Cottonmouth - Posted - 09/24/2012:  13:05:55

I visited John Balch last Monday and selected a medium thickness goat skin to be coffee-stained and mounted. Here is the result on my 1910 Tu-ba-phone rim. I am anxious to get this banjo together and playing again. Great job, John!

pluckyfingers - Posted - 09/24/2012:  13:52:03

I've also installed one of John's coffee stained heads on my Reiter standard. Best head I've had on this banjo. I had it on for two weeks and took it to the Guildford Banjo Jamboree over weekend and boy did it get tight. The days were fairly warm and being outside i had to back off the tension quite a lot. After showing it to Skip Sail, someone who knows a lot more about banjos than I do. he noticed that my nut tightening method was causing unevenness in the stretching of the head near where the head is over the rim. I backed off all the nuts  immediately  and then started  tightening the nuts in the across the head method, rather than the "around the clock' way I was using. Seems OK now, I'm glad someone picked it up before I wrecked it.

skip sail - Posted - 09/24/2012:  14:33:13

I dont think you would have wrecked it,it was only a little uneven,and those Reiters are strong, well made banjos.(that one of yours sounds great!)The head looked really nice.
Im not sure about the crown height issue with Johns heads,I have a 1/2 inch tension hoop that i would have thought would take a medium/high crown but John has recommended a lower crown to allow for stretching. I have ordered a 12 inch low crown from him,and will let folks know how i go

jbalch - Posted - 09/24/2012:  16:42:45

I just finished trimming the excess hide and stamped the logo.  Tomorrow morning I'll remove it again and treat with water proofer spray before final assembly.  The crown is set high (like the head that was on it when you brought it to me).

The crown height can be varied in the mounting process.  My standard height for pre-mounts is low-medium to allow more room for stretching over time. In this case, the old hardware seemed to be best with a taller crown.

I think you selected a nice piece of hide It looks even better in person than the photos (IMHO).  It looks especially great on your old Vega rim.  I hope it served you well for a long time.

Thanks again!

Edited by - jbalch on 09/24/2012 16:49:13

DEmery - Posted - 09/24/2012:  18:15:56

That is a perfect look for the old rim. I like the almost dirty look that was brought out by staining. It brings the small skin texture out so if it looks better in person this one is a winner. David E.

Cottonmouth - Posted - 09/24/2012:  19:47:04

Once again, thank you John. Meeting you was a genuine pleasure and I appreciate your taking the time to show me all of the hides to choose from. I am slobbering over the photos and chomping at the bit to hear what this banjo has to say now! By the way, your CD was well enjoyed by us both on the way to Gatlinburg and back home!

blindsniper - Posted - 09/25/2012:  01:13:27

Can any of you tell me how to coffee stain a goatskin?

Regards

Ian

skip sail - Posted - 09/25/2012:  01:45:34

best done whilst the goat is still alive. they can be difficult to catch,but if you fling the coffee as they flee,you get the much sought after mottled effect. The ASPCA forbids the use of anything other than lukewarm coffee,and true afficionados will only use Columbian or similar. Plunger coffee is unsuitable,due to the high ground content,and instant coffee runs badly. Hope this helps.

blindsniper - Posted - 09/25/2012:  02:29:49

quote:

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Originally posted by skip sail

best done whilst the goat is still alive. they can be difficult to catch,but if you fling the coffee as they flee,you get the much sought after mottled effect. The ASPCA forbids the use of anything other than lukewarm coffee,and true afficionados will only use Columbian or similar. Plunger coffee is unsuitable,due to the high ground content,and instant coffee runs badly. Hope this helps.

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 It does help me - right off the edge

jbalch - Posted - 09/25/2012:  05:25:47

Ian:

My coffee staining is a trade secret.  I'm contractually obligated to prevent dissemination of the details ... but "what the heck"  here goes:

In the mounting process, I soak the hide in strong black coffee - rather than just clear water - that is it.

BTW:  You have to use coffee that tastes very bad. Never use the good stuff (but be sure to drink that while you are working).

Cottonmouth - Posted - 09/25/2012:  05:26:35

My original understanding as a mite indelicate, but if you can't make 'em drink a gallon per day, the coffee bean extract enema is the preferred "solution".

blindsniper - Posted - 09/25/2012:  05:45:25

quote:

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Originally posted by Cottonmouth

My original understanding as a mite indelicate, but if you can't make 'em drink a gallon per day, the coffee bean extract enema is the preferred "solution".

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 Thanks guys.  Much appreciated

Ian

Cottonmouth - Posted - 09/25/2012:  11:24:12

I have the distinct feeling that our down under friend (as well as myself) would be repulsed by the process of being strong black coffee-saturated while mounting. I appreciate John's sharing of his unique wet-mounting secret, however messy.

Fathand - Posted - 09/25/2012:  11:53:58

Is it Pre-War coffee?

jbalch - Posted - 09/25/2012:  14:29:37

Actually - right now I'm using: pre-next-world war coffee from Louisiana - with Chicory.

steve j. - Posted - 09/25/2012:  14:35:06

do not put a skin in boiling coffee, i did ,,,once

skip sail - Posted - 09/25/2012:  14:40:38

In West Java there is a style of coffee known as "Kopi Leuwak" The Leuwak is a small native cat that eats coffee fruit straight off the bush,then excretes the bean. Folks come along,gather these up ,clean them and process them into coffee grounds,which are sold for an extremely high price. Supposedly,the partial digestion process does something"magical" to the beans,although it sounds like crap to me,I could never taste the difference.
This is a TRUE piece of information,not one of my usual snake yarns. I spent a lot of time in the Indonesian archipelago in the 80's hunting vintage banjo's.
Now,I will provide John with some "kopi leuwak" to do a limited run/special edition series of very expensive stained heads if there is enough demand.

jbalch - Posted - 09/25/2012:  17:29:15

quote:

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Originally posted by steve j.

do not put a skin in boiling coffee, i did ,,,once

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 Yes - the coffee should be cool. Otherwise you will cook the hide and ruin it. The skin will shrivel up like fried bacon.

Cottonmouth - Posted - 09/25/2012:  18:58:21

Skip, I imagine your Kopi must be a unique aromatic product which may require the use of breathing apparatus and protective clothing for the personal safety our Mr. Balch. On the other hand do you suppose, considering it's origin, that Kopi might have some anal-gesic properties which might enhance the quality of various animal hides? To my thinking, a "special run" may take on a new meaning should Mr. Balch ingest a hot steaming mug of Kopi Leuwak; something similar to the Aztec Twostep.

skip sail - Posted - 09/25/2012:  23:13:38

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cottonmouth

Skip, I imagine your Kopi must be a unique aromatic product which may require the use of breathing apparatus and protective clothing for the personal safety our Mr. Balch. On the other hand do you suppose, considering it's origin, that Kopi might have some anal-gesic properties which might enhance the quality of various animal hides? To my thinking, a "special run" may take on a new meaning should Mr. Balch ingest a hot steaming mug of Kopi Leuwak; something similar to the Aztec Twostep.

---

Excellent!  "a special run" why didnt i think of that?

You ,sir,have a sense of humour akin to mine own,i will look forward to your posts on other subjects.

Kopi Leuwak is real!...... really!

Cottonmouth - Posted - 10/02/2012:  11:47:12

Here is a closer look at my goat skin head from John Balch, installed on my Fairbanks-Vega melody banjo. It is easier to appreciate the closer you look, so click on the photos. The variation in color is also attractive to me.

darylcrisp - Posted - 10/03/2012:  01:20:18

does the soaking in coffee also leave a coffee oder?

if so, does it go away?

has anyone tried soaking in black tea?

thanks

d