Interlude #2: Gasket Night.

Who would let the chunky metal lugs scratch the beautiful high gloss poly? Not me. And who wants that signaturish/finished look that some rubber gaskets will give you? We all do, don't we?

So I went looking for suitable rubber sheet to make gaskets. After trying to source free EPDM leftovers from a construction site - without success - I went to a store selling industrial rubber products. They carry all kinds of rubber products for many applications and sell it by 10 cm (4"). So I got this strip of 1mm thick neoprene rubber (20 cm x 120 cm) for a couple of euros.

Time to make a pile of gaskets. Sixty-eight. Forty-eight for this 3-piece. Plus twenty for some snare drum on the way. Mmh, late evening chain work. Here's how I worked:

1. Measuring and drawing the lug adding 1 mm offset.

Dimensions of a champion/phonic lug in millimeters, measured on a digital caliper. You're welcome

2. Printing lugs on label paper, then sticking on rubbersheet and cutting.

3 Making a punching template with cardboard, and fixing the gasket at the back with repositionable spray glue. Then punch the holes using my office hole punch.

4 Little detail: round off the corners using a file to get that "factory made" look.

I also cut 5 gaskets for the floor tom and bass drum feet brackets - which are identical on a champion. And 3 for the badges. But still a long way before mounting them. Oh well...