Warning - Hidden dangers of drum building.

I think it was Jerry, one of those Jenkins-Martin guys, once talked about how sanding fiberglass shells gave off this horrible fiberglass dust that made his skin itch horribly. Makes me itch just thinking about it.

Ugg... Don't talk about fiberglass dust. I demo'ed my kitchen 10 months back and when removing the ceiling all the loose fiberglass (60 year old batts) came down and crashed on the floor blowing fiberglass dust all over the place. I was wearing one of those little disposable masks and it did nothing to protect my lungs. After a few minutes of breathing that air I had to run outside, cough up a lung, and call my wife to pick me up a respirator style mask. With the better mask I was fine, but I was still coughing up my lungs for about a week after I was done.
 
Wow never thought about possible toxins from woods. Makes since certain trees like Black Walnut make a natural herbicide-jugalone that kills neighboring vegetation. Hickory trees are so nasty beavers won't even chew on them-strong smelling wood not sure what that is. I think Birch has salicylic acid so I guess exposure could cure your headache-LOL. I bet acquiring allergies could be a problem too from constant exposures?
 
Can't wait to hear them!
:)

All these drums and a botany lesson too. David Bellamy would be proud...
Not quite, but I'll take the props ;)

but I was still coughing up my lungs for about a week after I was done.
& think in terms of some aggressive wood dusts as being much much worse, then you'll realise just how important a bit of homework is.

I bet acquiring allergies could be a problem too from constant exposures?
Very much so, & especially with certain species. This is what I wear for the most problematic species, & fitted with P3 filtration suitable for the worst of airborne dust including asbestos. I also wear a full hooded disposable overall & gloves. No exposed skin whatsoever. It's just not worth the risk.

Just in case anyone thinks I'm being over the top, I'm referring to protection during machine sanding, as well as bearing edge cutting. Machine sanding especially produces vast quantities of ultra fine dust.
 

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These shells, although stave, are sonically a world apart from the ebony staves we've produced in the past. Those past shells are more similar to our new Tour series, whereas these shells are the super thin In-Tense series. The dominant fundamental & direct response of stave, but with a tonal & resonance delivery closer to horizontal grain solid shells. Mix that in with the midrange complexity of this wood species, & you have something pretty special :)

...looking forward to hearing the pau ferro as a finished snare drum...

...is there any reason why ebony cannot be fabricated into a super-thin-shelled in-tense snare drum?...i understand that makassar ebony has a tendency to crack?...in any case, i believe guru is the only manufacturer featuring solid form makassar ebony drums (sonor and some others have merely used ebony as outer - and in some cases, inner - ply)...
 
Oh yes, some of that stuff is real nasty.
A while ago i was working on a shell, i belive it was cocobolo or purpleheart....and man did that sh*t get my nose bleedin, i had to run around with stupid as* cotton stuffed up my nose for 2 days. it was also very itchy on the skin, especially at my wrists where the skin is thin.

Since then i have aquired a full mask with batterypack, fans, filters and shi*t works like a treat.

is there a list somwhere with the woodspecies that are known to provovce reactions on humans?
 
...looking forward to hearing the pau ferro as a finished snare drum...

...is there any reason why ebony cannot be fabricated into a super-thin-shelled in-tense snare drum?...i understand that makassar ebony has a tendency to crack?...in any case, i believe guru is the only manufacturer featuring solid form makassar ebony drums (sonor and some others have merely used ebony as outer - and in some cases, inner - ply)...
Macassar ebony is a fabulous & most individual tone wood, but it is more prone than some to instability, & a thicker shell does help mitigate that to some extent. That said, it's entirely feasible to produce an In-Tense thin solid shell in macassar ebony, but I'm not sure it plays to the wood's tonal strengths. At the very least, there's woods that are more conducive to really shining in thin solid shell form. Then there's the cost. Certainly, it's not something we'd offer as a standard construction.

Oh yes, some of that stuff is real nasty.
A while ago i was working on a shell, i belive it was cocobolo or purpleheart....and man did that sh*t get my nose bleedin, i had to run around with stupid as* cotton stuffed up my nose for 2 days. it was also very itchy on the skin, especially at my wrists where the skin is thin.

Since then i have aquired a full mask with batterypack, fans, filters and shi*t works like a treat.

is there a list somwhere with the woodspecies that are known to provovce reactions on humans?
The wood that caused you a problem will most likely have been cocobolo. It's a known common offender, but purple heart can be an irritant too. Cocobolo is a known sensitiser in the same manner /severity as pau ferro.

There is a list here. It's both extensive, & in some cases, alarming, but by no means definitive. Sensitivity will vary massively from one person to the next. http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/


I never knew about toxic wood either, myself. I know I have a 3M respiratory. I use one of these when I do any real wood or paint work.
That's a good idea, but some of the more aggressive wood species require a higher level of protection.
 
If you want to be REALLY safe:

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Thanks for the tip about the wood dust though. It's not something I ever actually thought about, but that being said I generally don't work with timber at all, and haven't done for a while now since I completed my home gym.
 
Fender has been using Pao Ferro on fingerboards for years. Or at least listing it on their spec sheets. Have to take care when re-fretting as well. Although it's not creating as much dust as machining and sanding drums.

The local hardwoods shop has some signs warning of respiratory issues but I'd not seen a full listing or ranking. I built a bass body from purple heart many years ago that sounded awesome, but was too heavy to be practical. Have been thinking of a solid shell purple heart snare for awhile before the demise of Vaughncraft. But I got a heavy 7x13 (the size I was thinking about) PDP bubinga snare and found I didn't like it. So that idea is out the window for a couple of reasons.
 
If you want to be REALLY safe:
I think if you had a predisposition, then that would be prudent. For me, it's over the top. If you're working for hours at a time, especially sanding (quite physical), full isolation is already bad enough :(

The local hardwoods shop has some signs warning of respiratory issues but I'd not seen a full listing or ranking. I built a bass body from purple heart many years ago that sounded awesome, but was too heavy to be practical. Have been thinking of a solid shell purple heart snare for awhile before the demise of Vaughncraft. But I got a heavy 7x13 (the size I was thinking about) PDP bubinga snare and found I didn't like it. So that idea is out the window for a couple of reasons.
Purpleheart is sonically very different to bubinga, & especially if you bought a heavy / thick ply shell drum, would be very different sounding to a thin solid purpleheart drum. Timbre - think maple on steroids, & you're about right.
 
I dont know if this can / could apply to the setting you are working in.

In school woodwork, metalwork and plastics we were required to do any "dust" producing work like belt sanding, lathe (metal and wood) or fume producing work like resins glues etc under a fume hood or in a fume "room"

We also had to use a pair of safety glasses and a set of particle / fume masks within the hood.

During my whitewater canoe / kayack racing days I had to use resin and / or sand fiberglass / kevlar "repairs' to my boat. Not having a suitable "work space" I had to use a well ventilated outside area and wash my work clothes seperately from other clothes.

All of these precautions are super important now as buidings / fences etc made from asbestos/ fibbro cement are being "exposed" during renovations etc.

So when working on ANY project where you are exposed to fibers, dust etc you need to prepare a proper work area.
 
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