Need Help With Shell Damage

[deadhead]

I picked up an old mahogany gon bops super tumba this weekend to finish off my set. I had to drive 120 miles to pick it up. When I got there the condition was a lot worse than the guy had made it out to be. Specifically there is a nickle sized hole in the side of the shell. Normally I wouldn't have bought it, but the price was right and I was already down there, so I picked it up anyways. On the plus side, the drum is in perfect round and pretty darn solid with only 1 minor split issue. The rest is just cosmetic damage that I can fix with a refinish.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fill this hole? Should I dowel it or use wood filler, or is it best to just leave it as is? I'm sure this has come up on the board before and I tried searching, but didn't find anything, so if anyone can point me to a thread about this that would be helpful.

[Mike]

I would try to insert a piece of wood into the hole , glue it there and
for the cosmetic part use wood filler in the color of the GB wood.
Anyway,the drum does not take any harm with the hole, but it does not look
very nice. Some freaks might live with it or put an I love Gon Bops sticker over
the hole
The old lady looks a bit battered in general, but if you ask me,
I would do something about the hole. Having that said, I do not claim to be
an expert. Just my 2 centavos.

Cheers & good luck!

[bongosnotbombs]

If it was my drum I would use a different approach.
I would fix a small patch of fiberglass on the inside of the
drum. Then for the outside I would use woodfiller.

[deadhead]

I like the fiberglass patch idea, seems like that would seal it better sonically. I thought about covering the hole like Mike said, possibly with a gon bops badge if I can find one somewhere. I'll see what it looks like after whatever fill method I decide on, and if it looks like crap right there I may cover over it with a badge. I plan on doing a full resto job on this baby to get her looking as nice as she sound.

[OLSONGO]

Deadhead, what I personally recommend, is to glue in a big dowel to cover the hole , and make some wood putty, with glue and some sawdust , by sanding a bit off the inside of the drum, apply it to level off the hole. Sand it with very fine grit ..and with a small brush, duplicate with paint the grain of the existing wood; if you are good at it... you will not see that there was a hole there. Or the logo plate over the hole is an excellent idea, I would think a GB dealer could get one for you, and as long that it doesn't look to out of center it should be fine.

Paz
Olsongo

[Chupacabra]

If I was doing this repair I would find a similar piece of wood (looks like mahogany) and use what is called a plug cutter to make a plug for the hole. We use them for removing a circular segment of wood to make a plug that will match the grain of the piece that's being repaired. Yes, a piece of dowel will do the job, but it will be very noticeable. That hole looks like it could be filled with about a 1 1/4" plug, maybe less. If you choose this route, be careful not to buy a tapered plug cutter, they are a pain!
If there are any cabinet makers or joiners in your neighbourhood you could even ask if they will cut a plug for you to fit the hole, in exchange for a six-pack of his or her favourite beverege! .
To make the hole match the plug you will need to use a 1/2" power drill with a 1 1/4" Forstner bit on a low or medium speed so the bit is easier to control. You'll have to drill it out carefully so that the hole stays as round as possible which will make a cleaner repair.
I can't help but recommend Titebond 3 wood glue - this is fantastic wood glue!

It looks like a woodpecker pecked a hole in it!

[Mike]

It looks like a woodpecker pecked a hole in it!

Yeah, I was wondering too how the hole came there.

What Chupacabra and Olsongo recommend doing was close to what I suggested
- only I did not find the right words - I am neither a carpenter nor a native speaker
What I can definitely say though is that Titebond III is the glue of glues when it comes
to this kind of repairs

[OLSONGO]

I think we are making an elephant out of a flee....the long route is to match and blend in with the grain, the simple way is to seal the hole with what ever you may already have, be it bondo, epoxy resin, wood putty ( self made or bought ) etc. the hole as I see it is centrally located, have GB send you a logo plate or ask Omelenko where he had some made...and cover the patch with it; most congas have this plates . Also we will be the only ones to know that there is a bullet hole under that plate, and above it all with a good head, refinished and some traditional hardware that baby will sing...and that's what is important.

Paz
Olsongo

[vinnieL]

OK here my take on a different but effective repair. If you have ind a piece of similar wood which should not be hard as woodcraft stores sell mahogany pieces make plenty of saw dust with the piece of wood by using a sander with a collection bag. after getting a decent amount of sawdust seal the hole on the inside with tape (duct tape works). Then mix plenty of saw dust with titebond glue till you get a paste going with the mixture you have to make sure you have plenty of the saw dust. fill the hole with your sawdust glue mixture allow to cure repeat if needed then sand smooth the result should be a patch that looks like it's all wood and is easily sandable. This technique also works well for filling voids in wood.

[vinnieL]

oh an after it's dry a light fiberglass cloth on the inside (just a small piece) with thinned down expoxy will ensure the patch will never let loose.

[deadhead]

Some great suggestions, thanks for the help guys!

[deadhead]

So I emailed Gon Bops customer service and asked about purchasing a badge. Got a reply within a couple of hours saying they would be happy to send me a badge no charge! So I'll attempt to fill it and put the badge over the fill to make it look pretty.

[OLSONGO]

That's great news, and an excellent gesture by Gb. Pretty soon we will be saying what hole ? where ? lol

Paz Olsongo

[buckoh]

deadhead, this may be too late. I'll go along with Chupacabra's suggestion of a plug. I would use a tapered plug which will fit tighter the more you pound it in. Line the grain up and it will be almost invisible. You can buy the plug cutters individually or in sets.You can probably buy a pack of just the plugs. Try woodcraft.com or woodworker.com They're pretty common and not too expensive. If you decide to just fill and cover, try Oatey's Plumbers Epoxy. It is available from Lowe's or Home Depot. It's in a roll with part 2 inside of the roll. Just cut off a plug and knead it 'till its the same color and put it in. Before it hardens completely (5 minutes or so) use the backside of some sandpaper and wet it and rub it until it blends with the wood. This stuff is incredibly tough and hard. If you leave it proud of the surface, try to level it with a knife or scraper while still a bit soft. Sanding will wear the surrounding wood down and make it worse. Then color it with some thick stain from the bottom of the can and spray with Deft sealer before finishing. Good luck, Buck

[deadhead]

I finished the resto this weekend. I ended up using a furniture repair putty to plug the hole. It turned out pretty good, but you could totally see it after staining. I received the new badge from GB today and it couldn't have been a better fit. It completely covers the big hole and 3 smaller holes below it. I'll post pictures of the before and after tomorrow.