I am wanting a drumhead for my caboose and I can't find one anywhere, not even one of those lighted ones. Has anyone here ever made their own drumheads? what kind of material did you use? How did it come out?
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Hi Tom. I don't have the link but Google Dan's drum heads & more. Dan is a nice guy and he can make it for you.
I sent an email off to Daniel Maher of Dan's Drumheads, He makes the drumhead I want in O-Scale. Thanks for the help guys! $9 no shipping is pretty good!
Glad it worked out. Dan does good work I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
For a lighted one, I would make it up on my computer in powerpoint or some other graphics-intense package, then flip (mirror image) the thing, reduce its size, then print it on a color printer on sheets for overhead transparencies, and cut it out.
I have not done drumheads but I have done small stained glass windows, etc. that way.
For my Williams Madisons, I just used a tie-tack I picked up at York. Doesn't light, but the enameled logo looks better than any of the lighted ones I've seen.
Lee, have you ever tried it on white paper and put it behind the plastic? I would think that would reduce the glare from the bulb through any clear parts. I made some number boards that way, they looked a lot better than clear plastic.
I designed the drumhead art in Power Point
Styrene tube housing
Sheet styrene back
Evan Designs inkjet transparency paper for printing the image on...paint a nice even layer on the backside with white acrylic
Evan Designs 1.8mm LED(they have since made chip LEDS which are smaller)
White acrylic paint can be put on LED, if you want to cut the brightness
Black paint to paint the inside of the new housing. This keeps the light from shining through the styrene (not yet done in my photo)
Depending on printer, the look may be different.
I finally found a photo showing the drumhead not lit...
Originally Posted by gunrunnerjohn:
Lee, have you ever tried it on white paper and put it behind the plastic? I would think that would reduce the glare from the bulb through any clear parts. I made some number boards that way, they looked a lot better than clear plastic.
Yes, I did that when the lamp was really close - if it was far away I just left it bare. But the paper I used turned a sickly yellow: I think maybe the heat of the lamp yellowed the paper. Anyway, particularly if the lamp is going to be really close, what works better is a bit of parchment paper - they type you wrap things up in to cook in an over.
I use LED's that I've sanded flat and dulled to defuse the light, so heat is not an issue. That may be the difference, so far the paper has not turned colors. 
Thank you all for your replies. I am buying 1 lighted drumhead to attach to my caboose project I'm working on. I like the idea of the tie tack drumhead. I have a few lying around. White Pass does not use lighted drumheads, so I have been trying to replicate their sheet metal signs.
