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View Full Version : Djembe drum shell - mildew? Spalted?



Steve Van Kirk
02-22-2016, 8:15 AM
Hi folks,

I'm a woodworker & drummer, and I'm re-skinning my first djembe drum. I'm also going to re-finish/treat the shell as part of normal maintenance.

Last night I unlaced the rope & pulled the old head off & discovered the wood looked "streaked". Like maybe it's moldy or "spalted" or something. I believe the wood is Iroko, but I'm not totally sure. There is no concerning smell or anything like that - it's just visual. And the drum has been treated well the last couple years (since I've owned it), but I can't speak to its history prior to that. I'm pretty sure the previous owner took good care of it, though he didn't play it much.

It could be that the maker of the drum didnt exercise care when he put the head on... like maybe the goatskin was too wet & stained the shell, or maybe he left the newly skinned drum to dry in an environment that was too humid, & it got mildewy? (Based on how the bearing edge is shaped, I'm not confident he took great care in building this drum.) But also, the streaking looks like it's exclusively in the sapwood - the heartwood doesn't have it. Could it be that the wood hadn't been properly dried in the first place (a wood moisture content thing?)

Anyway my question is this: does the wood in the attached photos look like it's worth saving? If not, I'll invest in another shell - I'm OK with that. I don't think this problem will affect the structural integrity or the sound - it's just an aesthetic thing. But I want the finished project to also look nice, and I'm guessing the streaks aren't just on the surface? That sanding may not get rid of them?

Thanks for your time & assistance!

Steve

P.S. My apologies for the orientation of the photos.

Clint Bach
02-24-2016, 5:42 PM
Steve,

Do you like this drum? Does it play well? Any moldy odors? It looks like it has a lot going for it... The splatting seems pretty normal for an African djembe. If I liked it and it plays well and it were mine i would oil it with BLO, wax the top edge and put a new head on it. Are the ropes in good condition? You could hide the top area by folding the hide over the upper rings and making it a cuffed head. It is too good of a shell to trash.

Clint

Steve Van Kirk
02-25-2016, 1:01 PM
Hi Clint,

hey, thanks for taking the time to reply - I really appreciate it.

The drum does play well - it has an amazing bass tone, which as I understand is driven mostly by the shell rather than the skin, so it's a good reason to keep the shell if possible. The tones/slaps weren't as differentiated as I'd like but I think that's mostly because the skin was old. I bought it off Craigslist a couple years ago & at that time the skin was already 10-15 yrs old I think.

I do plan to replace the ropes, too, as they are equally old. And I did plan to do a fold-over finish - simply because I like that look. Hadn't thought about the added benefit of covering some of the streaks though - good call. :)

Funny you should mention waxing the bearing edge. I kinda wonder if not protecting it caused this problem in the first place, what with a wet skin stretched over it. Maybe not a big deal if the wood itself was already fully dry & the drum was in a dry environment. But if not, this would just add fuel to the fire (or water to the wood in this case).

Anyways, I'm gonna try a couple things with the wood, but I'll keep you posted.

And thanks again for letting me know the shell was worth saving. It always helps to have 2nd opinion.

steve

Clint Bach
02-25-2016, 3:26 PM
The slap and tone differentation is probably a matter of tuning. The same drum can sound many different ways depending on the skin and tension. I cannot possibly know if you know how to tune a djembe... Some say tighten the head one diamond before the head breaks! Too tight and you have to start all over. Too loose and the sound can be flabby.

Oh and the shell is totally horrible... Send it to me and I will properly recycle or dispose of it. (Just kidding!).

Clint

Steve Van Kirk
02-25-2016, 9:18 PM
Hi Clint,

Hey - thanks for not immediately suggesting that my playing technique must be horrible & that's why "the drum" has poor tone/slap differentiation. I really appreciate that!

Yeah, when I first got it (used, out of tune, and with a 10-15 year old head), I had to crank it up quite a bit, but even then it wasn't great just OK. Kinda metallic & ringy - not a nice tight dry sound. The bass was always awesome, though. And gradually over the next year or two the sound got "bong-ier" & "ring-ier" until finally the last time I played it at church I could barely stand it. But it's all relative, right - I mean even a "bad" sounding djembe can still add a lot to the right song - it's still a cool-sounding instrument. Like someone once told me, "Every sound is valid, but not every sound should be in every song." :)

Also, based on a book I'm reading about djembe construction, I suspect the poor shape of the bearing edge is part of the problem, too. It's not flat - it's noticeably "wavy". When you set it upside down on a flat surface you can easily see the undulations. The profile of the bearing edge isn't very well shaped, either, and they didn't work with its thickness like they could have to make a more uniform circle as viewed from above. I'm no expert, but from what I've been learning the bearing edge could use some help. I think this might be causing some of the overtones & the metallic ringy sound. Thankfully, all it will take is a little work with a rasp.

But yeah - I'm pretty sure I'll keep the drum. I'm excited to do this project. There are a couple things I want to try to see if the streaks will come out, but even if they don't, I'll probably just call it a "feature".

BTW, thanks for offering to, um, dispose of the shell for me. If I change my mind I'll send it right out to you. I'll cut it into small pieces, though, so it'll fit into a smaller box. ;)

Have a good one!

Steve