Reusing A Goat Skin Head

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For all things related to the use of SKIN BANJO HEADS. Calf, goat, possum, hairy, shaved, stained, pre-mounted. You name it.

380 Members, Created 3/28/2011 -

Administrators: jbalch (owner)

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From C Nyal de Kaye on 6/6/2013 9:27:35 PM

I wrote earlier about a very saggy goat skin head on my gourd banjo. Finally I decided to replace the skin as it was becoming a pain being constantly too loose. I had to put it in the sun for half an hour before it could be played.

I took the old skin off carefully. It was glued on with PVA glue and tacked down. It took a little persuasion to remove it and remained quite hard mirroring the shape of the gourd. I then soaked it for an hour or so in warm water and painstakingly scraped off the old glue. The water had successfully softened the glue and, whilst it took half an hour or so, it did come off.

Re-installing the skin I then placed a bead of PVA glue on the top edge of the gourd and for about one inch down the side where the skin was to be tacked. I stretched the skin over the gourd more tightly than last time and had to re-trim it a bit as it was now too long in a few spots.

It's now a few days later and It seems to have worked OK as the skin is now quite tight. I put this up here as I have not read of others reusing a skin, but it might be quite commonly done for all I know about it.

Whatever the case, I record this so that anyone thinking about the same process may gain a bit of confidence to have a go at it. It may help someone, who knows?

4 Comments
	jbalch says: 6/7/2013 4:19:00 AM Cool! Please be sure to update again later after you have used the head for a while. I'l like to know how it performs.
	Gordy Ohliger says: 6/7/2013 7:36:43 AM What the hell is PVA glue?
	C Nyal de Kaye says: 6/7/2013 2:59:00 PM Here is the answer to your prayer Gordy. The brand I used here in Oz is Aqadhere and is made by Selleys. PVA (Polyvinyl acetates) are probably the most common adhesive on the market. They come in a variety of formulas, all ever so slightly different, and specific to what they are designed to glue. Here are some tips for using Polyvinyl acetates. All PVAs are designed to work on porous materials only. PVAs are water based, and clean up with warm soapy water. PVA is only toxic to ingest, it does not emit any harmful fumes, and is not hazardous to touch. PVA sets best in good air circulation, at room temperature. PVAs need pressure to adhere, so should be clamped. There is very little difference from one PVA to the other, and nothing that should increase the cost. Although PVA is not a gap filler, in some cases you can add sawdust to it to increase its gap filling ability.
	C Nyal de Kaye says: 6/16/2013 4:07:41 PM I am happy to state that after about two weeks of playing the head has remained very tight. I have it tuned up to normal G tuning just to put the pressure on, but with no detrimental affect. We have had some humidity, but not as bad as it is in summer, and the head has been unaffected. I am very pleased with the result. I was worried about trying this but am happy now that I did.
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