I have a number of old used vellums that I would like to re-whiten (if possible). I have looked on line for anything. One source says to use an oxygen based cleaner (Oxi-clean?) rather than a chlorine based one. I know that the whitening is included in the manufacturing process of vellums. Any thoughts?
I used soft scrub on one but don't scrub too hard because it will take the frosting off. I now prefer the dirty head because it shows the history of its playing. Just be careful not to take the frosting off because it will change the tone.
When you refer to old vellums, do you mean actual vellum, as in Natural Hide, or the newer banjo heads made from synthetic?
If it’s natural, I have cleaned many heads to near white by using an good quality artist’s eraser or a soft scrub abrasive dry sponge. Works very well, but does take some time.
Synthetic cleans very well with dish soap and water and a typical house cleaning sponge.
Done many of both types over the decades, all with good results.
Yes, plastic go right to the sink and are washed like a dinner plate.
Old skin that is filthy is likely beyond its life anyway. Unless there is some sort of historical precedence, use a new one.
When I exchange for plastic I mark the old one with the banjo it came from. The next owner can deal with it or use the flesh hoop.
I have used Mr. Clean sponge...just slightly damp, on plastic
Keep in mind those Mr Clean sponges are melamine foam. They're extremely abrasive, and "clean" things by effectively grinding the top layer off the surface. It's basically just food-grade sandpaper.
You can also use stains to darken the rest of the patchy looking head to a more consistent color.
Thanks for the replies. However, when I say vellum I mean vellum (hide head) and not the mylar top frosted ones.
I am not referring to cleaning but whitening.
Edited by - banjonz on 04/09/2025 15:12:56
If they are un-mounted, wetting the hide might very likely ruin it. Even an old skin will shrink as it dries and lose its shape. It might come off the flesh hoop completely. Whatever you do - especially if it involes wetting the skin - I recommend proceeding only when the hide is mounted on a rim - to maintain its shape.
The only cleaning methods I've personally tried involve using white artist's eraser or lightly sanding with very fine (320 grit) sandpaper.
quote:
Originally posted by jbalchIf they are un-mounted, wetting the hide might very likely ruin it. Even an old skin will shrink as it dries and lose its shape. It might come off the flesh hoop completely. Whatever you do - especially if it involes wetting the skin - I recommend proceeding only when the hide is mounted on a rim - to maintain its shape.
The only cleaning methods I've personally tried involve using white artist's eraser or lightly sanding with very fine (320 grit) sandpaper.
Thanks John. What I try to is re-purpose old heads onto smaller pots. I recently fitted an old head onto a banjo uke. I managed to clean it with mild soap/water and scrubbing. It did clean up ok and looked reasonable when installed and worked well. I was just curious about any technique on whitening them. On old REMO (mylar) heads I re-spray them with a off white primer.
quote:
Originally posted by banjonzquote:
Originally posted by jbalchIf they are un-mounted, wetting the hide might very likely ruin it. Even an old skin will shrink as it dries and lose its shape. It might come off the flesh hoop completely. Whatever you do - especially if it involes wetting the skin - I recommend proceeding only when the hide is mounted on a rim - to maintain its shape.
The only cleaning methods I've personally tried involve using white artist's eraser or lightly sanding with very fine (320 grit) sandpaper.Thanks John. What I try to is re-purpose old heads onto smaller pots. I recently fitted an old head onto a banjo uke. I managed to clean it with mild soap/water and scrubbing. It did clean up ok and looked reasonable when installed and worked well. I was just curious about any technique on whitening them. On old REMO (mylar) heads I re-spray them with a off white primer.
The only times I've re-used old hides like that was to preserve a skin with a desirable stamped logo (such as Jos A Rogers). Most of those were salvaged from larger drums - so there was plenty of hide to work with. Most went on collectible banjos that were primarily intended for display.
I don't know any way to whiten old, dirty, hide. Have never tried doing so. I expect that using any harsh chemicals or much abrasion would further weaken and already dry and potentially fragile skin. I've seen old examples of where folks applied a white coating (such as paint or liquid shoe polish). I think that is a bad idea. To me they looked bad and affected the sound (not in a good way).
When going to the trouble and expense to mount a head from scratch, I would much prefer to use a new fresh skin. That way I can get the look I want and am more likely to have of a good-sounding and long-lasting head.
Edited by - jbalch on 04/11/2025 10:34:21
I've used scouring powder, like Ajax, on a moist head with decent results. Didn't really whiten but cleaned it up quite a bit.
This is such a vexing issue that it inspired one of the great bluegrass songs:
Deep Vellum Blues
Old skin heads can be cleaned w/ tepid water & some sparse gentle dish soap. Many soaps & detergents are quite harsh & can strip the skin of much need oils. Even after cleaning w/ the mildest soap a head could need a mild swathing w/ some oil (I've used mink oil & some lighter shoe/boot product). Cleaning will lighten the head, But not necessarily whiten it.
In the "Rogers drum Book" it is mentioned that his heads were sun bleached vs the use of chemicals like his competitors, who made inferior heads.
Edited by - tdennis on 04/11/2025 12:41:28
I have been curious about vellums and have a coinciding question that Ill post here as it it will kill two stones with one bird. If you were to go the sun bleaching route, could you also use bick-4 to make it softer? I use bick-4 on my cowboy boots and the leather seats in my truck. I think it makes the leather on my boots a little darker but not on my truck seats. My truck seats are that light brow/tan ford interior in an 02 f350 Lariat in case you wanted to see the color of the seats.
You don't want to add enough oil to make a head "soft", it will stretch too much & not vibrate properly. A very sparse amount of oil is needed for the fibers, but the head should have some stiffness.
