Rudiments and Rope

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Rudiments and Rope Restorer and maker of historic rope tension drums and equipment.

This is a unique project. The shell and hoops are in pretty rough condition and don’t necessarily point to a specific ma...
10/20/2026

This is a unique project. The shell and hoops are in pretty rough condition and don’t necessarily point to a specific maker. This could be a “one-off” instrument from a local cabinet maker, who knows?

Not done yet, still needs guts and some pulling, but decent progress. The last pic is a side by side with my Eli Brown ...
10/18/2026

Not done yet, still needs guts and some pulling, but decent progress. The last pic is a side by side with my Eli Brown drum made one year after, in 1825.

I got this 1824 dated Eli Brown drum in the shop not long ago. Beautiful Tiger Maple shell that needed some gunk removed...
10/17/2026

I got this 1824 dated Eli Brown drum in the shop not long ago. Beautiful Tiger Maple shell that needed some gunk removed near the edges. New leather ears have been made copied off originals in my personal collection, and the batter skin is drying as I type.

Since this seemed to be a topic of interest, here are two examples of sewn ears in period images and on drums. The top ...
10/16/2026

Since this seemed to be a topic of interest, here are two examples of sewn ears in period images and on drums. The top image is a period photograph of a Civil War Musician with what is most likely a Boston made drum, like the example next to it that matches by J.C. Haynes. You can see the placement of the vent hole in relation to the snare tensioner as well.

The bottom two images show a Baltimore made drum by William Boucher. The eagle motif differs greatly from those of the "contract" variety previously discussed. Also, rope hooks are utilized as opposed to holes being drilled in the hoops.

Both examples date to the Civil War, but would not be considered "contract" drums. These could be purchased privately, which was often done, as well as by state governments for their volunteers.

So again, leather ears are pretty specific regionally, as well as by maker. You can't just mix and match. If you do, then you end up with what I refer to as a Frankenstein drum; a collection of parts from various makers that are just a jumbled mess in terms of historic accuracy.

Another contract drum sling heading out. As always, hand stitched with properly waxed linen thread, cadet webbing, and r...
10/14/2026

Another contract drum sling heading out. As always, hand stitched with properly waxed linen thread, cadet webbing, and riveted hook.

Here is a small sampling of period images displaying the simplistic style of leather ears used on contract drums. The t...
10/14/2026

Here is a small sampling of period images displaying the simplistic style of leather ears used on contract drums. The term "contract drums" simply means the government awarded a contract to a maker for a certain amount of drums to be used and delivered wherever the government saw fit. The government did have certain specifications about the construction and materials, but as with most other equipment, these were loosely followed. With that being said, the general style of the drums does follow regulations. Contract drums had the arms of the United States painted on the front, red counter hoops, no strainer, and rectangular leather ears.

These drums are a mix made in both Philadelphia and New York, the two largest centers for drum production during the war, illustrating the consistency even between manufacturers, of their use of simple leather ears. Drums sold at auction today will often have heart-shaped ears, metal/leather style ears, or another type much fancier that what is seen below. These were most certainly added at a later date and should not be used if you are trying to be historically minded.

Drum Ears/Braces: During the 19th century, a wide variety of leather tensioners were used on military drums. However, ...
10/07/2026

Drum Ears/Braces: During the 19th century, a wide variety of leather tensioners were used on military drums. However, they can be broken down into two simple categories: sewn or tied. Sewn ears are stitched together with thread, usually on the back side of the ear, so it is hidden from the viewers gaze. Tied ears are connected through holes on the front and back of the ear, usually with thin pieces of skin, and tied in a knot.

We can see the two versions below in the first image. On the left are two different styles of sewn ears with pinked edges. These were most liked clicked out, as opposed the hand cut, which was a common practice for leather goods by the time of the Civil War.

On the right, two basic styles of tied ears. The top being a basic rectangular design, and below it a more fancy version with a rounded profile and pinked edges.

Unfortunately, drum ears are not interchangeable from a historic perspective. Specific makers and regions had tendencies to use a certain style of drum ear. Not only is this evident from existing examples, but also from period images. For instance, contract eagle drums overwhelmingly had simple rectangular tied ears. Even though some may exist today with the fancier sewn heart-shaped style, they were not made with them originally, and almost no period images show the contrary. Also, Boston made drums seem to have exclusively used sewn ears.

The last two images show reproduction ears based off of originals in my collection, as well as both clicker dies and pinking irons.

In summary, there were many styles of drums ears in use during the 19th century. However, there was definitely consistency in the use of specific styles both from a maker standpoint, as well as from a regional perspective.

Rope: H**p cordage was predominantly used on rope tension drums in the 18th and 19th century. Due to the fact of how h**...
10/04/2026

Rope: H**p cordage was predominantly used on rope tension drums in the 18th and 19th century. Due to the fact of how h**p is grown and processed today, it is nearly impossible get get h**p rope of the same quality as was commonly available 100 years ago. The fibers were longer and much finer since the plants were allowed to grow to a more mature age. Therefore, more strands could be placed together and still only have a diameter of 3/16”.

So, what are the options for today? Imported h**p from France is a good option, but has a stiffer feel and takes a while to break in. Also, the larger number of strands make the diameter a little bulky. Domestic h**p is thinner, but doesn’t seem to keep its twist. And anything you can get from a hardware store is garbage.

What do you do? I know this may come as a surprise, but this is one area that I am ok with using a synthetic product because nothing available is close enough to the original stuff. One particular rope vendor has really nice 3 strand rope that looks and feels like many of the original types posted here. Therefore, I don’t mind using this until a better, natural option is available.

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