mbuk06 - Posted - 12/17/2011:  09:38:54

I discovered a new form of banjo-related activity last night. While watching TV I became aware of this strange 'scraping' sound in the living room and couldn't figure out what it was or where it was coming from. After a head-scratching fifteen minute search I thought it could only be a mouse or a rat come in from outside. I got quite a shock when I finally realised it was coming from my vintage banjo hanging on the wall.

The sound was a split appearing round the edge of the skin head and gradually lengthening. Weird thing is it was probably three weeks ago that I (carefully) tightened the head because the bridge was sagging. Not excessive tightening, just enough so the head was level under the bridge. I have two questions:

...is central heating likely to cause this? Should I have slackened the head in a warmer, heated winter house?The banjo is kept on a wall-hanger when not being played but fifteen feet from the nearest radiator.

...what is my best option for replacing the skin head. I guess it was the original (calf-skin) head. I really liked the warm tone and would like to keep as close as possible to this sound.

Jason Wilkerson - Posted - 12/17/2011:  09:48:22

If it was humid and rainy on the day you tightened the head, then that was the problem.  The humidity caused the head to stretch, you tightened it, when the humidity went away and the head dried and shrank, it was then stretched too tightly.  Lesson: never tighten a skin head on a humid day.  Your central heating of course dries your house as well.

Bill Miller can supply your replacement needs, my favorite is calf skin, but I think goat skin (slightly thicker) may be warmer in tone.

SWCooper - Posted - 12/17/2011:  09:52:45

Sometimes it's just one of those things. I looked over at one of mine one day and it was rent asunder. Huh.

Replacing it was my first skin head, and I muffed it. Not my fault; the skin was too thick. After it went down, round the flesh hoop and back up again, two layers of hide were too much to get the rim down over.

Finding the head was no problem, though. After I couldn't find one locally, I ordered one from the States. Shipping was minimal and the Customs man didn't get me.

Bart Veerman - Posted - 12/17/2011:  10:03:15

quote:

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Originally posted by mbuk06

 

Not excessive tightening, just enough so the head was level under the bridge

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Been there, done that and I feel your pain but it's a perfect illustration that tightening the head to make it nice and level under the bridge usually means WAY too tight. If you don't know how tight tight is without any point of reference such as a Drum Dial, torque setup, Steve Davis' coin technique, or someone experienced looking over your shoulder then this is often the result of someone's advice to beginners, "just tighten the head," without having seen/felt your banjo.

Good thing heads aren't that expensive and now you're more experienced.

jbalch - Posted - 12/17/2011:  10:14:01

Here are some resources:

According to the Drum websites, some of the world's best skin drum heads come for Ireland.  You might look for a local source for Kalfo Calf Skin Heads. Manufactured in Celbridge, Kildare Ireland.

In the USA: 

Higest qualilty unmounted skins: STERN TANNING: sterntanning.com/percussion.htm

Nice quality Calf & Goat skins & pre-mounted heads: BILL MILLER banjoseen.us/Store/index.html

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

mbuk06 - Posted - 12/17/2011:  10:21:22

...I was actually advised by someone with a lot more experience of skin heads that it needed tightening. I should've trusted my intuition, and my own ear, that I liked the way it sounded with a sagging bridge. 

Is refitting a skin head something I should attempt myself or is it best left to a professional? I'm quite practical around banjos but this would be a first time job. And then there's working out the size...I would guess that isn't as straightforward as ordering a fibreskin or mylar head?

Nice to know that if I buy from the US there's a chance it may slip in under our customs radar though...

mbuk06 - Posted - 12/17/2011:  10:23:12

Thanks John, I will check your links out. 

jbalch - Posted - 12/17/2011:  10:37:33

If your old banjo was fitted for a skin head, installing a modern mylar head might be difficult.  The aluminum hoop around the bottom of moden heads is thicker than the old flesh hoops.  Sometimes there is insuficent space under the hooks.

jbalch - Posted - 12/17/2011:  11:00:03

Skin head installation instructions are here:  banjoseen.us/Calfskin/HowToIin...fSkin.pdf

YouTube video instructions:  youtu.be/V3c54i90Ghk

Oldpiper - Posted - 12/17/2011:  11:26:15

John - I think I read one of your older posts where you recommend NOT using the torque wrench or drum dial on skin heads. I've had recent problems with head tightening on the Lo Gordon and replacing a skin head on the Bew. I have no idea how to use either tool on skin heads. Just doesn't seem to work accurately. Head thickness probably enters into the equation. The notch you illustrated certainly comes into play, especially with the Bew.

Fred

Brooklynbanjoboy - Posted - 12/17/2011:  11:37:33

You got off easily with a "scraping" sound.  Both times the skin head on an old Dobson of mine failed involved a loud, clear bang, akin to a gunshot. 

Try wrestling a skin head over an old donut ring. ...

steve davis - Posted - 12/17/2011:  11:39:52

When you get it where you like it,place a straightedge(10") on the head and measure the deflection with one or more coins.

Then you will be able to quickly go right to that same favorite tension/tone with the straightedge and coin(s).

Place the stick thusly.

Edited by - steve davis on 12/17/2011 11:41:15

jbalch - Posted - 12/17/2011:  12:14:14

Fred:

That is the problem using drumtorque or drumdial tools with natural hide heads.  The skin itself is not perfectly uniform so the measurements just don't mean much. 

I adjust hide heads by sound and feel....and not too tight.

jb

steve davis - Posted - 12/17/2011:  12:55:03

A coin/stick measurement is also a great safety from breakage.

mbuk06 - Posted - 12/17/2011:  13:30:25

...really helpful advice. Thank you. I think I'm going to try a calf-skin head from Bill Miller and fit it myself.

Just so the same thing doesn't happen again...if the bridge is sitting in quite a significant dip this isn't something that necessarily needs correction? As long as it sounds 'right' head tension isn't critical?

steve davis - Posted - 12/17/2011:  14:04:18

Head tension is directly connected to tone.

John Gribble - Posted - 12/17/2011:  17:16:12

Bill Miller is really good. Very helpful if you have a problem. 

Prescott - Posted - 12/18/2011:  08:37:02

I had an experience similar to Brooklynbanjoboy's maybe 25 years ago. I had an old banjo with possibly its original head (who can really tell?) hanging on the wall. It was near Christmas, and the heat was blasting. As I sat and ate dinner with my family, I heard what sounded like someone shooting an abandoned piano with a pistol. We all went to investigate, and found that the banjo's head had split into a nice four-pointed star, like the star of Bethlehem in traditional illustrations. I took this as a divine lesson, and started to keep skin headed banjos in humidified cases, especially in winter.