out. That should provide an ultra smooth surface. Finish with multiple coats of Tung oil (maybe tinted?) buffed to a satin luster.

Judging from your previous work, I have no doubt they will be phenomenal, no matter how you do it!

[Ray on the Drums]

Sorry about that but lookin' good!

[marko138]

Man, that is a wild looking drum. I can definitely see the appeal of an oil finish and leaving the holes and also a glossy finish. Both would look killer.

[Ray on the Drums]

Maybe you should leave them alone. They are part of the store
and gonna be hard to make it not stand out more anyway I bet.

[Ray on the Drums]

Man, that is a wild looking drum. I can definitely see the appeal of an oil finish and leaving the holes and also a glossy finish. Both would look killer.

See?

[HolyChina]

How is it coming along any pics?

[drumstix]

Far out, that's gonna be one incredible drum.

[porkpieguy]

I'd suggest a black or white wrap for that drum to cover up all that nasty spalting.


I can't wait to see this thing finished, especially after the lacquer is applied.


What kind of lugs (color and shape) are you going to put on this?