new drum just built

[shortypalmer]

I have been practicing my fold over skin, jut wanted to share, it is the best one i have done so far.

[shortypalmer]

forgot the picture

[bkidd]

nice!

is that skin thin? it looks almost translucent.

also, how do you get the two colors? the head seems almost close to white while the fold-over is much darker.

finally, how does it sound?

best,
-brian

[shortypalmer]

the skin is cow from pakistan, not sure why it appears translucent, must have something to do with stretching it, was wondering that myself, as for thickness i measured that thickness to be 0.85 mm.
sound, outstanding

[teb]

Shorty the skin fold over looks really good. I wish mine looked like that. It's a really nice looking drum. I bet it does sound good. The color difference is curious.

[michi]

I've had this happen with Australian and African skins too. Sometimes, they just dry off with this semi-transparent look, for no discernible reason. It doesn't seem to affect sound or longetivity.

The whiteness of the skin is due to the stretch on it, I suspect. Also, the drum is dark inside, so there isn't anything to see through the stretched part of the skin, making it look opaque, even if it actually were slightly transparent.

Another thing I noticed with some skins is that, occasionally, a skin gets this greenish/yellowish hue after I fit it and while it is still wet. The discoloration is only where the skin is stretched over the bearing edge; everywhere else, it looks normal. Once dry, the discoloration remains, but seems to fade a little over time (but doesn't disappear completely).

The effect seems to be linked to particular skins because I have had it happen or not happen with the same shell to which I fitted different skins over time (and I didn't change any other aspect of my reheading technique). If seen this on different shells that I have reskinned repeatedly too. Sometimes, one shell gets it, sometimes another.

My theory is that the discoloration might be caused by some interaction of the tannins in the wood with particular skins, but I'm not certain. (Tannins normally cause dark brown stains, not greenish/yellowish ones.)

The discoloration doesn't seem to affect sound or longetivity.

Has anyone else seen this?

Shorty, it's difficult to see in the image; did you fit a rope loop underneath the skin flap? That is something I do to get a cleaner finish.

Michi.

[shortypalmer]

i usually do that to hook a handle on, i am going to go back put one in, i think i can, i think i can, i think i can, at least the is the little train said

[Trog]

Nice job Shorty. Did you use the same method to pull the skin down as Michi uses?
That is a nice looking shell as well.
How do they get a rope loop through the skin?

[shortypalmer]

i do not use Michi methods, i just banded it with rubber straps made from a rubber tire tube. it is best to put the handle thing in while the skin is still wet and soft. after it is hard like it is now, not sure, i have not done it with cow before.

[Rhythm House Drums]

Shorty.. I think he means on top of the top ring. If you put a piece of rope on top of the top ring before you fold the skin over it hugs the shell a bit better and gives a nice clean look.

[Rhythm House Drums]

Also, I've never worked with cow that was workable enough to wrap over the ring edge... I wonder what sort of tension those Pakistan hides can handle, and the longevity of them. I have yet to use one. I guess I have a sort of "Pakistan skin on African drum is wrong feeling..." Although I shouldn't, I use deer and build shells from local woods... Just gotta shake the doubt and try a few

[shortypalmer]

hi kevin. actually i did not use a rope under the skin. i was pretty happy with the tightness i got the skin to hug the ropes without that extra piece of rope. the head on the drum in the picture took a lot of pressure, i actually broke two verticals when pulling the head, the skin stayed intact which i was thankful for . the tensile strength on my rope is 750 lbs. it is the first time i have broken a vertical with my rope but i was determined to get the head level which i did. i did end up putting on a loop for a strap to connect, piece of cake after the skin was dry.

[michi]

Shorty.. I think he means on top of the top ring. If you put a piece of rope on top of the top ring before you fold the skin over it hugs the shell a bit better and gives a nice clean look.

Yes, I was referring to a rope loop under the skin fold, sitting in the gap between the crown ring and the shell. I fit one to all the drums I skin because it makes for a nice neat finish.

Also, I've never worked with cow that was workable enough to wrap over the ring edge...

I've done this with both my bougarabou and my dunduns, without any problem:

Bougarabou with cow skin and skin folded over

IMG_0330.JPG (129.35 KiB) Viewed 208 times

Dunduns with cow skin and skin folded over

IMG_4541.JPG (157.38 KiB) Viewed 208 times

Just soak the cow skin long enough (five hours or more), and it will be plenty pliable enough to fold it over. (I pull the skin flap down with temporary verticals, so I get a lot of tension on the flap. I'm not sure how well it would work if you were to just fold it over and wrap it, without applying tension vertically.)

Cheers,

Michi.