I really must express my sincere thanks to Zeno and his topic for inspiring me attempt this.
http://www.mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1746&hilit=making+hoopsZeno’s thread really tells you all you need to know to fab hoops.
Consider the following postings an elaboration his topic.
Thanks Zeno, maybe you could repost some of the photos on your excellent thread…a lot of the links are dead.
Following photos may help to give a visual guide as how to make your own.
How is this helpful?
1. You will see a home-made process of fabricating hoops to replace broken or missing.
2. You will see the process of making templates to have your hoops made locally at any sheet metal fabricator, or to send templates off to drum makers for fabrication.
3. By making templates you could save the cost of shipping drums back and forth, and could install hoops on shell by yourself
Fabricating hoops or templates at home is a “one off” process as opposed to the production process of the drum makers.
This is my bumbling learn-as-you-go process.
A crude but unhesitating execution of my ideas
The idea is to make accurate templates.
It is a much easier to work with stiff paper than it is to work with metal.
Get them right.
Making templates is a matter of transference. There is not much measuring involved.
At the risk of getting too mathematical:
A conga shell is a
complex geometric shape: a barrel which is composed of compound curves: it curves towards the ends as it curves into a round shape.
To begin we must super-impose a
simple geometric shape – a cone (think ice cream cone) over the complex compound curve barrel to find the plane of intersection of these two shapes, which will establish one edge of the hoop.
Pictures are worth a thousand words....see next post.