Miguel MC Dowell - Posted - 10/23/2011:  16:56:37

 I've noticed that my skinhead has turned very yellow where my right arm rests on the pot and it looks like it is getting wore through to the wooden pot. Will this affect the sound or can the head split? I continue to play it but am a little worried now that I am aware of it.

J-Walk - Posted - 10/23/2011:  17:38:22

It's very unlikely that it will affect the sound.

But maybe you have some kind of acid in your sweat that eats banjo heads. 

Worst case scenario: It breaks, and you have to install a new banjo head.

ponty - Posted - 10/23/2011:  17:57:26

No, no..he is talking of another kind of skin head that makes an awful sound!

tbfnyc - Posted - 10/23/2011:  18:14:33

quote:

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Originally posted by ponty

No, no..he is talking of another kind of skin head that makes an awful sound!

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Ohhhh!...

Never mind.

Fathand - Posted - 10/23/2011:  18:27:31

Can you mount an armrest on your banjo so your arm doesn't touch the skin?

Bill Rogers - Posted - 10/24/2011:  00:26:26

Yeah, that was a major purpose of armrests in the days before plastic  heads.

Bart McNeil - Posted - 10/24/2011:  02:49:28

Although the head may change color and transparency there is probably very little actual wear on the skin head, unless you wear sand paper shirts.

Fathand - Posted - 10/24/2011:  06:37:11

I would be more concerned with sweat and skin oils deteriorating the skin head . Since the OP is in Puerto Rico, likely wearing short sleeved shirts often.

quote:

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Originally posted by Bart McNeil

Although the head may change color and transparency there is probably very little actual wear on the skin head, unless you wear sand paper shirts.

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carlb - Posted - 10/24/2011:  06:37:53

quote:

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Originally posted by Miguel MC Dowell I've noticed that my skinhead has turned very yellow where my right arm rests on the pot and it looks like it is getting wore through to the wooden pot. Will this affect the sound or can the head split? I continue to play it but am a little worried now that I am aware of it.

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 No it will not effect the sound and YES it will be a starting point for the head splitting. It happened to me once and then I immediately purchased an arm rest. On another banjo, I made a simple arm rest with a piece of thick leather which is just bent over the tension hoop and has two holes which are slid through two brackets. I will upload a picture if desired.

Miguel MC Dowell - Posted - 10/24/2011:  10:15:12

Thanks for the replies I do sweat a lot living hear in Puerto Rico and in fact the only time I don't sweat is when there is air conditioning. I will keep and eye on the spot where this is happening to make sure it don't start to split or crack. Carlb that would be nice to see how you have that armrest made. My banjo like I said is a tack head with a 12 in. pot

Bart McNeil - Posted - 10/24/2011:  10:45:01

I would doubt that your skin could do much damage to a banjo head... certainly it could make it appear dirty but after all the banjo head is skin and there are skins still on banjos after close to 100 years. I would suspect the worst thing you could do to a banjo head is to let it dry out completely and that, I suspect, would be unlikely in Puerto Rico.

just speculating of course.

carlb - Posted - 10/24/2011:  14:25:47

quote:

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Originally posted by Miguel MC Dowell

Carlb that would be nice to see how you have that armrest made. My banjo like I said is a tack head with a 12 in. pot

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 Here it is. I don't know how you'd put one on a tack head, except with tacks, or maybe two small screws.

Leather Banjo Arm Rest

John Gribble - Posted - 10/24/2011:  16:34:11

My sweat caused rot on a skin head. The stuff our bodies give off isn't always nice!  

Edited by - John Gribble on 10/24/2011 16:36:12

rendesvous1840 - Posted - 10/24/2011:  22:42:02

I have a leather guitar strap that my sweat softened the finish in a couple of months. I'm still using it, I just scraped of the finish and left it plain. It's the type of strap that hooks into the sound hole, so it makes a loop around my neck when it's in use. It's 20 months old, with no visible effect on the leather, but I keep an eye on it. If this strap had not been black to start with, it might show the yellow color you're seeing.The discoloring is probably related to something in your sweat. If you can wear a long sleeve shirt when playing banjo, that should reduce it. It's a lot cooler here most of the year, but I still have the problem in summer.
I have a fiberskin head on my banjo, but my fingernails,rather than sweat,are removing the coating on that.
Paul

slipry1 - Posted - 10/25/2011:  17:19:11

quote:

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Originally posted by rendesvous1840

I have a leather guitar strap that my sweat softened the finish in a couple of months. I'm still using it, I just scraped of the finish and left it plain. It's the type of strap that hooks into the sound hole, so it makes a loop around my neck when it's in use. It's 20 months old, with no visible effect on the leather, but I keep an eye on it. If this strap had not been black to start with, it might show the yellow color you're seeing.The discoloring is probably related to something in your sweat. If you can wear a long sleeve shirt when playing banjo, that should reduce it. It's a lot cooler here most of the year, but I still have the problem in summer.

I have a fiberskin head on my banjo, but my fingernails,rather than sweat,are removing the coating on that.

Paul

Ya just can't win, Paul!  Time to go back to ki'hoalu?  My skinhead banjos end up with a black smudge below the strings, with roughness there, too, from my fingernails. - Jack

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Cottonmouth - Posted - 10/26/2011:  07:40:05

Chances are if you have "jungle rot", it will eventually damage your skin head. Another Marine pal had it on his lower back and, untreated, began to spread (particularly in summer).

jbalch - Posted - 10/26/2011:  14:07:10

I linked this thread to the Hide Heads group...banjohangout.org/group/hideheads

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 10/26/2011:  16:19:16

Good idea for a group. I'm thinking of plunging back into the skin game - never really been out of it since I've owned Jackie for 30 some years - but I feel my hyde knowledge is sorely lacking since I only started working on banjos a couple years before the plastic heads started showing up.

Anyone have any idea on how well that waterproofing spray cuts down on sweat stains - if at all? I sweat a whole bunch and my skin headed banjos in the 70s ended up showing heavy arm staining. I don't mind the thumb and frailer stains - that is part of the banjo experience, but a but dark stain right under my arm always struck me as gross. Definitely a turn off to potential groupies. I suppose that could be why I didn't get serious about the banjo until I had a wife.

pastorharry - Posted - 10/26/2011:  16:38:00

I know John Balch waterproofs his skin heads...although I think it's more to stabilize the head in climate changes, than to eliminate stains. Once again, armrest is the way to go....see you in hide head land. Aloha, PH

Prescott - Posted - 10/26/2011:  19:28:22

I like armrests, myself. It is hot in the summer in Arizona, and they protect the head from sweat. Also, having your arm resting on the head dampens the tone - I'm sure that this was also an original reason for the development of this item.

rendesvous1840 - Posted - 10/26/2011:  22:30:15

Hi, Jack! I'm never too far from a guitar tuned to one of the slack tunings.
I oiled that strap when I first got it, and the leather seems fine. The finish is fine, too-where it didn't touch my hair or neck! I use it on a tenor ukulele.
Oiling the leather might stop it from getting worse, but if it makes the hide stretch, it may be hard to get it tight again. I have heard of using a shoe preservative called Mink Oil on banjo heads, but I never tried it. The person who mentioned it used it on a tack head banjo, so it must not have stretched the hide. I have used Mink Oil on hunting shoes and gun slings.
Paul

Miguel MC Dowell - Posted - 10/27/2011:  03:07:43

I have some saddle soap but am afraid to use it on the sweat area because I don't want to ware out the hide any more then it is already. Someone stated that they sweat a lot, well for me its when I get up till I go to bed, taking like 3 showers a day, because it is so humid and hot here in PR . When it reaches 80 degrees it feels chilly. So when I play my skinhead my arm sweats from resting on the pot and that's what causes the staining I guess. Am not sure where I could place a leather piece on the tackhead but am checking it out and see what I can do, I also joined the skinhead group to see if maybe someone might have suggestions from there as well.

jbalch - Posted - 10/27/2011:  04:28:42

You might try wearing a sweatband on your forearm where it contacts the banjo head.