# making a thunder board



## missa (Feb 13, 2004)

i read another posting from a while back saying they used a thunder board to create the sound for a storm. we are doing a show that calls for a lot of thunder and lightning, and i would really like to try to use a thunderboard. does anyone know how to make one?
thanks for your help!


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## cruiser (Feb 13, 2004)

A nice big sheet of thin metal always seems to do it for me !


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## missa (Feb 13, 2004)

is steel or aluminium better? also, what kinda frame do you need to hang the sheet metal? in the posting i read they were talking about some sort of padded box.
thanks


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## wolf825 (Feb 14, 2004)

missa said:


> is steel or aluminium better? also, what kinda frame do you need to hang the sheet metal? in the posting i read they were talking about some sort of padded box.
> thanks



Hiya, 
Well it can be a sheet--or it can be a box..depends on what you wanna build, where its gonna be located (i.e. backstage or offstage) and the sound you are going for--both work well for thunder. Typically for off-stage--its a sheet of duct style sheet metal or aluminum--something thin and flexible..rather large...and as for wood--just bolt a wood sandwich holder at the top, like 1x3, and a same handle at the bottom. The sheet version just hangs and gets flexed and hit with a rubber mallet offstage... The box version gets built for backstage use, can get padded to thicken the sound, and mic'd up to your PA system with a reverb effect--and gets pressed on for sound. If you ever stepped or sat on a padded air conditioner duct in a building and heard it flex in--same effect..only mic'd with some reverb... 

-wolf


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## missa (Feb 15, 2004)

k.......thanks for your help. i'll see how it goes! Thanks again


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