Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

[cprljohnivey]

Anyone see the below message being passed around the fife and drum circles?


> Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums to Commemorate War's 150th
> Anniversary in 2011 Granville, Massachusetts - Jay Jones, president of Noble &
> Cooley and great-great-great grandson of one of its founders, James P. Cooley,
> said today that the company plans to reissue its Civil War contract field snare
> drum conforming to period specifications using the same, gigs, fixtures and
> forms used during the Civil War. Noble & Cooley would be the only company to
> ever do so. Jones declined to discuss the price point but it is expected to be
> competitive.
>
> This will not be a reproduction Civil War drum but something completely
> different. It will be the same drum, made to the same specifications, using
> the same material and made in the same factory using the same machines as when
> this line of drums was originally manufactured for the U.S. Army.
>
> The reissued drum will measure 12"x16" (16-3/4" to the outside of the
> counterhoops) with red-painted oak counterhoops mounted on a single-ply tulip
> shell. The snare mechanism will be the same bronze/brass design used by Noble
> & Cooley for its Civil War contract drums, including a leather butt plate
> securing 8 gut snares. The drums are planned to be unpainted, but stained
> walnut and coated with shellac. The seams will be secured by copper tacks as
> were the first issues of this line. The drums will be equipped with calf skin
> heads and a rope loop for carrying (pre-D-ring).
>
> The ropes will be Irish linen although Jones recalled his grandfather telling
> him that the originals used 7-strand Italian hemp which the company is
> currently having difficulty locating. (From 1937 until the late 1960s the
> United States government recognized that industrial hemp and marijuana were two
> distinct varieties of the cannabis plant. After the Controlled Substances Act
> (CSA), hemp was no longer recognized as being distinct from marijuana. That
> may account for the difficulty in securing hemp. History of Hemp. See also,
> Hemp, THE ENCLCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, 1856: "The Italian hemp is very fine, that
> variety called garden-hemp being the longest of any kind; its superiority is
> supposed to be the result of spade culture in very suitable soil. It is also as
> white and soft as the finest white Russian.")
>
> A prototype of the re-issued line is already in the field and in use by the 77th
> New York Regimental Balladeers of Windham, New York, a Civil War reenactor
> singing group. The drum is being used in connection with efforts to raise
> funds for a special celebratory Historic Heritage event featuring musical
> performers at the Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation.
>
> Separately, John Quinn, spokesperson for the Balladeers, who is working with
> Noble & Cooley to produce the event, mentioned that production of 50
> sesquicentennial drums is underway in Granville. He also confirmed that the
> prototype drum can be seen sitting on the stage in the video below. Quinn said
> that the prototype is currently on exhibit at the Zadock Pratt Museum in
> Prattsville, New York and that the drum will go on tour with the Balladeers
> beginning with the group's September 18 appearance at the Saratoga Springs Civil
> War Encampment at Congress Park, Saratoga Springs, New York. The drum will be
> raffled off by the Balladeers who, while on tour, are raising funds for the
> Historic Heritage event in Granville.
>

[klatham]

Re: Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

I spoke to Nick there, and yes it is true. They sent me a picture of it and if I can get it to post I will. It is very nice looking. No pricing set yet

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

There's a photo of the prototype at www.fielddrums.com

"It will be the same drum, made to the same specifications, using the same material and made in the same factory using the same machines as when this line of drums was originally manufactured for the U.S. Army."

I'm guessing the same material doesn't mean lead based paint!

"The drums are planned to be unpainted, but stained walnut and coated with shellac."

I wonder if shellac was the same varnish used on the originals. In my experience it doesn't hold up well outdoors. An oil based varnish like copal would be a better choice. Some people actually still make that stuff:

http://www.kremer-pigmente.com/shopint/index.php?cat=0604&lang=ENG&product=79450&sidCE829F4273D84D0B9E28A8641D82C087=31377a92fa899a905f5e1fe9a7c46e22

It looks like they also need to work out some kinks in their process of cutting the scarf joint. It looks like they didn't plane it down as smooth as the rest of the drum, so the area to the right of the seam sopped up more of the stain causing a dark area.

If they fixed that problem and used a more appropriate varnish (assuming the originals didn't have shellac) I might consider buying one, after actually seeing one in person. Then again, one can easily get original drums with no eagle or tack design in good condition for under $1000. And I bet these reissues are going to sell for well over that.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

Saw the prototype in Gettysburg this past weekend. I'm no expert, but it appears to me that the repro has a much more pronounced grain pattern than these two originals.

Can anybody reading this take a guess as to what type of wood those two originals are made from? It looks more like maple to me than tulip wood.

Somebody needs to rip the rag out of that original!

[calfskin]

Re: Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

The re-issued Noble and Cooley drum is for sale for $850. I too saw the prototype and even had a chance to play it. They are working out some of the issues that go along with trying to build a drum today that was built in 1861. I think they have done a pretty fair job in recreating this drum with tools actually used in 1861.

As far as the grain goes, I thought my 1814 B,E & M Brown drum was made of ash, however, this drum side by side with mine the grains are very simular. I would even go as far to say that my drum most likely is made of tulip wood. The other thing that lends me to believe this is that most of the Brown drums were made within 30 miles of Granville. Another interesting note is the Brown's stopped making drums around 1852 and Noble and Cooley began in 1854. I wonder if Noble or Cooley worked for the Browns at some point.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

Hey Tom,

You forgot to sign your name.

I like the drum too and when I learned the price I was surprised how reasonable it was. My main concerns are either the wood, stain, and varnish they're using doesn't quite match up with what the original drum looked like when new. But that can be difficult due to lack of availability of comparable raw materials. Maybe the stain they used brought out the grain more than if they had just used a darker varnish without a stain. There are darker types of shellac, such as garnet shellac. Oftentimes when I see period drums where the varnish is coming off, the wood appears to have never been stained at all.

Can you upload photos of your Brown drum? My understanding is that most Browns were made of maple. Maybe the tulip aka tulip poplar aka yellow poplar they used back then was old growth, which could explain the difference in appearance.

Sue Cifaldi's article on the Browns contains the following information:

1935 Frederick C. Bidwell of Bloomfield writes “In the late 1700’s the Brown family
began the manufacture of snare and bass drums, the former mostly of a large size, 16” to 18”
in depth. The wood was either maple or white wood and it is said that regardless of size, the
price was always $12.00. The shop was torn down about 1915.”

Now that I read this, I remember when reading about poplar that it is sometimes called whitewood. This is from "Building Construction And Superintendence", by F. E. Kidder:

36. Poplar Or Whitewood
The lumber commonly known by these names comes principally from the tulip tree, which is often called yellow poplar. It is a large tree, quite common in the Ohio Basin and in some portions of the South.

The wood is usually light, quite soft, stiff but not strong, of fine texture and remarkably free from knots; the color varies from almost white to a pale yellow.

It is extensively used in the Eastern and Middle States for inside finish of the cheaper grade, cabinet work and turned posts. It is also especially adapted for shelving, as it can be obtained in very wide boards entirely free from knots.

Whitewood can be finished in its natural color, but is generally stained in imitation of cherry or some other close-grained wood, and when skillfully done it is difficult to detect the imitation. On account of its close grain and great lateral cohesion of its fibres, it is well adapted for carving that is to be painted.

The wood shrinks considerably in seasoning and warps badly. A solid door of whitewood is quite sure to warp or spring unless made of thoroughly seasoned and kiln-dried lumber. For first-class work whitewood doors should be made by veneering on a pine core, as is done with hard woods.

[calfskin]

Re: Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

Will,

This is the best that I can do for a picture. It's a link to my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1071950031854&set=a.1071949271835.2014792.1019244772#!/photo.php?fbid=1071950031854&set=a.1071949271835.2014792.1019244772#!/photo.php?fbid=1071950071855&set=a.1071949271835.2014792.1019244772&pid=30331849&id=1019244772

I really do believe that this drum is so light that it is made of some sort of whitewood. I agree, I do not like the color of the stain that they have chosen for the new Noble and Cooley. I did order one and I hope Jay puts a little more effort into the finish then what I saw on the prototype.

Regards,
Tom

Tom, don't forget to sign your first and last name. Forum rules. Thanks!
Herb Coats, Moderator

[Fred F. Griffin]

Re: Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

How do you go about purchasing one of these fine drums?

Fred F. Griffin

[calfskin]

Re: Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

You can contact Jay Jones at Noble & Cooley, jay@noblecooley.com

Tom Emerick

PS Sorry Herb, been a while since I posted here.

[Luckiduc13]

Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums

Just sent my deposit for mine. Hope it's all that I imagine.

Scott Davis