jomando - Posted - 11/27/2011:  10:15:54

A customer brought  in a skin  head from a civil war era bass drum that he would like to put on his banjo. I've put on lots of new skin heads, but never tried to re-use one, or even thought about it. Is it possible? And is it advisable?

tdennis - Posted - 11/27/2011:  10:24:54

I have quite a few old  bass drums from the calf head era.  They tend to be of the thicker variety, I would think way too thick for a banjo.  Skin heads can be reused, I've used old thin heads from snare drums for a banjo.   Skin heads can last a long time, but something from the 1860's is bit of a stretch,  &  liable to get very weak when wet, even though it may appear to have integrity. 

jbalch - Posted - 11/27/2011:  10:53:44

I'm linking this to the Hide heads group:  banjohangout.org/group/hideheads

banjonz - Posted - 11/27/2011:  13:13:06

I keep all the old skins I remove from old banjos when doing repairs etc. Usually the old skins have deteriorated round where the head touches the ring and has rusted through or torn at that point. I use them for smaller headed banjos (such as Zither ones), banjo mandos and ukes or small finger drums. It saves using good 14" or 16" heads.

Prescott - Posted - 11/27/2011:  15:18:39

I have reused a number of old calfskin banjo heads over the years. Some are wonderful and still going strong. Some have torn while drying. I don't really know how to tell their condition, other than just putting them on and trying them. I've had some pretty ones fail, and some ugly ones succeed.

jomando - Posted - 11/27/2011:  16:30:01

Thanks guys. When you re-use them do you wet them and put them on the same as a new head?

I think I'll measure the thickness & look it over to see if there is an area I might be willing to use. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it.

Please keep the replies coming, I'm sure there is more to learn about re-using skin heads.

carlb - Posted - 11/27/2011:  17:09:06

quote:

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Originally posted by jomando

Thanks guys. When you re-use them do you wet them and put them on the same as a new head?

 

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Yah, you'd better or you'll probably be sorry!

tdennis - Posted - 11/27/2011:  17:18:29

I have many used & NOS skin heads from decades ago from my vintage drum business. I've tried several on banjos.  The thinner heads from snare drums  give a good banjo voice, but the heads from tom toms & bass drums are progressively thicker & give a very dull, muted,  voice,  w/ little musical character.   (BTW it seems that a drum reputed to be from the civil war era would be a strange thing to cannibalize.  I have seen many amateur antique dealers, ebay sellers, & swap meet dealers mistake an old drum from the turn of the century , 20-30's for a civil war era instrument).  

Edited by - tdennis on 11/27/2011 17:25:19

jomando - Posted - 11/27/2011:  17:20:38

Well, you know what I meant. But you are right, I could have worded that much better. I guess what I was trying to ask is, is there anything else I need to be aware of while trying to re-use and old skin head?

jomando - Posted - 11/27/2011:  18:29:03

I'm fairly sure it is from that era, the owner is a percussionist and master degree-ed musicologist & appears to know his stuff. I know that doesn't guarantee anything, but I suspect he knows what he is talking about.
The head is torn, but plenty big to get a couple of banjo head from.
Thanks for the info on thickness of bass drum heads,that make perfect sense. I'll see if he still want to go ahead with it, but I think I'll try to dissuade him.

tdennis - Posted - 11/27/2011:  19:11:50

It sounds like a fun project, & I can see where it could be appealing to have a banjo head from this Historic  period.   If the mounting is successful, the owner may even like the sound, or get used to it,  just to have the sense of history.   Very old skin heads have several frailties, they are attacked by fungus, mold, mildew , insects, dry rot, & wear.  these areas will absorb much more water & become weak.  Also look out for worn. beaten areas that look & feel like flannel, they will absorb a lot of water.   A thick wet skin head will swell up & could be difficult to fit under the tension hoop ( sometimes there is very little space).  This could easily slice a wet head when tucking.       Good luck, & please give us an update of your project.

gansen - Posted - 11/28/2011:  12:05:54

Was it a drum from the north or the south? You'd hate to end up with a banjo that can only play dixie. I've never had any luck working with old skin heads, they tend to loose there stresch,

Nuts - Posted - 11/28/2011:  13:24:14

As Prescott suggests, you will only know by installing the old skin and find out.

A bit of skin that dates to the Civil War is likely to be suffering from dry rot and sound dead when installed.

Edited by - Nuts on 11/28/2011 13:24:54

mikehalloran - Posted - 11/28/2011:  13:55:50

Try it and see. When working with an old skin head, I have used a little bit of saddle soap when wet - this sometimes gets some of the grime out. I have had success but you won't know till you try.

jomando - Posted - 11/28/2011:  14:31:27

Thanks guys.

Losing it's stretch is one of my concerns. If I don't try, I'll never know. I'll keep you posted.

Edited by - jomando on 11/28/2011 14:31:52