divermike Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 My son Brad is the lead in his high school play, and the prop man asked if anybody had a dinner gong, so, well.... you know how it goes, I had to give it a try, about 3 hours for the forging and wood work, fun project too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasaino Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Thats really cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Very nice. Did you make the stand also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tech413 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Nice, how does it sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Yup, made the whole thing except the hangers, those I just heated and hammered a bit for authenticity (sic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 How's it sound? It looks good, I like it. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphy Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 That does look good! Hope it sounds as good too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markb Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Nice job. Is that the African Queen in the back ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 nice job, I am also wondering how it resonates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Falcon 72 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 How large is the gong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Well the funny thing is, the first striker I tried, made a dull thud, cause it was hemp string tied around a wood dowel, then glued, then covered in leather, so it's back to the drawing board. when struck with metal, it sound just the way I wanted, so now I have to take some 1" round, fuller it and draw out the handle, then round it for a proper striker. The gong is just shy of 10 inches across. The boat pic in the background was an erie canal barge, refitted in the Town of Macedon. Here is a pic of the one that did not work!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pascalou Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Hello Good job.I loves the rustic style of your gong I also have a gong in process if I am not lazy and that the result is satisfactory I'll post P.L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gobae Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Well the funny thing is, the first striker I tried, made a dull thud, cause it was hemp string tied around a wood dowel, then glued, then covered in leather, so it's back to the drawing board. when struck with metal, it sound just the way I wanted, so now I have to take some 1" round, fuller it and draw out the handle, then round it for a proper striker. The gong is just shy of 10 inches across. The boat pic in the background was an erie canal barge, refitted in the Town of Macedon. Here is a pic of the one that did not work!! Nice work! Getting things to sounds as good as they look can be a real challenge sometimes. Speaking of that barge.... I was a lockmaster on the Erie Canal; Lock 7 Niskayuna. Everything on the canal is 1914's vintage equipment and technology, and every zone has/had it's own blacksmith shop for making repairs. It was a blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted February 21, 2009 Author Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) well, I had the guys over today for our monthly meet, we had a demonstration of a Stiegler globe, fascinating, don't think I'm quite up to one of those yet, but I now have a metal striker for the dinner gong for the play! Edited February 21, 2009 by divermike fat finger misspelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBrann Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 My father makes bells sometimes... his system for describing the tone is kinda weird, but effective Higest tone:Ting or Tink depends on length of reverberation Mid tone... Ding or Dingy. once again reverb Low tone... Dong or Dongy .... Failure.... Thud or Klunk I would love to hear more about the tone/ sound of your gong It looks killer!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Based on the scale you gave me, it would likely be a ding, but due to the depresson in the middle, ther are 3 distinct ranges of dingyness (sic) and the cast and crew got to wale on it, they found it acceptable. So even though it was made for the play, it is a functional device. Thanks for the comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adez0 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 (edited) Nice gong mate. As a musician of some kind I cannot help to wonder whether you were able to make it ring some certain tone? And if, how? I have sometimes thought that a gong would make a great addition to my bands drumkit and what would be cooler than to make one myself! Oh yes and this is my first post so hello everyone! I got excited about blacksmithin' when I saw an old time blacksmith in an outdoor market some six months ago (I bought one of these from him. It's the logo of my favorite band). Edited March 1, 2009 by Adez0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 Really it is trial and error, I just let it cool a couple times and then struck it, when it had an amiable sound, I was done. The center is thicker and it gets thinner the farther out you go. I am going to do one about the size of a garbage can lid next. Lots of hammerin on that little one, the big one might just kill me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Welcome aboard Adez0, glad to have ya. If you'll click "User CP" at the top of your page and edit your profile to show your location it'll be easier to remember where you are. It's especially important for Folk living outside the USA, IFI is represented by members from more than 50 countries and materials, tools, nomenclature and such can differ significantly depending on country. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBrann Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Divermike, I would expect a certain variance in to depending where you hit it, I'm glad the scale made sense, I am open to the spelling of dingyness... I wonder if there is a formula that is a predictor (ballpark guess) for the size of gong to tone. I told this story to some of the guys I work with..... they think I should make a 5 foot gong... or one on par with Indiana Jones and the temple of doom, Glad you gong worked out, has it come home yet... or is it "lost" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 Nope not yet... the final nights of the play are on the 13th and 14th, got a good write up in the local rag. My boy is proud of his old man's ability to make props for the plays, and people really get a kick out of it. When I finish the bigger one, I will post it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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