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1. Before the lathe
A lathe shapes the drum round.Our staves are prebent by steaming individually and dried before assembly. Then dowelled together as in fine woodworking. Not cutting out staves with a bandsaw on a curve which drastically reduces the strength of the stave because the wood is being cut thru the grain. Like on a cheap rocking chair. You lean back and the rocker brakes off. On our drums the grain remains consistant and whole throughout the stave.
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2. Shaping The Shell
Shaping and SmoothingDealing with the incredible curly grain we use in our shells, it's necessary to shape by hand rather then automatically. This is how we can offer such beautifully unique woods as apposed to what is normally used in conga making.
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3. Sanding the shell
Using cutting blades and sand papers.This drum shell will ultimately be sanded to 2000 grit and hand buffed. This is a long and tidious process which requires expertize in going from cutting blade of various sizes to then various grades of finishing sand papers until a desired smoothness is achieved.
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6. Tig Welding face plates
Step by Step.Each face plate is handcrafted from flat stainless steel. Then a U bracket has to be bent and attached to each plate. After shaping & bending each individual part they go thru 6 processes of grinding, polishing and buffing before completion.
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4. After the lathe
Cleaned and Inspected to specification.The beginning of the end. The shells have been shaped and smooth to the desired specs. They have been cleaned and inspected and are now ready for initial construction of hardware and skin.
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5. First Coat
One of many sealing coats.This is just the first of 6 coats these shells will receive. Each coat is sprayed, dryed then sanded. This step alone takes several days.
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9. Tucking heads
Premium Calf skin.Making a drum head out of a skin. This step also requires a bit of experience and patients. We have a page on tucking skins you can view on the website you can see. Includes photos and step by step instructions.
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7. Welding Stainless Steel Crowns
An indeavor for the brave.We are tig welding the back side of the ears to the rim. The rim just went thru bending, welding, grinding, turning and shaping on lathe, grinding 4 more times and buffing twice as well as drilling holes. The ears after shaping are 4 steps to completion before attaching. The inside of the rim also goes thru 6 steps to completion.
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8. Handcrafted Stainless Conga Hardware
Stainless SteelThis is all the handcrafted hardware but not all the parts for 3 congas. Fact: It takes twice as long to make hardware as it does to make the drum.
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10. Finished drums
What a pair of Beauties !This is what it's all about. The finished product after hours of choosing wood, cutting, assembling, smoothing, staining, sealing, fitting with hardware, attaching a skin, tuning and inspecting. And then approving. Beautiful !