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Caring for your Drum
By Patrick Pinson
Your drum is
a living being, so you will want to honor its spirit with love and respect. It
is important to work “with” rather than “on” your drum and it will teach you
much!
Store it
wrapped, face up, or hanging on a wall in a warm, dry place. Keep it from
extremes in temperature like direct sunlight, and away from gas or oil heat
sources which can dry the skin and possibly split the head. Never get the drum
too close to a fire or radiator. Never leave it in a hot car.
The natural
law of skin drums is water expands and heat constricts. In a dry, desert
climate, you can spray water on the drum or place a slightly damp cloth or paper
towel on the drumhead before you wrap it in a towel or drum case. When it is
hot, cool it slowly. You can bring the tone down (loosen) by spraying water on
the drumhead, up (tighten) by using the heat from a hair dryer about 12” from
the drumhead.
When it is
damp or humid you can protect the tone by storing your drum in wool, cotton or
one of our custom drum bags. When it is cold, warm it gradually.
Be patient
if you need to restore your drum’s tone before playing. It takes time to adjust
the tone with water or heat.
You can
clean your drum by rubbing gently with a slightly damp cloth. You can keep the
drum skin conditioned and from drying out by using shea butter (we sell this
product) or a natural oil or saddle soap on the head and lacing.
Protect
your drum head by keeping it wrapped, face up, never setting anything on it. If
you would like to make a painted design more permanent, you can spray the head
with an artists’ matte fixative. If your drum ever needs repair, call us.
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