The cowhide soaked in fresh water for three days, after which he tossed it into liwater to soak for a few more. By then, it had beco soft and incredibly supple. Li Xiang took the hide out, laid it flat on a wooden board, and began to remove the hair and scrape off the fat.
This process actually required great control over one’s Power. Too much force would damage the hide, while too little wouldn’t scrape it clean. For a Tier Two Transcendent, however, this was no problem at all.
He didn’t even need a small knife. He just used his thirty-kilogram Chopping Knife, wielding it as if it were weightless. The results of his de-hairing and scraping surpassed those of many professional tools from small workshops.
After scraping, he washed them again in fresh water until they were clean. The three yellow cowhides were now of uniform thickness. He then hung them in the courtyard to dry.
’Should I use fir, Birch Wood, and oak to make the drum, or just use Red Fir Wood?’
Different woods produced drums with different sounds. So were deep and heavy, others bright and prominent, and so were soft, even producing a nostalgic tone. After a mont of contemplation, Li Xiang decided to try the Red Fir Wood.
It was because he had plenty of Red Fir Wood on hand; he’d hauled back a whole massive tree. As for the other types of wood, he would have to go up the mountain to find them, and their quality was far inferior to that of Red Fir Wood.
Besides, other woods needed to be air-dried, but Red Fir Wood, with its high density, was heavy and solid. It had low moisture content and was very tough, so it could be used directly.
’I’ll try it first. If the result isn’t good, I can always switch.’
This was Li Xiang’s first ti making a drum. Although he had studied the experiences of many predecessors, he had no successful attempts of his own to draw from. This ti, he was essentially learning as he went.
But he liked trying new things.
He set up his phone on a stand, turned on record mode, and began crafting the wooden drum body.
It was a rather complex process involving over ten steps: cutting the material, sawing the planks, trimming them, sanding, sealing, and painting. For example, when cutting the planks, they needed to be planed with identical angles and curves so they could fit together seamlessly to form the drum barrel. But Li Xiang was deft with his hands, so none of this was a challenge for him.
After two days of hard work, a drum barrel took shape. It stood 80 centiters tall, with a drumhead diater of 120 centiters and a total diater of 140 centiters.
Hooping the drum was also a skilled task. Li Xiang brushed cowhide glue onto the cut surfaces to ensure the drum chamber was airtight. When hooped, it was tight and extrely sturdy.
He then used a plane to perfect the drum body and the top and bottom surfaces. By this ti, the cowhide was semi-dry. He spread it on a large table, drew a pattern with a pencil, and punched a circle of small holes around the edge. The next step was stretching the skin.
As the saying goes, "Making the drum is the apprentice’s job; preparing the skin is the master’s." Preparing the cowhide was a crucial part of drum making. The yellow cowhide Li Xiang bought was better than water buffalo hide—it was of excellent quality, very tough, and had been scraped smooth and flat. Moreover, since the hide had been softened beforehand and was now semi-dry, it was ideal for stretching.
He fixed the marked and perforated cowhide onto the drum barrel and began the process of stretching the skin.
He threaded a thick hemp rope through the circle of small holes, using six small winches he had set up around the drum barrel. He tightened it a total of three tis, adding wedges multiple tis.
The first and second tightenings were three hours apart. The third tightening happened after an entire night; it had gotten too late, so he left it outside overnight.
The skin-stretching process took a long ti, continuing until the cowhide was completely dry.
In the end, the stretched cowhide was extrely tight. He tapped it lightly a few tis with his fist, and the sound was quite resonant. DONG DONG DONG~ It was deafening.
The dog and the fox ran over to watch, and Grandma also ca to see Li Xiang’s creation. Although she often told him to spend more ti dressing up and chasing girls, she was delighted to see him put together such a huge drum.
"My grandson is so clever with his hands. He can do anything."
’A master of any trade is a master indeed,’ Grandma thought. Her grandson was truly outstanding. No matter the field, he was top-notch. With so many skills, he would never have to worry about going hungry.
Li Xiang even jumped onto the drumhead and bounced a few tis. A person as heavy as him could jump on it without any issues. The cowhide on this drum was definitely stretched perfectly.
Next was securing it. After marking the lines, he hamred in two rows of copper tacks. Every 60 degrees, the number of tacks increased, forming a "copper tack cloud pattern." Six of these cloud patterns circled the drum chamber, looking very beautiful.
These "cloud patterns" were like the "pillars" of a house, serving to enhance the tension and secure the skin.
Once the tacking was done, he traced the base of the tacks with the tip of his High-Density Blade, cutting away the excess cowhide. He tossed the scraps aside.
Li Xiang’s control over his strength was superb; he cut through the cowhide perfectly without nicking the drum body.
For the drum rings, he used Tiger Head Copper Rings, also made of bronze.
Li Xiang had provided the materials for these tal fittings, which Jiang Jianguo had forged by hand. Since pure copper was too soft, Jiang Jianguo had mixed in so other tals to create a bronze alloy.
Li Xiang didn’t let Uncle Jiang work for free. When Uncle Jiang refused any money, Li Xiang bought him two good cartons of cigarettes instead.
The old blacksmith Jiang Jianguo’s craftsmanship was truly excellent. The Tiger Head Copper Rings he made had a certain classical charm.
With the skins stretched on both sides, the drum was almost finished. All that remained was the final painting process and the making of the Drum Sticks.
He painted the drum body, applying a coat of bright red lacquer.
There were other colors available online, like yellow lacquer or mahogany-colored lacquer. He could even add so painted designs if he wanted, but Li Xiang felt the classic, bright red was more festive.
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