TxBubbaDog - Posted - 11/26/2011:  20:23:16

I was have two questions about tackhead banjos

1) How how do you tell if you have the head tight enough?

2) How do you make it tighter? 

     - I was thinking maybe get the head damp and then dry it with a hair drier.

Edited by - TxBubbaDog on 11/26/2011 20:23:50

tdennis - Posted - 11/26/2011:  20:32:12

A skin head is tight enough if it has a good tone, the bridge is not sinking too much, & if the action is right.    I see no need to wet a head,  & then dry it out, ( isn't it already loose because of excessive moisture ?) .  ( I believe that  slightly dampening the head  is used when it has dried out too much, & needs to have the collar reshaped).  Many drummer who had tack head drums (before the days of tightening lugs & brackets),  used a gentle heat source to get them tight , like a low watt light bulb. 

Edited by - tdennis on 11/26/2011 20:43:37

TxBubbaDog - Posted - 11/27/2011:  07:08:59

thank you for your response, but I should have been more specific.

I already have the head tacked on. I am just not convinced that I have it on tight enough. 

Any suggestions on how add tension?  How to check the tension?

Edited by - TxBubbaDog on 11/27/2011 07:09:49

tdennis - Posted - 11/27/2011:  07:39:53

It seems the only way to check tension is to string it up , put a bridge on it,  & see if the bridge is sinking too much, & how this effects the string height over the neck.  Also if the overall tone is poor,   that is an indication of too loose of a head.   (I would also check the BHO search archives for ways to test the head for tightness, I don't know what you could do if it isn't tacked tight  enough to begin with).  

Fathand - Posted - 11/27/2011:  08:25:34

The idea is to soak the head in lukewarn water for 15 minutes or so, towel dry it should feel a little rubbery. Then put a little white glue on the top of the rim and a little down the sides maybe a 1/2" or so.  The glue helps take stress off the tacks and tack holes later.

Tack on stretching as much as possible. Start at 12 o'clock with 2 tacks , then put the next tack at 6 o'clock while stretching, then 3, then 9 o'clock always stretching as you go and filling in between the other tacks crisscrossing like you would tightening down a cylinder head. If it starts drying out, add some more moisture until done.

Once done let it dry slowly and it will shrink and become tight, then trim off the excess skin. It is unlikely that you would get it as tight as you would with a tension hoop and hooks.  There is not really an adjustment other than removing and starting over again or just putting a hair dryer to it before you play if it has become humid.

quote:

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Originally posted by TxBubbaDog

thank you for your response, but I should have been more specific.

I already have the head tacked on. I am just not convinced that I have it on tight enough. 

Any suggestions on how add tension?  How to check the tension?

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cbcarlisle - Posted - 11/27/2011:  09:10:24

I assume part of the reason you chose a tackhead is because it is Not a modern, universally-adjustable banjo. Embrace it! (Literally.) Once you have the head on it and it seems reasonably tight in good weather, don't be a fair-weather player. When it gets muggy, do like the Old-Timers: make a higher bridge for it!

TxBubbaDog - Posted - 11/27/2011:  14:05:42

quote:

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Originally posted by cbcarlisle

I assume part of the reason you chose a tackhead is because it is Not a modern, universally-adjustable banjo. Embrace it! (Literally.) Once you have the head on it and it seems reasonably tight in good weather, don't be a fair-weather player. When it gets muggy, do like the Old-Timers: make a higher bridge for it!

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I chose to make a tackhead because it was cheap 

Good tip on the higher bridge.

TxBubbaDog - Posted - 11/27/2011:  14:08:27

What about getting it really dry with a hair dryer and applying some natural waterproofing compound to seal out moisture? 

I know that they do this for drum heads, it supposedly only changes the color and not the sound. 

TxBubbaDog - Posted - 11/27/2011:  14:53:48

quote:

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Originally posted by Fathand

The idea is to soak the head in lukewarn water for 15 minutes or so, towel dry it should feel a little rubbery. Then put a little white glue on the top of the rim and a little down the sides maybe a 1/2" or so.  The glue helps take stress off the tacks and tack holes later.

Tack on stretching as much as possible. Start at 12 o'clock with 2 tacks , then put the next tack at 6 o'clock while stretching, then 3, then 9 o'clock always stretching as you go and filling in between the other tacks crisscrossing like you would tightening down a cylinder head. If it starts drying out, add some more moisture until

done.

Once done let it dry slowly and it will shrink and become tight, then trim off the excess skin. It is unlikely that you would get it as tight as you would with a tension hoop and hooks.  There is not really an adjustment other than removing and starting over again or just putting a hair dryer to it before you play if it has become humid.

 

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I had purchased a Vellum Processed Calfskin Head that came with instructions to NOT let the head soak for more than 1 minute.

I also used yellow glue instead of white glue.

Other than that I did everything exactly as you described

I think it sounds pretty good, but I just don't know how to tell if it is tight enough. 

Fathand - Posted - 11/28/2011:  03:49:59

Not sure if the instructions you received were for tacking on or using hooks and tension hoop. If your head starts out wetter it is expanded more so should be tighter when dried. Yellow glue is more or less a better quality white glue.

Not sure if you have been following the head tension thread and the quarter test but I doubt you will get a tackhead that tight.  Probably more like a 1/8" deflection at the bridge. If playing in a humid environment you may want to carry taller bridges as already mentioned. The main test for if it is tight enough is if it sounds like a banjo. Try to listen to others playing tackhead banjos, either gourd or wooden rims.

youtube.com/watch?v=B7DfxZmK3BU

quote:

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Originally posted by TxBubbaDog

 

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I had purchased a Vellum Processed Calfskin Head that came with instructions to NOT let the head soak for more than 1 minute.

I also used yellow glue instead of white glue.

Other than that I did everything exactly as you described

I think it sounds pretty good, but I just don't know how to tell if it is tight enough. 

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