Back to : Musical Instruments for Children's Museums
Whale drums have become one
of my most popular instruments for outdoor and indoor play. The
tone is deep, rich and very resonant. Even on cement or turf,
you can feel the vibration run up through your body.
Most of my Heavy Duty Whales are made from recycled propane tanks
of various sizes and condition. Some tanks may be slightly pockmarked
or dinged; this all adds to the texture when finished.
For the finish, I can either paint the Whales with one or two tones of Enamel paint; or I can send them out to be powder-coated. The powder coating is a single color, baked on glossy finish which is much more durable than the enamel. If desired, I can paint an enamel accent color over the powder-coating.
Soooo.... Without further ado, here are some of the various options. The basic design is very expandable, so let me know if you have your own ideas on a custom design...:
Heavy Duty Whale Drums:
These are made for moderate
to heavy use. Excelent for children's or science museums, private
playgrounds, day care centers, preschools, etc. For public accessible
playgrounds or parks, I recommend the Super heavy duty version.
They are made from 120 gallon (30") and 60 gallon (24")
upright propane tanks (endearingly called "pigs" and
"piglets" by many in the propane business). I flood
the tanks with water to remove any residual propane and odor,
letting them "soak" for a couple of weeks. I then cut
the tanks in half, and proceed to tune up the drum.
Here are some of the various options for the Heavy Duty Whale Drums:
30" Heavy Duty Whale drums:
30" across, and 24" high with 10 pentatonicaly tuned keys.
Enamel Finish
Finished with two
colors of enamel paint with a wide possibility of color choice.
$520
Powder-coated finish
A single color
of a baked on powder finish.
This is much more durable a finish than the enamel above.
See various drums on this page for an idea of available colors.
$640
Powder finish with attached mallets
I only recommend attaching mallets if you need to, as they make playing slightly more awkward for younger musicians.
The version to the has left
mallets attached by coated steel cable to the white "cars",
which slide along the pipe .This adds $250 to the price above.
The version to the lower right has mallets attached via short
coated cable in four places 
on
the drum, adding a cost of $50.
24" Heavy Duty Whale drums
Powdered version of 24" shown
next to 30" for comparison
These are 24" across and 18" high with 8 pentatonicaly tuned notes. These are slightly lighter weight steel than the 30". Recommended where they'll primarily be played by younger children.
Enamel paint (two colors):
$420
Powder-coat finish (one color): $510
Super Heavy Duty Whale Drums:
Made from old 350 - 1000 gallon steel "hot dog" style bulk propane tanks. Metal is 1/4"- 3/8" thick. These are for extra heavy use as in public playgrounds or very busy children's museums. Width varies between 30" - 42". Some have round tops , others have flatter tops. Availability depends on my being able to get a hold of the tanks.
36"-42" SHD Whale Drum with enamel finish(shown, 10 notes)- 1,100
36"-42" SHD Whale drum with Powder-coat finish - $1240
Attached mallets (shown below), add $250
SHD Whale Drum, powder-coated
with enamel accent
adds $75 to cost.
Mallets:
All Whale drums come with
a pair of mallets.
For indoor use, I use a very soft natural gum rubber ball on the
end of a polycarbonate rod.
For outside use, the balls are a soft Neoprene.
Extra mallets can be ordered for $15 / pr.
Back to : Musical Instruments for Children's Museums
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