Death Rattle ? Plies splitting at edge

steverok

Silver Member
Hey everyone, I have this excellent 14x14 floor tom from the 90s, that has been making a rattling noise when I strike the batter head off center, for instance, when I am tuning it. Inspecting the drum closely, I determined that all the hardware is solid. I removed the top head, and, striking only the bottom head, there is no rattle. Then, upon inspecting the top bearing edge, I noticed two problems : (1) There are two little rough spots on the bearing edge, like tiny pieces of wood chipped off or something, and (2) the actual plies are split for a good 8" or so around the drum. I know the plies are splitting because I can squeeze it there, and I feel the shell flex, and I see the gap close. Obviously, I can fix (1) by re-cutting the bearing edge, but I'm not sure problem (2) is fix-able. I don't see any way to get glue into the parts where the split starts and stops. I really love this drum and would like to repair it. Does anyone know a top-level drum-maker or repair person that could fix this drum for me ? I have no problem shipping it so that's not an issue for me. Thanks !!
 
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If the shell is round, I can't see that being too challenging for any good drumsmith to fix. Glue can be injected into the gap, formers & clamps used to keep it compressed & in shape, then the bearing edge recut to tidy it up. Can't say for definite without looking at it/detailed pictures, but it should be a fairly straight forward fix.

Our US based membership can advise you on local experts who can help. Good luck :)
 
For a cheap and easy solution, you could inject the gap with a thick glue/adhesive with a needle type syringe.

First thing I would do though is take the drum to a different room just to make sure that it is in fact the drum that's rattling.
 
It's definitely the drum, and more specifically, when striking the top head only. I took it to a local music store when I debugged it. I'll take some pictures tonight and post them.
 
It's definitely the drum, and more specifically, when striking the top head only. I took it to a local music store when I debugged it. I'll take some pictures tonight and post them.

I'm sure your diagnosis is correct, but I would also double check the vent hole grommet.

Dennis
 
Hey, fellow Floridian. Sorry to hear about your tom, but it's certainly salvagable. Since you live in Plantation, I'd recommend Resurrection Drums in Hollywood.
http://www.rezdrums.com/about+us.asp
It's about 30 minutes away and I've head a lot of good things about them.
 
Here are the pics. The ply-split is the easiest to see. The two rough spots on the bearing edge are there, but not as obvious in the photos.

SigniaBearingEdgePlySplit_zpsa84ec515.jpg

SigniaBearingEdgeRough1_zps564e8f3b.jpg

SigniaBearingEdgeRough2_zps43b0ccae.jpg
 
The ply split could certainly do with sorting out, but the shell looks to be in generally good condition, with no obvious signs of warping. That's a fairly straightforward fix. The bearing edge breakouts seem to be quite shallow too. TBH, if you're careful to do the whole edge evenly, you could probably sand those out with acceptable results. If not, a quick skim with the correct form cutter on a rout table will see the edge back to fresh again.
 
Here are the pics. The ply-split is the easiest to see. The two rough spots on the bearing edge are there, but not as obvious in the photos.

SigniaBearingEdgePlySplit_zpsa84ec515.jpg

SigniaBearingEdgeRough1_zps564e8f3b.jpg

SigniaBearingEdgeRough2_zps43b0ccae.jpg

That doesn't look as bad as I thought it would......................wouldn't think that little bit would cause "rattling"
 
That doesn't look as bad as I thought it would......................wouldn't think that little bit would cause "rattling"

The ply split spans about 6 to 10 inches around the drum. Don't know what else it could be. All the hardware is solid.
 
I guess that split could be buzzing. Have you tried different heads? You could just hit the drum with just the reso head or just the batter head. If your head is pulled a little or misformed it could be making weird noises.

Honestly, you could probably just glue and clamp it yourself. Use good wood glue and blocks cut to fit the curve to clamp it. Be sure to wipe the excess glue off the bearing edges. Then, if you are careful, lightly sand the edges.

If you don't trust yourself to do this, I'm sure just about any drum maker in your area can handle it. I would do it if you were closer.

Another option would be to take it down the the woodshop at the local high/tech school. I would bet they could have it done in a day, and maybe re-cut the bearing edge too. I cut my first edges when I was a sophomore in high school.
 
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