kpanlogo shell help/info please

[Ishmael]

Ok, so i've only beat around on this drum a couple times and from first sight i seen issues with the ring, but first i'm trying to address other issues i found when i took the head off.
1) The drum was not flat across the top.
fix:i went to the concrete pad and slowly sanded the drum until the top was now flat.
2) The bearing edges (inside and out) were not smooth, the outer had a smoother transition but still very "rough" in shape as well as consistency.

varying thicknesses in the bearing

fix(partial until i can get more info): spoke with Anansi Beat drums briefly, he was busy and between a poor connection and heavy accent (ghana) we were both having a difficult time, He said it sounded like many drums coming from Ghana currently , rushed/not enough time spent on details that matter to the drum. He said the inner bearing edge should not be varying in thicknesses and that it should not have the "roughness" from carving. So with that, i mounted a drum sander (unintentional pun ) on a Dremel and just began to take down the thicker areas from carving like so...

But i did not take down so much as to make the bearing one thickness since i could not figure out how thick it should be.
Also at the same time i did this i noticed lots of flesh on the underside of the head , so I took some 800 wet/dry and dry sanded the excess flesh/fat off. I then 3 stage sanded the outer bearing edge to smooth the transition to where i had sanded the top on the concrete, then i put a very tiny 45 on the inner edge and ran some 400 across it briefly.
Soooooo, my questions are........
1) does anybody know bearing profiles for a Kpanlogo? I have heard from a local here that lived in Zimbabwe and is a drum builder/instructor here says that Ghana peg drum building varies( is the best i could get from him) in different parts of the country.
2) the inside of the drum appears to not have been treated, should it be , if so what/how to treat tweneboa ?
3) The head......ugh..... half of the ring sits above the skin, half sits below it. Again, half the 'logos on the market are shown with the ring sitting flush(or slightly above) the skin, half are shown with the ring sitting clearly below the skin further down on a shell.
Sorry if this appears to be a newb post, but i am having an extremely difficult time locating information on these drums.

[EvanP]

I'm not much help at the moment, but hopefully will return from Ghana with more info on kpalogo drums. I'd think the bearing edge for a kpalogo would be similar to a conga? There's a link below to Conga Place discussion of conga bearing edge shapes.

http://www.mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=6737&hilit=bearing+edge+profile#wrap

Michi may be able to shed some light, as he's been to Ghana and purchased a drum or two.

Nii Ardey from Anansi Beat is knowledgeable and nice, but can also be difficult to understand even in person.

[Ishmael]

Thank you Evan, Yes, Nii was very nice,helpful and so far the only person i could locate that actually works/repairs Kpanlogos in the states. Not that i am cheap, but shipping alone will cost me around $70 USPS round trip, while as a former business owner i understand not "giving away " too much information. I am one that if possible prefers to support local economy, but at the same time i do not expect to find a local here in this matter. At the same time , i am as much of a hands on guy as possible. I enjoy learning, saving, sharing....
That said, if i cannot obtain the information, then Nii will be whom the drum goes to, as much as it pains me that i would not be able to spend some time together and learn from him, so be it.
I'm just blown away at how much information is out there on Djembes and this drum seems obscure here in the States.
I did follow the thread you linked , like most threads ...take w/a grain o' salt. I'm just curious now how much of Congo design can be applied to the Kpanlogo.

[michi]

Looks like you've done pretty much all the right things. The varying thickness of the shell is no big deal. The important thing is that you don't have really strong undulations on the bearing edge where the skin "takes off" into mid-air, and you've done that with your bevel. Leveling the edge was also a good move

The bearing edge where the skin is stretched over it should have a similar shape as for a djembe. Basically, anything with a smooth curve will be fine. Again, it looks like you did that already. Sanding that portion of the bearing edge really smooth (down to 800-grit) will make it nice and slippery and make it easier to tune the drum.

For the inside, you can use a thin, penetrating oil to nourish the wood. I prefer to use commercial decking stain, which is normally used for exterior wooden decks and outdoor furniture. These oils are very light and thin, so they penetrate well into the wood and don't gum up. They also contain fungus and bacterial inhibitors, so you don't get stuff growing on the inside, as can happen with coconut oil and other plant oils.

The ring should be sitting 5-10mm below the bearing edge, otherwise it will get in the way of your hands as you play the drum.

Cheers,

Michi.

[sakuntuquaye]

Ishmael...i may be able to help. I sent you a pm.

[Ishmael]

Thanks, I'll get pics of the profile up and tonight pics of how the ring is fitted. Looks like either A) get a different ring. Because this on appears to be too small for the shell.
B) rework the bearing to accommodate the current ring.

I believe there's enough meat on the shell to get the ring to sit down far enough. Though this means pretty much starting from almost scratch on the bearing.
And I'm not too inclined at this point to attempt roping a new ring since I'd be relying solely on pics/video I'd take while disassembling it.

[shortypalmer]

I use boiled linseed on the drums i get from ghana, i mix it with no odor or low odor mineral spirits. two parts of the mineral spirits to one part of boiled linseed oil. I sell kpalangos and i have reheaded them. easiest drum i have ever reheaded. i have noticed they like to make the rings tight so they end up bottoming out on the drum. two solutions. one is to sand the outside of the shell down or a bigger ring. if you find the loops are to long and the pegs drive down to far, you can loosen up the pegs, twist the loops to make them shorter and then drive the pegs back down.

[Ishmael]

ok, so after MUCH digin round' looks like instead of fitting larger Dia. rings i'm going to just sand down the shell to allow the ring to sit further down on the shell. i'll post up pics when i get back to starting again on this drum.