Bongo drums
consist of two drums attached to make a pair. These percussion instruments produce sound when the bongo heads are struck by the hand, rather than by drumsticks. If you wish to make a wood bongo drum yourself, study the look and feel of one that's already put together. One thing to notice is that bongo drums have one open end, which is the opposite end of the drum's head that you play. This design allows the drums to produce an echo-like sound when struck.
Instructions
1. Prepare two wooden cylinders, approximately 14 inches long, on a workstation with the open end of the cylinders facing up. The cylinders can be taken from vases, plant pots, barrels or rounded wooden packaging. One end of the cylinder must have a closed face, and the other end must be open.
2. Paint primer over the wooden cylinders using a paintbrush. The primer will help preserve the color of the paint that you add next. Allow the primer to dry for 30 minutes.
3. Paint the wooden cylinders with a wood paint in a color of your choice. Use a high-gloss paint to make the bongos stand out and shine as you play them. Allow the wood cylinders to dry overnight.
4. Place a 3-foot by 3-foot piece of canvas fabric on the workstation. Place the cylinder onto one side of the canvas, with the head side of the cylinder down. Use a pencil to trace around the cylinder head. Make two traces since you have two bongos to cover. Remove the cylinder.
5. Cut out the two traced circles, leaving an inch between your cut and the traced line. You want to have extra fabric than what's necessary to cover the head of the cylinders so you can affix it properly to the drum.
6. Place one of the canvas circles onto one of the cylinder heads. Allow the excess fabric to drape over the sides of the head. Prepare an electric drill and screws. Use the drill to screw in four screws for each cylinder. Space the screws out so that the four are evenly distributed around the cylinder. The canvas looks like buffalo or goat hide, which is what's used to make professional bongo drums.
7. Apply hot glue from a hot glue gun on both sides of a 60-mm wooden cylinder. This wooden cylinder is what you will use to connect the two drums. Affix the cylinder in between the bongos, so that each side of the cylinder is connected to a drum. Hold the bongos in place, applying pressure to force them together. Allow the wooden cylinder to dry in place overnight.
