Building a Quick and Easy
PVC Didjeridu
With Denver Greer
_________________________________________________________________
As I look through past postings in the Didjeridu Digest, I find a
number of folks new to the fascinating world of the "grunt stick."
Being new to the art myself, I can certainly relate to their burning
desire for more knowledge. And of course I don't think you can find a
better resource then Dreamtime. However, I do find a couple of common
questions in the postings of most newcomers: How can I make one? Where
can I get one? How can I learn to play one? And again I reference back
to Dreamtime to answer these issues. All these questions are answered,
to one degree on another, throughout the postings. (But to learn the
"how to play" I, like Tom Bray, also strongly recommend Brian Pertl's
instructional tape "Echoes From The Dreamtime.") However, to cut to
the chase on the "how to make," I thought I would take a few minutes
and post this article on the way I make a very quick and easy ABS
Didjeridu.
* Material Needed
1. A 3' to 5' length of 1.5" ABS
2. A can of white primer spray paint
3. A can of any type of wood stain and an old rag
4. Course sandpaper
5. A mouthpiece (ABS union/beeswax/injection molded, etc)
* Equipment Needed
1. Bar-B-Que Pit and charcoal
2. Heavy-duty leather gloves
3. Baseball Bat or a funnel
* How To Build It
1. After selecting the length of 1.5" ABS to be used, take the
sheet of course sandpaper and rough-up the slick finish of
the ABS. Be sure to sand off the manufactures white painted
markings down the length of the pipe. Use long sanding
strokes along the axis of the pipe.
2. Build a fire in the Bar-B and cook supper (makes things go
better with spouse!) After the coals are covered with a white
ash (that is to say no more flames), and with the heavy-duty
leather gloves on, heat the end of the ABS. When it becomes
soft, use the baseball bat or a funnel as a "bell-jig" and
flare the end of the pipe. (NOTE: A number of articles have
been posted in the Didjeridu Digest discussing a possible
health risk of ABS.)
3. Continue heating the pipe in 10" to 12" segments and as it
softens you can push/pull/twist unusual angles in the pipe to
more simulate an actual tree branch. If the pipe gets too
hot,it may blemish. These wrinkles and bubbles only tend to
add to the authenticity of the finished product.
4. When cool, spray paint the entire pipe with a flat white
primer. Be sure to also spray down into the "bell" end of the
pipe.
5. When dry, and using an old rag, apply your selected wood
stain to the white finish. Be sure and wipe the stain along
the axis of the pipe. You will be amazed at how much the
dried stain will look real wood.
6. Apply the mouthpiece of choice.
7. Lastly, should you so desire, paint emblems or designs to
round-out the decor of your new Didj. On some of mine, I even
use jute-twine to make a mid-pipe handhold or to accent the
mouthpiece.
And so you have it! Takes about 10 hours from hardware store to
overtones. And it looks nice enough that my wife allows me to leave it
leaning against the wall in the family room! If you have any comments
or questions, please feel free to contact me, the
middle-aged-fat-white-guy, at:
dd_greer@ONEWORLD.OWT.COM>
Building A Unique
ABS Didjeridu
With Tom Bray
_________________________________________________________________
If you wish to build an instrument that is distinctive in appearance,
sound and playability, then this is for you. The trick, involved here,
is shaping the ABS. Altering the shape will give one an instrument of
unique character but one that cannot be tuned, perhaps a solo
instrument. ABS has gluing characteristics that are superior to PVC in
this application. The goal is to taper a 5 ft. length of 3" ABS,
create a snap-in mouth piece fixture and give it a texture and feel
that will deny it's ABS heritage. It will appear sculpturally organic.
One may create slight crooks or bends in addition to the taper. People
who see my didjeridus, even those who play ABS, are genuinely
surprised to discover that they are actually plastic.
* Materials Needed
1. 5 ft of 3" ABS.
2. 1 ft or so of 1.5" ABS from which to cut shorter pieces.
3. 1-1.5" ABS cap - Look for ABS caps that are slightly domed.
4. ABS glue - ABS glue is extremely volatile, read the cautions
and heed them.
5. Six 3" automobile hose clamps.
* Equipment Needed
1. A saber saw will make the cuts nicely.
2. A vice is very helpful for holding the ABS.
3. A socket driver is essential for easy and speedy hose clamp
adjustment.
4. An electric drill and rotary rasp.
5. Electrical sanding tools or various wood rasps.
* How To Build It
Mark out and using the saber saw, remove from the 3" ABS pipe a
wedge or isosceles triangle that is 4ft long The length of the
base of the triangle which is at the end of the ABS pipe should be
the difference between the internal circumference of 3" pipe and
the external circumference of the union. It is, indeed, a long
skinny triangle that you will cut out. A carpenters chalk line
makes the "mark-out" a simple matter. Actually make the wedge or
triangle about 3'8" and continue from the apex a straight cut of
4". Space the 3" hose clamps evenly over the length of the cut and
tighten each a bit at a time until the edges of the cut are drawn
together. Insert the 1.5" union into the small end. It should fit
snugly. If it is loose, use the saw to remove enough material so
that the end clamp will draw the pipe tightly around the 1.5"
union. If the opening is too small loosen the end clamp until the
1.5" union can be inserted, then tighten clamp and insert a thin
piece of ABS in the gap. After tightening the clamps inspect the
fit up. Generally there will be a few places where the fit-up is
not very good, simply insert the saw blade into the gap and remove
a blades width of material a few inches long from both ends of the
gap area where both sides make contact. Then move the nearest
clamp to the center of the gap area tighten to see if the edges
can now be drawn together. If not, remove more material until a
good fit-up occurs. Generally speaking, ABS glue will fill in a
blades width gap. The glue will collapse a little bit and you will
have apply more in order to build it up. Some glue will fall
through to the interior of the pipe. If you want to remove this
fall-through easily, put a bit of newspaper in the pipe and remove
when finished. Wait approximately 30 minutes between applications
when building up with this glue. I don't think you can do this
with PVC.
Now that you have a reasonable fit, loosen all the clamps and
starting at the apex of the triangle, apply glue liberally to the
inside edges. Actually, you will create a mess on the outside
around the seam that you are trying to obliterate, don't worry
about it. Glue and clamp about 12" at a time. Work quickly!! When
you get to the end, swab glue on the inside of the tapered end and
on the outside of the 1.5" union and insert all the way for a
flush fit with the end making sure not to get any glue on the
inside of the union. Clamp quickly and tightly. The glue will
collapse where there were mini-gaps. wait 30 minutes and fill in
until the surface is at the desired level. Now let this clamped
up, abysmal excuse for a didjeridu dry for 48 hours.
We can now make a mouthpiece. If you wish to use only a beeswax
mouthpiece, you may lay the wax inside the union. I would like to
recommend a 75% beeswax-25% paraffin(canning wax) mixture as this
will provide more stability during hot weather. To make an ABS
mouthpiece, you will need an electric drill and a rotary rasp. I
use a lathe and a 1" drill bit to start the hole, but you can work
your way through the center of the cap with the rotary rasp.
Consider making the mouthpiece opening oval in shape as this will
fit, more naturally, the contour of your mouth. This shaping is
achieved more easily if you have the rotary rasp in a drill press.
Next, remove the corners that are adjacent the long sides of the
opening. This will provide room for your nose and chin. One can
see why the domed cap is necessary. When removing corners to make
room for nose and chin, you don't want break through the wall of
the cap. Now it is time to sand the mouthpiece smooth. Use a short
piece of 1.5" ABS to attach the mouthpiece to the 1.5" union that
has been glue-welded into the didjeridu. If you want try a
temporary beeswax mouthpiece, lay the wax into one end of a 1.5"
union and attach the same way as the cap mouthpiece.
Your didjeridu is now dry. Remove the clamps, which isn't easy but
by loosening and wiggling them back and forth they will come away
from the dry glue. Apply a mouthpiece and see how it sounds.
Texturing and finishing is next. I use a "poly-fan" sanding wheel
by Pferd on a high speed angle grinder to remove excess glue and
give the entire surface a hewn look. You should be able to use any
kind of electrical sander or even hand powered wood rasps to
achieve a desired effect. The ABS glue leaves white marks and
these can be covered with shoe polish or more surface glue can be
added, left to dry and sanded to create a different effect.
Your new didjeridu may have a larger bore than what you are used
to and require more air volume to play. Give it time. It will have
a higher pitch than an instrument with straight sides of similar
length, but I think that all of the things that a good
didjeriduist does besides the basic drone contrasts better with
this basic drone thereby making the instrument more playable. An
instrument this size has a large sound and emits vibrations that
you can feel. Some things in your room may vibrate in sympathy.
If you are wondering why I have a lathe, ect., well, I am a
sculptor and building didjeridus is a natural extension of what I
normally do. I have been building and playing didjeridus for about
nine months and recently heard about and ordered Brian Pertl's
instructional tape "Echoes From The Dreamtime". It is wonderful. I
highly recommend it.
If you have any questions, you can contact the author at
dtbray@primenet.com
Methods for Moulding
Beeswax Mouthpieces
_________________________________________________________________
Most players like to have a comfortable beeswax mouthpiece on their
didj. In this section, I will describe two popular methods. Excuse the
unpoetic licence that I took in naming them, but I think that this is
at least clear. The one thing that you will obviously need for both of
these methods is beeswax ! See the note on where to get beeswax.
1. The Melt and Dip Method
This method requires the use of a double boiler. Those of you who
cook will know the concept (Mmmmm chocolate !). The idea is to use
two containers. One larger one, in which you will boil water, and
a smaller one (which you don't mind ruining) which will contain
the wax. A good idea for the small container is a cleaned out
catfood can.
Place a block of beeswax in the catfood can, and float/place this
into the saucepan of boiling water. If all goes well, you'll end
up with a catfood can filled with molted wax. You don't want to
put the wax on direct high heat because it tends to blacken and
burn.
Once you have a can full of molten wax, you dip and remove the
didj from the wax, each time building up the wax mouthpiece. I
have heard that some people turn the didj slowly as they remove
it, helping the building process.
Another thing that I have seen is a deep initial dipping (a few
centimeters) which helps to seal the inside of the mouth end of
the didj which gets the most amount of moisture. This is supposed
to help prevent cracking due to expansion and contraction
resulting from repeated wetting and drying inherent in didj
playing.
2. The Softened Wax Moulding Method
Similar to the way in which the melt-and-dip method returns you to
the kitchen, this method will return you to your childhood (or
ceramics class).
Cut strips of beeswax from your wax block. These strips should be
around half a centimeter in thickness. Warm these strips by
rubbing them in your hands, in hot water, using a hairdrier, near
a lamp etc. Once the wax is soft and easily workable, roll the wax
in your hands to make a snake (childhood returns). Make sure the
snake is the same thickness all along. Keep rolling the snake
until the length is the same as the circumference of the pipe to
which you will add it. Join the ends to make a circle, and then
work this wax ring on to the didj mouthpiece. As the wax is soft
and malleable, it should be easy to make a comfortable fit. As the
wax cools, it will of course harden.
Other Techniques for
Making Mouthpieces
_________________________________________________________________
Dentist Moulding Medium
Guy Brown has this to say:
"A mouthpiece building technique I was told about, but have not tried,
is to use dentist's moulding medium (they use this for taking
impressions of teeth). Evidently this is expensive, but can be moulded
to fit the shape of your mouth and then sets very hard and is very
durable. I understand that Graham Wiggins (alias Dr. Didg) uses this
technique."
Injection molded mouthpieces for 1.5 inch ABS pipe
Scott Baker (sbaker@marimba.cse.tek.com):
had a die made for injection molding ABS plastic mouthpieces which fit
1.5 inch ABS pipe. Anyone interested in purchasing these parts can
contact him.
Screw fittings for PVC didj's
Gary Fenstermacher (pigface@zurich.gcomm.com) comments:
"What I found to be simple and easy to make was to just use a screw
fitting for my PVC didj. Just bring the end down to 1.5", then get the
piece that goes from 1.5" to 1.25" with a thredded end. That 1.25"
works just fine for me. No work involved, its cheap, and available
right there with the PVC. I suppose using beeswax or whatever will be
better in the long run, but if you're just starting this is just as
good."
Didjeridu's With No Wax
On The Mouthpiece
_________________________________________________________________
Some players prefer to have no wax at all on their wooden didj
mouthpieces. They play the didj "raw," that is with no beeswax added -
just lips on wood.
Of course it's not always possible to have a didj with a perfectly
sized mouthpiece opening, since this is determined by the tree ! If
the opening is too large, then there's no choice but to add wax. In
the case when the opening is just right (or slightly smaller), a
little bit of smoothing work with a rasp is all that is needed to make
a comfortable mouthpiece.
David Hudson uses this method. Most of his didj'es are "raw". Since he
makes his own didj's, he can pick and choose what wood he'll take,
thus avoiding the size problem. He then shapes the mouthpiece with a
rasp so that it fits his mouth perfectly. This way he ensures a
perfect fit.
There's a really good reason why David prefers this method. He
explains how when you have a wax mouthpiece and a friend wants to play
your didj, the first thing that happens is that the mouthpiece gets
modified to suit your friend. Once the friend is finished playing and
returns the didj, you find that your perfect mouthpiece no longer
fits! The Solution ? Make a mouthpiece that you can't modify.
This may sound a bit extreme, since beeswax is pretty hard. Remember
though that the Aborigine players use the wonderful, intoxicatingly
fragrant wax produced by the Australian "sugarback," a small stingless
bee, for their mouthpieces. This wax is almost black in colour, and is
much more malleable than regular beeswax at room temperature. The
reason why we don't see much of this stuff around is that it is very
hard to obtain, and is thus used very sparingly.
Making Your Own
Whirligig
By Dennis Havlena
_________________________________________________________________
Hi from the Straits of Mackinac in northern Michigan.
A while ago there was a topic being thrown about on a usenet music
group concerning "whirligigs" -- sort of a cousin to the bullroarer
utilizing a rubber-band affixed to a light crucifix-shaped (*) frame
at the end of which is a handle. The thing sounds by either whirling
it while grasping the handle or by waving it vigorously up & down in
any number of ryhthmic patterns. (*) In my case.
I did a considerable amount of experimentation with them and am here
to describe the simple construction of what I judge to be the best.
When played in conjunction with a didgeridu (tuned to the whirligig --
I use a trombone-style d'du) the overall effect can be quite powerful.
Here's the plan :
o
o !!o ! !
o !!o ! !
o !!o ! !
o ! !
!__!
* I used 1/2" x 1/2" cedar wood but about anything will work
(although the lighter the better for "non-rotating", arm-swinging
type playing)
* I notch both wooden pieces to attach the crossarm, but anything
will work
* Affix handle to "boom" with loose screw to allow for free rotation
* Use "office-type", 1/4" wide rubber-band
* The route of the rubber-band forms a triangle but only two sides
of this triangle vibrate (the band along the third side lays right
against the wood)
* I used a piece of dowel-rod for the handle, but nearly anything
will do
* By adjusting one half of the band tighter than the other, you can
tune the beast to a 2-note chord. My favorite is a do-sol (1-5)
ratio. I should note here that for some reason the plucked note
pitches are not quite the same as the "whirled" or swung pitches
(!) so the fine-tuning must be done so that the thing is in tune
while in motion.
Two of these things can be used "arm-swinging/pendulum" style (the
four notes tuned to a chord) to create some pretty wierdly attractive
rhythms.
Dennis Havlena - W8UR
am854@freenet.carleton.ca
Link to my main page