FIBERGLASS drum shells?

Concrete Pete

Senior Member
Hey Crew,

Since my "side business" has taken off beyond all expectations, (Concrete Pete's Custom Percussion) dealing in used drums, drum parts, hardware, etc., I decided to make a small tom shell out of fiberglass, (just for grins), and see how it comes out.

I have a whole bunch of fiberglass mat and resin left over from redoing the roof on my motorhome, and decided "hey, what the hell".

Has any company made glass shells before? I haven't heard of any, and am still looking around on the web to find out if anyone has.
I'll let ya'll know how it comes out, but I'm sure the prototype will be a hit-and-miss thing. I'm starting out doing a 13" tom, and using cheapo CB hardware on it. Any suggestions? I'm WAY open!

Stay tuned, and I'll let you know how it goes.

Rock forever,
C. P.
 
Fiberglass shellss (not to be confused with acrylic) have been around for about 45 years, starting with Fibes, then Blaemire, followed by North, Staccato, Pearl, Tama (Fibrestar,) Impact, Milestone/Tempus, Stingray, and Pearl again.

While none have been hugely successful, the better ones tended to be thinner and slightly flexible, so they acted more like a wood shell. The 'boat fiberglass' drums were shunned for being too bangy, and remain fairly unpopular to this day.

Your project sounds like it will fall into the latter category, and I think you'll probably be disappointed with the results.

Bermuda
 
Hey Bermuda,

I bet you're probably right, but who the hell knows until it's finished?

I think I'm going to start with about a 3/8" thick shell, and then maybe laminate more thickness to the shell (interior) until I get the best sound.
Hey, like I said, it's a kinda "science project" experiment, and won't cost me anything more than some spare time.

I'm not expecting any miraculous results, but I didn't expect my Percussion business to take off like a rocket, and it sure has! Hell, I didn't even think of it as a "business" until I started getting bookoo phone calls after my 1st ad on Craigslist.

If it turns out crappy, hey-- it'll make a nice custom trash can for my guest bathroom!

Rock Forever,
C. P.
 
Hey Mendozart,

Holy moley, those drums are nothing short of awesome!

My 1st tom (10") I made a few days ago didn't turn out as well as expected--the shell was just a bit out of true, as the jig I made was pretty primitive, and did not hold top-to-bottom completely evenly. That in mind, I still drilled and mounted lugs on one side, mounted a used head, and it sounded better than I thought it would.
Head tension was a problem, so I scrapped it, and will try again after I make a better jig. I think I'll try a shallower shell this time, until i get the hang of it.

Cheers,
C. P.
 
I wish you luck Pete, Fiberglass is a difficult medium to work with. I have worked with it while restoring a Chevy Corvette with a friend. I did a great deal of cursing!
My first drum instructor in the early 70's had a Fibes kit. The toms were round at the top and the drums were shaped like elbows with unusual shapes at what would have been the reso side of the toms. They sounded great!
 
Hey Crew,

Thanks for the feedback and inspiration.

As of tonight, I think I'm onto something-- A friend gave me some "solatubes" (cylindrical forms for making concrete caissons) and they are perfectly round. I think filling them with mortar or concrete will be a good I.D. form to wrap the glass around, and build up plies from there.

I'll keep you all posted on this, it's a "learn as you go" thing for me, and I think it'll pan out, once I get a good process and formula to do it right.

Cheers to all,
C. P.
 
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