Will1717 - Posted - 06/12/2014:  07:59:07

Awhile back someone posted on the forum on how to mount a hide or natural skin banjo head that was an alternative to the standard method. I've searched the site and just can't locate the original article. Any chance that anyone can get me directed in the right direction?

Bill Rickard

BConk - Posted - 06/12/2014:  08:14:40

I don't know which method you mean but I once posted about using a large stainless steel hose clamp to get the wet head sized down properly and compressed enough to fit under the tension hoop. I've had to do that a couple of times with older SS Stewarts that had very little clearance between the hoop and the rim. I just wet the hide like normal, put in the flesh hoop, and clamp the whole shebang to the rim and leave it to dry. Once dry, I take off the clamp, fit the tension hoop and tighten. Once it's settled in I trim it.

Edited by - BConk on 06/12/2014 08:16:02

rudy - Posted - 06/12/2014:  08:58:09

The alternative method is to run the skin to the inside of the flesh hoop and rim.  In practice you slide the hide and flesh hoop over the rim, add the tension band and let it dry.  The excess hide is cut from the inside.  The disadvantage is there is a double layer of hide over the tone ring which may or may not negatively affect tone. 

Here's a past topic featuring a nice photo from John Balch and two video links to the demo for how to install "outside-in" skins by Wayne Rodgers.

banjohangout.org/archive/204014

Edited by - rudy on 06/12/2014 09:09:43

Bart Veerman - Posted - 06/12/2014:  09:00:15

Bill: you're probably thinking of this one:

goldtone.com/resources/w/id/14...n-a-Banjo

Brian: I hear you on the S.S. Stewarts... the hose clamp method works great! Better yet, get 3, 4 or even 5 smaller hose clamps and string them together. This way you have more adjustable pressure points to get it more evenly tight all the way around the rim

dfwest - Posted - 06/12/2014:  10:18:57

Bart,

Thanks for posting. This is an excellent video. Does this method have any advantages over the standard method?

Thanks,

Dave

jbalch - Posted - 06/12/2014:  10:57:58

I have not tried that method myself - but I owned a vintage banjo once with a head installed that way.

I think it looks like a secure mounting. The hide might tend to slip less (especially if using a round profile flesh hoop).

But it seems that trimming the excess inside the rim is precarious. Also - setting the proper crown height might be a little tricky. As Rudy mentioned, the double layer of hide over the tone ring might be a concern (not sure).

I think this method might work well with relatively thin hides.  But looks like it could be difficult to accomplish with a thicker or stiff skin (just my opinion).

I'm interested to hear from folks who use it ...

Brooklynbanjoboy - Posted - 06/12/2014:  12:59:45

Maybe it's my "Brooklyn" ears that prevent me from hearing right, but what is he calling the "Tension Hoop"?  Counter hoop?

tomberghan - Posted - 06/12/2014:  13:16:35

I would link to point out that every video I have seen shows the trimming of the excess hide material from the flesh hoop done with an exacto knife or box cutter knife while the head is still on the rim. 

But my friend John Balch who is smarter than I am sensibly takes the dried mounted head off of the rim and does a nice clean and safe trim with a pair of scissors. He does not risk slicing the head, slipping and gouging the rim, or scoring the tension hoop. He is smart!

Will1717 - Posted - 06/12/2014:  13:41:49

Thanks for all the feedback! The video that got posted is exactly what I was looking for. The problem is that I've just built a custom tension hoop for a customer that's rebuilding a banjo that came with a 13.5" diameter rim. We went to mount a head on the rim and realized that all our stocked natural heads came in a stock diameter of 16 inch. It's just a bit tight and therefore extremely difficult to get the head under the retaining hoop and back through the tension hoop. I was hoping that the other method of head mounting just may give us enough slack to get the head to fit. Looks like we may need to source a 18 inch diameter head to make the fit.

John, is there any chance that you may have some 18 inch heads in stock??

Bill Rickard 

rudy - Posted - 06/12/2014:  14:11:36

Elderly stocks calf and goat in 14", 16", and 18" sizes.

Bart Veerman - Posted - 06/12/2014:  15:04:16

quote:

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Originally posted by dfwest

Thanks for posting. This is an excellent video. Does this method have any advantages over the standard method?

 

---

Like John Balch, I've never done it that way myself. Trying to trim off the excess that close to the head itself gives me the shivers even thinking about it. Also, the double skin layer will be way to thick for S.S. Stewarts, those banjos are brutally tight as-is already...

rudy - Posted - 06/12/2014:  16:11:50

quote:

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Originally posted by Bart Veerman

quote:

---

Originally posted by dfwest

Thanks for posting. This is an excellent video. Does this method have any advantages over the standard method?

 

---

Like John Balch, I've never done it that way myself. Trying to trim off the excess that close to the head itself gives me the shivers even thinking about it. Also, the double skin layer will be way to thick for S.S. Stewarts, those banjos are brutally tight as-is already...

 

---

The amount of skin between the rim and the tension band (two layers) is the same either way; the difference is just the direction it's folded after it passes over the flesh hoop.

Looking at John's example photo in the archived topic would cause me no concern, there's a lot of extra hide left in that photo.

Edited by - rudy on 06/12/2014 16:14:36

gottasmilealot - Posted - 06/12/2014:  18:45:54

Perhaps some do it the upside-down way shown because they are afraid of seeing the cut edge on the top, but that doesn't happen. After the excess skin head is trimmed, the edge pulls in to be invisible during the tightening process. To me, it's easier to pull the head tight an wrinkle free from the top. I like the square stock flesh hoops, as they really bite the skin. Those little razor wallpaper trimming knives with the break-off tips work great for trimming, as the plastic holder for the blade protects the skin from being cut during the trimming process.

amazon.com/Darice-Retractable-...or+knifes

Edited by - gottasmilealot on 06/12/2014 18:52:00