How a Djembe is Made: Part 2, Djembe Carving & Painting

http://www.X8Drums.com Making hand-carved, hand-painted djembe drums isnt just a tradition, its an art form thats over a thousand years old!

But have you ever wondered how a djembe drum is made? How it goes from a single piece of plantation grown mahogany hardwood to the beautiful drum you see here?

The process can require the collective talents of 4 to 6 different artisans, each bringing their own unique talents and skills to the crafting table.

And because perfection cant be rushed, making just one djembe drum can take anywhere from several hours to a few weeks to complete.

To get a better idea of how a djembe drum is made, take a look at the making of our popular Endeavor Series Celtic Labyrinth drum.

After the wood is shaped and sanded, the carver lightly traces over the basic design with a pencil so he can follow along the circular bands as he cuts. Using a bent-tipped chisel and mallet, he begins to patiently chip away at the wood and carve out the unique design.

Notice how the carver uses his feet as a brace to prevent the drum base from rolling as he chisels.

The Celtic Labyrinth design hes working on is one of the more simpler carvings for the artist and will take him about 30 minutes to finish. However, more elaborate and sophisticated carvings can take several weeks to complete depending on the design and complexity.

The majority of djembe drum carvings involve familiar African symbols, ceremonial tribal art, even pictures that tell stories and fables passed down from the ancients. And, because each design is carved by hand, no two are ever quite the same.

Modern machinery could do the carvings faster, but its the handcrafting, pride and skillful attention to detail that give the djembe drum its one-of-a-kind uniqueness and distinctive sound.

After cutting out the bands around the base, the artist begins to chisel out the intriguing Celtic Labyrinth design. For wider cuts, he firmly holds the bent chisel, gradually easing up on the pressure as he goes along to create thinner and more pointed ends.

The carver then switches to a flat chisel to finish cutting out the wider bands at the base.

Demonstrating a fine touch and skilled hand, he delicately finesses the design, sometimes with the mallet, sometimes nudging the chisel with just his hand, chipping out the last of the labyrinth design and working out any imperfections in the carving until he gets it just right.

After the design is carved, the drum is passed on to another artisan for sanding. She first passes an orbital sander over the entire drum body, diligently smoothing out any rough spots and blemishes in the wood.

For more precise sanding, she uses a conventional power block sander to give the drum its ultimate smoothness. Once the drum is completely sanded and dusted, its ready to be painted.

Different artists specialize in hand-painting different designs, and its not unusual for more than one artist to paint the same drum. After each section is complete, excess paint is wiped away and evened out with a cloth or sponge.

After the carved labyrinth design is painted, the artist lightly brushes back over it for color contrast, careful not to paint into the carved out areas. To achieve the final look, this drum receives between four and six coats of paint. A final coat of clear lacquer gives the drum its lustrous finish.

And there you have ita beautiful hand-carved, hand-painted djembe drum!

If it looks like a lot of work to create a djembe drum, it is! But for the talented artisans that pour their time and talent into each drum, it really isnt work. Its more like a labor of love.

Now that youve seen how the djembe drum is made, we know youll want to take hold of one for yourself and play away!

The Celtic Labyrinth Djembe is available at X8 Drums: http://www.x8drums.com/African-Djembe...