Bret

Nice I'm liking it. Got some integrals in the works now and use a press (no power hammer). I like the jigs might have to look into that.

Nice one Geoff

OK Sam nice work and all.... Excellent actually... but your kinda making me sick here.... I work for a week and can't do as well... Keep em coming though im getting inspired to "practice"

I dont know how tight you can get the cut on your torch, but from what I've seen, you should be able to get it small enough. Just stay to the outside of the profile and the note wont change. You should have plenty of room. You can always do test cuts on the portion of the tank that was cut out. Thats where all my tests go. Good Luck and let me know how it works

This is a little knife I finished up today for a guy down it Texas I owed a favor. 9" overall with 4.5" blade, 320 random layers of 1084 15n20 and O1. Handle is sapwood from a walnut minwax stabilized. I thought it matched the blade well.

Good work man.

Karter I'm using a cheapo 110v 130amp flux core wire welder. makes ugly welds but penetrates well enough that I can just grind down to flush on these things. Taran, I checked the link and can't find a problem with it. I can access without being logged in. If you are still having trouble send me your email address and I'll send it to you directly. Thanks Bruce they are great for kids, I do sell them and have fun making them but, I personally like and value the things I make more than the things I buy. I think most people do. There are plenty of people without the time or inclination. And So Part 2 We have a drum that is pre-cut and ready to go. Before we tune it if you are going to be using heat for decorative finish (like me) your going to want to torch it to a light blue all over the note side so that it is fully drawn back and you dont mess your tuning up later by changing the harmonics. Next we mark out the notes we are shooting for. This drum is in the La sirena scale (E3 G3 B3 C#4 D4 E4 F#4 G4 B4). The bass note is the large one on center and then left, right, left,right... I use Chromatia Tuner http://www.fmjsoft.com/chromatia.html It is a free to use program that makes this real easy. If you make more than a few give em the $20 they ask to buy, they deserve it I start at the lowest note and work my way up. Mute all the notes you are not tuning with tape, so you are not picking up their resonance. The deeper you cut the lower the frequency (note). Go slowly just a bit at a time and keep the notes as even as you can. I leave them a little sharp and go back for a final after finish has been applied. Tune it up, clean the burrs and finish however you like. If you are going to use paint go lightly as this will change the overall tone. I do a decorative heat blueing and then a clear coat. Good Luck and Have Fun. I'll do my best to answer any questions

OK lets see if this works... http://rapidshare.com/files/3178849367/Drum%20Template.pdf Not real familiar with these things so let me know thanks for the tip Philippe

I showed you guys one of the drums I made the other day, http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=25998 and I got good response on it so I decided to do a WIP/tutorial on how I make these. So here goes, any questions just ask and I'll try to be as detailed as I can. What you need Propane Tank (20lb is what I use for this but any will work) Jig saw with variable speed and appropriate blade (Show you the blade later) Dremel tool with reinforced cut-off wheel Angle Grinder with a flap wheel and standard wheel (to clean off the paint and true up your surfaces prior to welding) If you are going to make a smaller tank like I do then a welder is needed and a sawsall is nice. First I would like to say if you can use a new unused propane tank, they are $30 at Home Depot and less dangerous and a lot cleaner to work with. My forge is an old propane tank but its not sitting in my living room smelling up the place. If you use an old one then be sure to clean it very well. Some people use the whole propane tank to make a drum. If you choose to do it this way just remove the valve and flip it over. Remove the stand and clean it up and move on to the marking and cutting of the notes. I first remove the valve from the tank. since I'm not going to use the valve I just beat it off with a 3lb hammer DONT DO THIS TO AN OLD TANK!!! I used the label on the tank to mark my cut line. (makes it easy) Used the Dremel cut-off wheel to start the cut and finished with the Sawsall Removed the bung, made a hole large enough to fit my hand into, and cleaned them up ready for welding Re-welded and cleaned up Now it's time to mark the notes. I cut these out from a template I made. I have the template in PDF format so it can be printed on 8 1/2 x 11. Cant attach PDFs to a post though so you can send me your E-mail and I'll send you the file, or maybe someone here with a website will provide a hosting spot for it Start the cuts with the cut-off wheel like earlier, but keep the cut 1/4" or more from the bottom line. This gives us room to tune. You will need to modify your saw blade so it can cut these tight radii. Keep your speed down or you will burn through blades like there is no tomorrow (I usually go through 2 per drum anyway so make sure you have a few extra on hand). Now just follow the lines and again stay at least 1/4" from the end to give yourself room to tune. The template is fairly true but the thickness of the metal and variance in how well the lines are followed can make considerable difference. If you cut to much you will have to reweld the line or trim the end of the note to compensate, so I always play it safe. That's it for now, tomorrow I will tune it and finish it up. Thanks for looking

Wow I've never seen one of these before that is just cooler than ???? Nice job man I love your work

I like it Geoff

Very nice man. I like the wrap

Wow Owen you been busy. I love your take on the blacksmiths knives. I'm not skilled enough to steal your other ideas but this one you can consider pilfered Good job man.

I do have a few more to build I could do a WIP on it and post here. It's off topic for the forum but since there seems to be interest I dont think anyone would mind. Alan or Dave can give me a Warning Point if it's unappreciated I suppose Meantime I've got DWG file you should be able to read. I'll need to figure a way to set up a PDF so it can be printed on 8 1/2 x 11. I just split the layers in mastercam and print by layer at true size to get my templates. Need to look at an easier way for most people. cant seem to attach file maybe i can send in pm? working on a PDF

Scott, It's not hard to do. If you need advice or templates, just ask I have full CADs and solid models I made in order to get to the rough pitches before fine tuning with a chromatic tuner. I don't post much but I'm a daily reader of the forums so it won't take me long to get back to you. Good luck they are really fun to make

Thanks you all for your comments. I really enjoy making these and playing them. Taran, Keith is right i just cut the ends off of a 20lb tank and rewelded. Links http://www.kaizensteeldrums.com/ http://steeltonguedrums.com/ http://exoticvessels.com/zentambour/index.html http://www.xplosivepercussion.com/ Cliff, I am saddened that you have lost a child. I can think of nothing worse as a father of 5. I am honoured that anything I've done could bring a fond memory them.

OK that was strange..... errr can someone delete the multiple posts? guess i shouldn't double click

OK so this is a little off topic but I thought you guys would appreciate it. A couple weeks back my wife and I travelled to Texas to be with my Mother-in-Law in her last few days. I spent a couple days in the hospital trying to bring what comfort i could to her and to my family. I made some drums for me a while back and i took my drums with me (for my comfort). During my times alone with her, and my wife's we would play for her, and hope it eased her as it did us. During these times nurses would come and go and they all asked what i was playing, so I showed them. I nurse in particular was completely entranced by my drum, and told me what a wonderful thing it was I was doing for someone who was dying. We talked and it came out that she was a member of a group called NODA (No One Dies Alone). She takes her own time off the clock to sit and talk with people who have no family or friends around, so that their last days are not spent alone and scared. She asked me where she could get a drum like mine so she could play for these people. I gave her information and the web sites a couple makers, I also took her personal information and will soon be sending her one I made just for her in memory of my Mother. Here's a short video of the drum Any way it's a bit different but it is steel, and I thought it was cool.

Very cool design I like it. Well done Sam. And gratz Mr. Price

That is a wonderful piece. "Striking" is the word that comes to mind first and "elegant". Very well done. I hope to one day come close to something this beautiful and unique.

Outstanding Kip!! Nice work man.

Fantastic first man congratulations on a job well done

Nevermind sorry for the post found another like it down the page.

Title pretty much says it all. I find myself with 60 lbs of magnetically sorted black sand and would like to try direct reduction in a crucible. I'll most likely have 50 -60 more questions before its all said and done, but this one needs resolution first. So where do you guys get your crucibles? I know some of you make your own, but thats 1 more thing that ive never done. All suggestions welcome.

looks nice gonna make scales from it?