Make a Drum or Thunder Gourd Using a Rawhide Drum Head and Upholstery Nails

If you're making a drum from a gourd with a rawhide drum head, the process for tacking the drum head vs. lacing it, is a bit different, Here's a step by step process for using upholstery nails to secure the rawhide drum head.

You'll need the following tools and supplies:

Thick shelled gourd of your choice, well cleaned on the outside.

A saw to cut the opening for the drum head and the other end of the gourd. You may put a drum head on either or both sides.

Tools and sandpaper for cleaning the inside of the gourd and sanding the rims.

PC Wood Hardener (a water based, no mixing product)- optional but recommended, especially for slightly thinner shelled gourds.

Acrylic paint for the inside of the gourd.

Decorative tools and supplies of your choice, i.e., wood burner, carver, paints, etc..

Rawhide drum head(s) that are at least 3 inches larger in diameter than the diameter of the cut end(s) of the gourd you're using for your drum.

A container for warm (not hot) water to soak the rawhide.

Decorative upholstery nails.

Flexible sewing ruler and pencil for marking the holes for the upholstery nails.

Small rubber mallet or hammer (if it's not rubber, use a piece of leather or cloth to protect the finish of the nail head). 

Drill and drill bit for pre-drilling pilot holes for your upholstery nails. Bit diameter should be slightly smaller that the upholstery nail shank.

Artificial sinew - optional, decorative element that also adds strength the structure.

The Steps:

Mark and cut the gourd where the drum head will be attached. Cut the opening on the opposite end, even if you're attaching a single drum head. You need an open end to facilitate the resonance of the drum.  Clean the inside as well as you can. Leftover pulp will dull the sound of your drum. Sand both rims until as smooth and level as possible. You'll want to smooth any sharp outer edges to avoid tearing the rawhide. 

Apply PC Wood Hardener the entire inside of the gourd, including the rims. It can be poured in or brushed on, but should be used liberally to let it soak into the gourd. Wipe any accidental drips on the outside right away so they don't create a barrier to whatever products you're using on the outside. Let dry overnight of for 24 hours, until very dry and odorless. This creates a plastic-like matrix that dries hard, creating a stronger material for drilling your pilot holes for the upholstery nails. 

Paint the inside of the gourd, using spray or brush on acrylic paint, excluding rims where the rawhide will be attached. It will show through the rawhide. If you get it on the rims, you can gently sand it off. If one end will be exposed with no rawhide, paint that rim as well. Note that you could do this step after decorating the outside of the drum, but I find it easier to do this step first to avoid unwanted paint getting on the outside. You may need more than one coat on the inside. Avoid thick layers of acrylic paint; they will take a very long time to dry and my crack or flake off. Once you're happy with the acrylic paint on the inside, you don't need any additional finish over it.

Decorate the outside of your drum as desired. Any techniques you like can be used, barring deep carving that will leave a thin wall. Apply the finish of your choice over the artwork. Allow the finish to dry thoroughly before proceeding. I used 2 thin coats of satin, water based polyurethane to inhibit moisture absorption. I let it dry for 24 hours.

Measure and mark the pilot holes; They should be about 3/4" apart. The holes should be roughly 1/2" to 3/4" from the rim. A flexible sewing ruler is helpful for this. Measuring the circumference of the gourd in inches and dividing by .75 will give you the number of holes and nails you need If circumference of the gourd doesn't allow for perfect spacing, adjust slightly. It doesn't have to be perfect and slight adjustments won't be noticeable.

Once you've marked the holes, you're ready to drill the pilot holes. Choose a bit that is slightly smaller than your nail shanks. It may be helpful to try drilling on a scrap piece of gourd be for you drill on your drum. You may also want to wrap a small piece of painter's tape around the shaft of the drill bit. This is helpful for marking depth and helping to prevent you from popping through the gourd hard and accidentally enlarging the hole more than intended. You'll want to drill the holes at a 90 degree angle, all the way through the gourd and keep the drill at the same angle as you pull the drill back out of the hole. If you make a mistake and get a hole too big, you can fix it by plugging the hole with a toothpick and wood glue. Cut the excess off the inside and outside. Once it's dry, you don't really need to re-drill the hole. You'll be able to tap the sharp tip of upholstery nail through the repair.

Before the next step, make sure you'll have time to finish attaching the rawhide in one session. It doesn't take terribly long but you won't be able to set it aside and start again later.

Add your rawhide to the lukewarm  to warm water bath. It needs to soak long enough to become very flexible; fifteen to 30 minutes. 

Center the rawhide over your drum opening. Keep in mind that the rawhide should be attached snugly, but don't stretch it tightly, as it will contract as it dries. Over stretching may result in a cracked gourd. Choose a spot to tap in your first nail, making sure to leave plenty of overhang of the rawhide all the way around the drum. I found an useful for helping to locate the pre-drilled holes through the rawhide If your mallet is metal, you may want to cover the head of the nail to protect the finish. You may also want to put something like a small piece of wood inside the gourd to provide support, so you're not putting unnecessary pressure on the whole gourd.  Gently tap the nail in about 3/4 of the way, being sure to tap straight in, allowing the nail to follow the hole as it was drilled. We're intentionally leaving room for adjustment as well as space to add the artificial sinew that will get wrapped around the drum head and nails. Next, go directly across to the opposite side of the drum and tap in another nail 3/4 of the way. Next, snug up the rawhide and add a nail half-way between the first two. Go directly across, snug up and add the 4th nail. Go half-way between two nails and add the 5th nail. Once again, go directly across and add the 6th nail, continuing in this manner until you have the first 8 nails in, gently adjusting the rawhide as you go, and only driving the nails in 3/4 of the way. Once you have the first 8 nails in, the rawhide will be stable enough that you can just continue around the drum in any direction you want. Continue adjusting the rawhide but you won't need to keep criss-crossing. If you feel like the rawhide is drying too much while you're working you can mist it with a spray bottle of water or dip your hand in the water and brush it across the drum head. Avoid over saturating and disrupting your artwork. If you're using a drum head on each side of the drum, repeat with the second rawhide drum cover. Once all the nails are in, you can move on to adding the artificial sinew.

Cut more sinew than you think you need, or, work with it still on the roll. Waxed sinew will work well to hold everything tight and adds a decorative element. Tie the end of the sinew around a nail, just under the decorative head, leaving a 2 inch tail. A surgeons knot works well; it's just a square knot but wrap the first throw twice instead of once. That helps lock it in place. The second throw is as usual. Snug up your knot, and leave the tail for tying off. 

If you're working with two drum heads, you'll alternate between them, creating a zig-zag design with the sinew.  From the first nail, go to the opposite side, and wrap the sinew over, under and around the corresponding nail (so you wrap the sinew all the way around the nail) and come back to the first side, continue wrapping around the next nail, etc., until you're all the way back to the starting nail. Wrap the sinew around the starting nail and use the tail you left to tie a secure knot. Snip both threads. You can carefully melt the ends with a lighter, or simply leave them about an 1/8 inch long. Tuck then under the nail head and gently tap all the nails the rest of the way in. You will want the snug, but not crushing the rawhide, as that may cause a tear.

If you're using a single drum head, you'll wrap around the nails, alternating with under-over and over under. As you get back to the starting nail, you'll continue around a second time, alternating the over-under, under over direction of the wrap to create a small zig-zag pattern. When you get back to the start nail again, wrap the sinew around the starting nail and use the tail you left to tie a secure knot. Snip both threads. You can carefully melt the ends with a lighter, or simply leave them about an 1/8 inch long. Tuck then under the nail head and gently tap all the nails the rest of the way in. You will want the snug, but not crushing the rawhide, as that may cause a tear. 

Trim the excess rawhide, with very sharp scissors. Cut roughly 1/4" inch below the upholstery nail head.

Leave your drum in a room temperature place to dry. It will take up to 24 hours to dry, depending on the humidity. Do not set the drum outside in the sun to dry. Excessive heat may cause uneven drying. 

Your drum can be used with a soft mallet (not hard rubber or wood), your hand, or you can add a coil to make a Thunder Drum!

Rawhide will absorb ambient humidity. If your drum head is exposed to moisture and the sound becomes flat, you can use a hair dryer on the surface for about 60 seconds (hold the hair dryer 6 to 12 inches away from the surface) to tighten it up . Storing the drum in a dry place with a silica packet can help to avoid moisture absorption.