"Devices painted on British drums (bug-free)" Topic

I had no idea drums were anything other than plain, but it seems not:

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So that is a Foot Guards and a Black Watch drum painted blue. Now I'm wondering if the drum colour followed the facing colour? – anyone know?

I believe they generally did follow the facing colour. There is a very nice site that gives details of drum designs for the SYW and AWI. I don't know of a similar one for the Napoleonic Wars but as far as I am aware the designs didn't change very much.

fifedrum.org/crfd/BD_1.htm

According to the 1768 warrant:

"The drums to be wood. The front to be painted with the colour of the facing of the regiment, with the King's cypher and crown, and the number of the regiment under it."

Looks like another good reason to keep colours and drummers in the 2nd rank of British infantry units: Don't have to worry about putting the design on the front of the drums!

Gdep

Anyone make transfers?

Interesting that the 42nd drum has Battle Honours and the yellow wavy trim lines are inside as well.
Well beyond my painting skill :(

Given having to paint those heraldic images and scrolls between the ropes, I despair, and generally just paint the plain facing color, the red hoops on the top/bottom, and call it a day.

I think if I was going to make some 28mm Napoleonics, I'd design the drums so that they're plain, and use decals to provide the battle honors and details.

Might even try in on 15/18mm.

The ropes are the problem for transfers as suggested by HvS, although a great idea.

If they cannot produce simple grenades and imperial eagles for the corners of French shabraques (how welcome would they be and sell en masse) no one will make individual drum decorations alas

I despair of putting numbers on the cantlepacks of French Dragoons in 28mm, the number on the backpacks of British infantry, and the like. I do the drums in a natural wood color facing the drummer, and in the regimental facing colour toward the viewer. Good enough for the wargame table.

GdeP

TMP link

Paul :)

Just a minor thing. I don't doubt that the Foot Guards drum was carried at Waterloo but is it likely that you could find a "G IV R" painted on the drum already in 1815, i.e. 5 years before the coronation? After all, officially, he still was just Prince Regent, at the time…So, in my opinion, if the drum was not manufactured after 1820 altogether, there must have been some repainting in 1820, or so. Right?

Re Scharnachthal's post the 42nd drum also has the battle honour "Waterloo" painted on it. That's some pretty fast work if it was carried in this form during the battle. Think this may date to a while after as well.

the number on the backpacks of British infantry, and the like.

Yep, I decided not to until I can find good transfers at a reasonable price. But then, I'm not a purist.

Scharnachthal

Just a minor thing. I don't doubt that the Foot Guards drum was carried at Waterloo but is it likely that you could find a "G IV R" painted on the drum already in 1815, i.e. 5 years before the coronation? After all, officially, he still was just Prince Regent, at the time…So, in my opinion, if the drum was not manufactured after 1820 altogether, there must have been some repainting in 1820, or so. Right?

olicana

Re Scharnachthal's post the 42nd drum also has the battle honour "Waterloo" painted on it. That's some pretty fast work if it was carried in this form during the battle. Think this may date to a while after as well.

Be aware that after Waterloo, there was a lot of adjustments to Sabretaches, Dragoon helmets, colours etc to include WATERLOO on them. Not just the new stuff but also equipment already in use. Drums for example 'as well as the stuff above' were not just thrown out because of the change of the monarch or to add battle honours.

Anyway that 'IV' after the 'G' seems to have been a very easy conversion for the new monarch.

Just to convey what designs were used on drums of the period.

This bass drum undergoing restoration dates to 1801 and belonged to a Militia unit

A closeup and orientation of the same picture

Paul :)

I was actually thinking of leaving the ropes as a trompe l'oeil effect on the decal, casting the drums smooth.

dibble

Nice bass drum. Could you be more specific on the unit and on the location of the drum?

The National army Museum. Unit not specified. If it was I would say!

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Still doubtful eh?

Paul :)

Thanks

Doubtful on what? I said that I didn't doubt that the drum was carried at Waterloo. Just added that, to judge from the G IV R inscription, the only options regarding the manufacture of the drum would be a) it was made not before 1820 or b) it was repainted 1820 or after. That was a simple, objective statement. I'm very well aware of the fact that repainting drums was nothing exceptional at all, not only in Britain…:-)

@ Lion

Probably very wise re ropes. They would be grossly overscale no matter what you did. The only other way would be to add the ropes after the decal.

I suppose these ropes have some musical purpose, anyone know?

Scharnachthal

The two drums in question are on the same site.
The Guards drum is listed as being a Waterloo drum and the 42nd is just listed C.1815

Paul :)

dibble

Yes, of course they are…So what?

I have a feeling we are talking at cross-purposes. Never mind. Let's leave it at that.

Best, ;-)

The tension ropes determined the pitch of the drum, but how they did that beats me. Let's face it, they are attached to the hoops not the drum skin. Must somehow influence resonance of the drum carcass….but that is the impression of a complete ignoramus

Found out to which militia unit the NAM bass drum belonged. I have a nice photo of it in my collection but can't remember where I got it from nor can I post it here, sorry.

Anyway, the unit was the 2nd East Kent Local Militia (as can be read on the scroll below the coat of arms).

Another nice bass drum said to have been carried at Waterloo and then used by the Orston village band (Nottinghamshire).

This drum may well date from the early 1800s but, honestly, I'm not sure whether it was ever carried at Waterloo. What I miss is a reference to the unit whose band would have used it. It was usual to inscribe the name of the unit on such drums and it is really hard to believe that this name would have been painted over or nobody would have remembered to which unit it once belonged…

'The tension ropes determined the pitch of the drum, but how they did that beats me. Let's face it, they are attached to the hoops not the drum skin. Must somehow influence resonance of the drum carcass….but that is the impression of a complete ignoramus'

Deedheed,

The drumskin sits under the rim, on the pic above, you see the white line beside the red-stripped rim? that's the edge of the drumskin, it has a rim of its own, in wood, or metal, and turning the ropes, twists them, and tightens the drumskin, or, as in the one above, sliding the tabs up the drum, also tightens the skin, both methods are used.
But, of course, as we know, it would take 10 years to train a drummer to do that!

Oh, LOL.

John

John

Well explained by John 54.

To visualize the single elements of a drum, this illustration by Carle Vernet is always very helpful…

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Scharnachthal

Another nice bass drum said to have been carried at Waterloo and then used by the Orston village band (Nottinghamshire).

There is green paint banding to both ends of the body of the drum and The 45th (Nottinghamshire)Regiment of foot facing colour was green. Coincidence? They campaigned throughout the Peninsula war but not during the Waterloo campaign. So perhaps it may well have seen service but the Waterloo part is probably a myth. The coat of arms has the Hanoverian escutcheon in the centre so it is at least Georgian.

Also, maybe the drum had been repainted on the main body with a ochre coloured paint for its civilian use with the painter carefully painting around the coat-of-arms and adding those Georgian quatre-fan designs. All this could have been done upto the drum loops but not any further. The loops have now been pulled away with age thus exposing the original colour of the drum body.

Paul :)

Well thanks so much for the explanation…………..always did wonder how those ropes worked.

The "deconstructed" drum picture is welcome too. Bet the poor chap is thinking that Is why it took me five years to train….I have to put the wretched thing back together, while my mate just stands there watching and smirking

Re. the 42nd drum: the 'Pyrenees', 'Nive' and ' Orthes ' honours were not granted till 1817.

In addition to holding the head of the drum on, the ropes control the pitch/tone of the drum. The tighter the ropes, the higher the pitch.