Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-05-31
HOW DRUMS ARE MANUFACTURED.
The Old Fashioned, Wooden Barreled
Sort-The Modern Kind Made of Tin.

Sort-The Modern Kind Made OF Tin.
The old fashioned drum with wooder
barrel, which WAS formerly the only kind
i'll the market, is being rapidly supplanted
by the heater and lighter model with tin
barrel For the manufacture Of the latter
tin Of various COlOrs is employed, blue and
red predomlnating, though the larger
quantity of tin drums are made of brass
imitation This tin comes in sheets Of twC
sizes. lIX2O inches and 2OX2s, the sheets
being packed in cases holding III. The
sheets are first sent To- a knife, which cuts
them into various lengths, from which
drums of sizes varying from CIV inches
across the head TO thirteen inches arr
made. This done the strips are each
punched with hole. then secured and
frightened together. Hoops are placed on
the inside rims, and the barrel is then
ready To receive the sounding skin. This
is generally a sheepskim. which Is
stretched tightly across the head above
and below. and fastened from the outs idt
by hoops. These skins are all imported
from Liverpool. and cost from $40 (,
&. 80 a dozen. Previous to using, they are
stretched and dried by steam in the winter
and by the sun in summer. Before being
stretched over the drum barrels, they ART
once more moistened. generally in solu
ton of pure wafer or slightly ammoniaCal
Then remains the tightening Of the drum
hoops This il done either by strings or
rods. The first are stretched diagOnally
leather tighteners being inserted to stitTen
the sound skin. The rods are hooked on
one end and screwed at the other, OF this
ls.ff ind - siN \
times that Of the Older fashion
Wooden drums differ but slightly from
the above. The barrels are generally
white or bass wood. occasionally oak
The stay hoops are of oak or beech Be
fore the strip Of wood can be used, il
needs TO undcrg" many processes. among
Others being bending, planning, and sweat
ing. The first drums made used to bc
boiled in open tanks and the limit that
could thus bc prepared daily was less than
fifty. The Introduction of machinery and
more perfect methods has increased the
daily production. 50 that 2.oD drum pieces
is considered nothing more than one
man ; fair day ; work.
The log, usually cut to three feet in
length, is placed between the teeth Of a
huge machine, and the slicing begins
The knife receives il, and as the log re
wolves, the piece sliced is received on a
wooden cylinder and then rolled up
Seventy five thicknesses make one inch of
the log If then the log is three feet
through, one revolution will yield piece
nine feet long, and the total length
sliced from the log would extend over a
mile. Cutting machines further reduce
this huge sheet to the desired lengths. \
core of slN inches thickness is left which
is taken ont of the jaws and split into
drumstiCks or tenpins. The veneers are
heated, then bent, and are soon ready L
be shaped as drum. There are also
planning and sandpapering machines, all
run by water-power. The strips are put
through the bender, from three to six at a
time. The sticks are smOOthed by rolling
in revolving barrels, the process being
continued forthree or four hours. spring
field Republican.