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anonymous 25 September 2003

I posted something about this in the "Dream Drum Kit" thread, but I'd like to get as much input as possible on it.

http://portplastics.com/plastics/Tubing/ClearCastAcrylicTubiSPA.html

This company sells cast acrylic tubing, to exacting specs according to the web site. You can get wall thicknesses at .25" and .375" (and even thicker), with outer diameters up to 27".

Just think, a DIY acrylic kit with no heating and forming of acrylic sheets. I put in a query some time ago about costs and to see if they have an remnants, but I have not received a reply so far. I think I'll just give them a call directly (they have a warehouse in Denver, about an hour north of me) when my patience grows thin. ;)

My thought was to use the .25" wall thickness for all drums, and to get 10", 12", 14", and 20" tubes. I could make a snare with the 14" tubing. They come in 6" lengths, so there would be plenty of material to work with. But what I'd like to do right now is to get a remnant, say a 12" OD tube, and make a single drum out of it using some good lugs (I was looking at using Adonis lugs) and heads to see if they would sound good.

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anonymous Sat, 09/27/2003 - 14:38

It is the same material, but a very different preparation method. Your drums were made by using acrylic sheets bent into shape over a form and then joined at the seam. Over time, the seams come apart and can rob from the sound.

The acrylic tubes I found are actually cast into shape, so no seam. All I'd need to do is cut, polish, drill, and then figure out the bearing edge. ;) I also want to figure out a way to do a frosted finish, since I don't want clear drums, and that's the only way these acrylic tubes are offered. (A friend of mine suggested a mild acid, but I can't remember its name offhand.)

Thanks for the replies.

anonymous Sat, 09/27/2003 - 22:39

Yes, Rod, I think it was. Thanks! We got kind of stuck trying to figure out what to dilute it in, though. Would water work?

Anyway, I need employment and some money rolling in before I can try this project, and I'd like to try making just one drum (probably a tom) to see just what its tone would/could be like.

anonymous Thu, 10/09/2003 - 18:49

I may have to forget about this for now. For the 12" diameter 1/4" wall stuff, they want about $100 a foot. That's an awful lot of money, considering I can get those beautiful Keller maple shells for about 1/4 that cost.

But I may wish to return to this idea later. It intrigues me, and I like the idea of a frosted-finish kit.

By the way, I did get a line on the way to frost acrylic. The guy at Port Plastics said that muriatic acid will just make it look milky. For a nice frost, there are some places around that can sandblast cylinders. I may have to look into that.

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