Custom Djembe w/inlay P4

I finally got a nice finish on this djembe.? I sanded down to 320 grit on the shell and sanded the inlay down to 1000 grit.? It was glossy enough for me, so I didn’t worry about buffing or polishing.?? Next I mixed 50/50 mineral spirits with boiled linseed oil and put on a heavy wipe.? After about 15-20 min. I wipe it off with a clean rag.? The point is to get it to absorb into the wood fibers, but not build up a layer on top.? I gave it a few hours to dry and then did a coat of undiluted BLO.? I gave this coating about 30 min to penetrate, then rubbed it off with a clean rag.

Waiting the week for this to dry, I remembered I never cut the bottom groove for the lower ring.? I debated if I needed to, because it doesn’t have to be there… and ultimately decided I’d like the look of the drum better and it is always easier to tune….

Walnut Djembe with saw

I started to cut off by hand as I do my ashikos using one of those Japanese fine tooth saws and a good chisel.? I soon realized that the angle I needed wasn’t possible with the size of the base.? It would have been way easier if I had though of this while I had access to the lathe.? Or even before I glued up the sections… but I didn’t. 🙂

I brainstormed a bit and remembered about this rabbet bit set that I haven’t used yet.? It worked out really well and I just threw on another coat of linseed oil to the section that was cut.

Here is the final shell.? You can see I went the extra step for this drum as I do in all my Pro Series Djembes.? By carving the inside of the shell in a spiral, as they are done traditionally, it gives these staved djembe drums that extra oomph and makes them sound traditional.? It also helps tighten up the slaps just a tad… not as much overtones with an “imperfect” interior.? It’s a lot of extra work, but the outcome is superb!

Inner-Shell-Carved  Shell-Photo1

‘All’ I have to do now is weld the rings, rope up and head the drum, then wait another week or so before I tune her up!? I think I’m going to miss working on this project.? I really feel like I’ve bonded with this drum!

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