Quick & Easy Ways to Make Your Own Sticks and Bass Beaters

to Suit Your Musical Needs & Circumstances

I always enjoyed providing “hands-on” building or repair sessions for my students. Any type of mallet making session was great fun as the students walked away with a pair of mallets and more importantly the knowledge to make their own. As the adage states - “Give a person a fish and they can eat for a day. Show a person how to fish and they can eat for a lifetime.” Even more important is that some may go on to experiment themselves and “build a better mouse trap.”

I would provide students with all the bits and pieces they would need along with a handout with addresses and prices of the items used in the session. New materials are constantly being invented and other products go off the market. New suppliers emerge while others disappear.

Given those realities, at the end of this section, I will offer a few website addresses of companies that I anticipate will remain around for quite some time and “surf” their products online.

Making Timpani & Mallets

Basic Materials

Shafts

• aluminum tubing: (minimum wall thickness .035) - http://www.mscdirect.com/

• hardwood dowel: http://www.wood-dowel.com/ or http://www.woodworkerssource.com/

• bamboo: garden supply home depot, etc.

• carbon fiber/graphite tubing: https://www.rockwestcomposites.com/round-tubing or

https://amazon.com.

1 Cores

• general purpose masking tape -

• wood (soft and hard woods) – search wooden knobs, wooden balls, toy wheels, craft

shops - examples: http://www.caldowel.com/, http://www.craftparts.com/

• felt (varying durometers - but usually of a capoc density):

Core Shapes

• Cylindrical (a. same and/or different diameter to width)

• Elliptical

• Spherical

Inner 1st layer

• rubber tape

• moleskin

• liquid rubber

Inner & Outer layers (listed from hard to soft)

Felt - http://www.pianoteksupply.com/ http://schaffpiano.com/

• wick felt (kerosene lamp)

• F.51 - 3/32s grey felt (medium)

• F.50 3/32 white felt (hard)

• medium hard non-tapered temperament felt piano (red) [Japanese felt is wider]

• medium hard non-tapered temperament woven felt (green)

• American piano damper felt

2 • German timpani felt - (Canadian Felt is good quality but wears a little faster)

Sewing items

Needles

Needle threader

Button thread carpet thread double reed wrapping thread waxed dental floss unwaxed dental floss

Grip Handles

• Gum Rubber 1/8-inch wall thickness [ID to suit shaft OD]

• Neoprene

Note: avoid surgical tubing as it is too slick

Tools & Supplies

• 5 Minute epoxy

• Gorilla Glue

• Popsicle sticks or woods dowel to mix epoxy & cardboard to mix it on.

• Drill press

• Drill bits 1/16" larger than OD of shaft

• Quick /release padded clamp to hold core in place for drilling

• Scissors

• Felt Cutter

3 • Pad for Felt Cutter

• Straight edge for felt cutter pad

• Ruler

• String

Construction

1. Timpani Mallet

1/2" OD (9/16 ID) Reamer wood core (or other cores) drummersservice.com

5-minute expiry core (or Gorilla Glue) into

1/2" OD (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 17" (or 16" +) stick one layer of moleskin (core width) to wood core sew with needle and Button thread closed cartwheel style lamp wick felt inner core

1/2" x 6" gum rubber handles - (epoxy grips if necessary)

2. Timpani

1/2" OD (9/16 ID) Reamer wood core (or other cores)

5-minute expiry core (or Gorilla Glue) into

1/2" OD (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 17" (or 16" +) stick one layer of moleskin (core width) to wood core sew with needle and Button thread closed cartwheel style lamp wick felt inner core sew closed cartwheel style outer layer of German or American Felt 3 1/2 x 1 1/4 x 1/4

1/2" x 6" gum rubber handles - (epoxy grips if necessary)

3. Timpani

4 1/2" OD (9/16 ID) Acrylic core (or other cores)

5-minute expiry core (or Gorilla Glue) into

1/2" (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 17" (or 16" +) stick one layer of moleskin (core width) to wood core sew with needle and Button thread cartwheel style medium hard non-tapered temperament felt piano (red) or woven felt (green) inner layer. 4 1/2 x 1 3/4 x 3/8 sew closed cartwheel style outer layer of German Felt 4 1/2 x 1 3/4 x 3/8

1/2" x 6" gum rubber handles - (epoxy grips if necessary)

4. Timpani

5/8" OD (11/16 ID) Reamer wood core (or other cores)

5-minute expiry core (or Gorilla Glue) into

5/8" OD (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 17" (or 16" +)

5 wraps of rubber tape sew with needle and Button thread cartwheel style felt inner core 3 7/8 x 7/8 x 3/8 sew closed cartwheel style outer layer of German Felt 4 1/2 x 1 3/8 x 3/8

5. Timpani

5/8" OD (11/16 ID) Reamer wood core (or other cores)

5-minute expiry core (or Gorilla Glue) into

5/8" (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 17" (or 16" +)

1 wrap of rubber tape

5 sew with needle and Button thread closed cartwheel style outer layer of German Felt 3 1/2 x 1

1/4 x 1/4

5/8" x 6" gum rubber handles

6. Bass Drum or very special Timpani circumstances

3/4" OD (13/16 ID) elongated wood core

5-minute expiry core (or Gorilla Glue) into

3/4" (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 17" (or 16" +) stick one layer of moleskin (core width) to wood core sew with needle and Button thread 1st inner core of 1/8" hard wick felt sew cartwheel style 2nd inner core American felt 4 x 1 /38 wide x 1/4 thick sew closed cartwheel style American felt 4 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1/4

5/8" x 6" gum rubber handles (use liquid soap inside rubber to force shaft through grip)

7. Timpani – Specialty Mallet

3/4" OD (13/16 ID) elongated wood core

5-minute expiry core (or Gorilla Glue) into

3/4" OD (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 17" (or 16" +) stick one layer of moleskin (core width) to wood core sew with needle and Button thread 1st inner core of 1/8" hard wick felt sew cartwheel style 2nd inner core American felt 3 3/4 x 1 3/8 wide x 1/4 thick sew cartwheel style 3rd inner core American felt 4 x 1 1/2 x 1/4 sew closed cartwheel style outer layer of German Felt 4 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3/8 German felt

6 5/8" x 6" gum rubber handles (use liquid soap inside rubber to force shaft through grip)

8. Pointed Rhythmic Articulation - Bass Drum Beaters

2" dia. wood ball drilled with 13/16 bit 3/4 of the way through

5-minute expiry core (or Gorilla Glue) into

3/4" (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 16" cut 6" circle out of chamois or suede (1/16" thickness) cover over wood ball, bunch up around shaft tie off with wet leather boot lace or theater tie-line; trim excess after leather lace has dried.

9. Medium Articulation - Bass Drum Beaters [good in pairs as well] same as [1 - 3] of Pointed Rhythmic Articulation - Bass Drum Beaters stick 3/4" strip of moleskin around center of ball sew with needle and waxed dental floss closed cartwheel style felt inner core 5 1/2 x 3 x 1/4

10. Medium General Bass Drum Beaters [good in pairs as well - even for rolls] same as [1 - 2] of Pointed Rhythmic Articulation - Bass Drum Beaters

3/4" OD (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 17" stick 3/4" strip of moleskin around center of ball sew with needle and waxed dental floss cartwheel style felt inner core 5 1/2 x 2 x 1/4

7 3/8 x 2 1/2 x 1/4 sew closed cartwheel style outer layer (American or German Felt) 7 3/8 x 3 x

1/4

11. Large General Bass Drum Beater

7 2" dia. wood ball drilled with 13/16 bit 3/4 of the way through

5-minute expiry core (or Gorilla Glue) into

3/4" OD (.035 Wall thickness) Aluminum x 17" stick 3/4" strip of moleskin around center of ball sew with needle and Button thread cartwheel style 1st felt inner core 5 1/2 x 2 x 1/4 sew cartwheel style 2nd felt inner core 7 3/8 x 2 1/2 x 1/4 sew closed cartwheel style outer layer (American or German Felt) 9 x 3 1/4 x 1/4

Where to obtain Materials

In general, when you move somewhere - call the phone company and order a Business to

Business Directory. Usually the listed companies will not deal wholesale directly with you unless you have a Tax ID. However, they will give you the closest retail store phone number.

Shaft Piano Supply 800-747-4266, only in 3/8 thickness.

American Timpani Felt

Thickness 3/8 per sheet (18 x 36 x 3/8)

Timpani stick voicing tool

German Timpani Felt

Steve Weiss ca. 2.5 x 2.5 13 mm $120 per sheet [plus shipping

California Percussion: http://www.californiapercussion.com/brands/

Buffalo Felt Products Corp. (716 – 674-7990)

8 F.50 - White hard Felt for liners 1/16 thick x 60 wide

F.51 -Grey medium Felt for liner 1/16 thick x 72 wide

Damper Felt 9/16” TH .10 Density - 39 x 39

Damper Felt 9/16” TH .14 Density - 39 x 39

Felt Cores 1 1/4” OD and 5/8 or ½” ID x” x ¾ thick. ID hole drilled to 9/16

Aluminum Tubing - MSC Industrial Supply Co, Inc. tel. (800) 645-7270

Item Description

32000846 5/8 x .035 Wall x 6ft aluminum tube 2003-H14

[four 17” shafts per 6’ tube]

32000820 ½

32000812 3/8

Bamboo Tubing - check PAS Newsletter ads and don't hesitate to call a stick company and ask if they will sell you shafts - but specify exact diameter and insist on quality.

Gum Rubber Tubing - Atlantic India Rubber Co - Mecum Industrial Products Co. tel.

(586) 463-2828

50 feet minimum order: comes in 25-foot coils. You can “mix and match”.

5/8 ID x 1/8 wall x 25 feet trying 3/32 wall

½ ID x 1/8 wall x 25 = $2.00 per foot ‘06 trying 3/32 wall also have 1/16 wall

All sewing and felt cutting supplies - Fabric stores such as: (Hancock.com)

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Wood cores - 's Service https://drummersservice.com/

Also, craft or hobby stores, and lumber or hardware stores who deal in knobs for cabinets.

Suede - Tandy Leather or craft stores - (go to scrape bin to cut costs)!

[Note: same material is great for folded suede Duff style timpani mutes]

Dental Floss and Moleskin - Grocery stores and pharmacies

Hardware stores: masking tape, rubber tape, 5-minute epoxy, liquid rubber, leather boot lace (or shoe repair), chamois (also auto parts store), quick grip/release clamps, drill bits, etc.

Making inexpensive cylindrical wood cores - purchase wood dowels (hardwoods are available) cut into desired widths, drill out center hole for appropriate desired shaft dia. with either a hole saw bit or a Forsner bit.

Masking tape cores - Best to use 3M or Scotch - (for consistency and weight)

[underline ____ is what I use in general if using tape]

Timpani: 1/2-inch tape for Hinger style reds & greens) - if you can't get 1/2 inch, put two sticks end to end and use 1-inch tape, wrapping both sticks at one time, thus producing an even weighted wrap. Mark a 1/2-inch line around the tape using a T-square and pencil. With an

Exacto knife, cut the tape in half), and 3/4 dia. will work well for bigger sticks.

Bass Drum: 1 and 2 inch or whatever you desire for specialty sticks

10 Craftwood balls –

Timpani: 1-inch ball with existing 1/2-inch hole

Bass Drum: 2-inch ball knob – cut off flat with lathe hole which makes centering on drill press easy for drilling out correct dia. hole. Before turning on drill press, put on approved safety glasses, unplug drill, set motor speed correctly, line up ball placing center of drill bit into lathed hole in ball, then firmly tighten ball using quick grip clamp to hold ball in place. Set depth of drill gage so as not to drill through the top of the ball. Ideally, clamp the quick grip clamp to the press with a second clamp. Back off drill bit. Plug in drill. Turn on drill, slowly drill out desired hole.

Aluminum Shafts - [four 17” shafts per 6’ tube]

32000846 5/8 x .035 Wall x 6ft aluminum tube 2003-H14

32000820 ½

32000812 3/8

Gum Rubber Grips

5/8 or ½ inch ID 1/8 wall

Cores

Wood 5/8 ID hole x 15/16 OD

Wood ¾ ID hole x 1 3/32 OD

11 Wood balls from craft shop

Felt Cores 1 1/4” OD and 5/8 or ½” ID x” x ¾ thick ID hole drilled to 9/16

Felt

Damper Felt 9/16” TH .10 Density - 39 x 39

Damper Felt 9/16” TH .14 Density - 39 x 39

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