Was that the bass drum on Ebay that sold? I was bidding on that but when i got a reply from the seller they told me the drum was out of round..I stoped bidding..On a shell that old theirs no way to fit it its a part drum...Mikey

Yup _ That's the one.

Here's the seller's report on the dimensional variations.

Seems that he must have measured to the outside of the counter hoops _ otherwise those dimensions make NO sense.

Total deflection is a 1 inch variation _ so to remedy _ the shell would need to deflect 1/2 inch at the shortest dimensional points.

As a players drum _ could I install several turnbuckles of some sort to rack it back into round??

I was torn between Bidding on this Radio King shell and the more complete and naturally finished _ yet unidentified _ 26" bass drum with the landscape painting on the front head.

Did you happen to Bid that one?

Ohm

When I read these type posts, several ideas just jump into my mind about how to do the tasks, and I wouldn't be uncomfortable trying any of them. I would let your imagination go, think everything through so that there is no irreversible damage, and go for it! In the nuclear world we use the S.T.A.R. program. S.top, T.hink, A.ct, R.eview. Stop and put all of your focus on the task of fixing the drum. Think about what you want to do, how you want to do it, what is the worst that could happen, are their any irreversible steps that require additional input/research, etc. Act- do the work. Review- are the results what was expected? What else needs to be done to finish the task satisfactorily. What can be eliminated, done better, etc.

This sounds child-like but you would be surprised how many grown men I have seen bolo some pretty simple tasks by rushing around, not thinking and just being stupid. I am sure you already have a couple ideas on how to re-round the drum. Use a good solid thought process, making sure to identify any irreversible steps, and let 'er rip!

FYI, I am pretty sure there are more than one threads on this subject already hashed out on the forum. Use the search feature and use your key words wisely to narrow the results down and you should have pretty much a couple blueprints.

have a wonderful evening

drumhack Kleening:pguitar2Chewie:Walking

Hi Drumhack,

I did do a site search for "out of round shells" _ and came up with nothing specific to that topic _ but I am still learning how to navigate the site and am a bit unfamiliar with the search function. So I'll try it again.

If anyone knows of another thread addressing a similar problem _ a LINK would be greatly appreciated.

The STAR system makes complete sense _ Thanks for chiming in.

Best

Ohm

Ohm,

I can't find the original thread... but one of the guys recently put an old out-of-round bass drum back into round by using internal trusses and tightened straps on the outside of the shell near the bearing edges. He said that it took a whole month for the drum to take the new shape, but 'take it' it did and the drum can now accept heads and be tuned. You answered your own question! Truss rods and straps did the trick for another guy recently, I don't see why it shouldn't help with your drum.

An old Radio King is worth trying everything to save. Don't scrap it for parts just yet.

John

I don't remember that particular thread (I don't read 'em all, though), but I recently mentioned in another thread fixing a floor tom that was football shaped on the bottom... so, here goes again:

Got the idea from our local HS wood-shop teacher. Used a standard pipe-clamp at it's worst point(s). Wrapped a strap clamp around the outside of the shell as close to the bearing edges as possible (just bleow the pipe clamp). The intention was to tighten the clamps together until we heard any type of cracking or popping -- and we never did. The 3-ply shell with re-rings was fexible enough to be pulled back in round without any damage.

Left it alone (clamps intact, of course) for two weeks, which wasn't enough. 2 more weeks did the trick. Head fit fine, drum tuned up fine.

Didn't use steam or moisture of any kind. Just careful "clamp pressure."

I don't know if it would work on a larger shell or not. Not even sure if you could come up with a strap clamp big enough. But it would sure be worth trying.

Bill

Bill - The thread I was referring to was the one from that kid from Canada who fixed an out-of-round bass drum with help from his dad. It was a great thread, I just can't find it. Thanks for chiming in, your system sounds every bit as good as the one the kid used. I'd like to see this old RK saved. By any means possible.

John

OK _ A Big Shout Out and Thank You to Purdie Shuffle and Bllnvick for your answers _ because even a possibility to FIX this shell is Music to my Ears !!!

External strapping to rack the shell hadn't even occurred to me _ I've got some wide strap with the big hook ends used to tie down loads for hauling _ and am thinking I could remove the hooks and substitute something with a flatter profile to join the ends together.

I'm NOT quite sure what you meant by a 'standard pipe clamp' though Bill _ do you mean a pipe strap _ a metal hook commonly used to secure pipe to a framing member _ or something else?

Then I don't think I could wait 4 to 6 weeks to actually begin working on the shell _ so I might rack it into line with the strapping and then install some sort of internal truss and brace system _ for {as said} this is entirely intended to be a player's drum.

I will have more questions later when I actually get the drum _ and will try to upload pictures of my progress at that time.

The Big question was whether to actually proceed with the purchase and pay for the drum _ or to cancel the transaction outright _ as the seller was going to kindly allow me _ as he didn't document the "Out of Round" condition of the shell.

And Bill _ I believe I purchased a bunch of stuff from you a few months back _ at excellent value.

Best Regards

Ohm

Heres a good question....

Lets say you have a snare drum thats out of the round. So, you put the straps on it and all that. Well, how do you know the tension point when its BACK in the round? How do you know when to stop and let it sit?

thanks!