Drumskin

[Wayland]

I've been asked to check out the possibility of making a drum and I was wondering about the skin.

Are these commercially available or would it be best to start from a raw skin.

Anyone ever done this job?

What is the best way to prepare a skin for a drum?

 

[thecalbanner]

i put a skin on a djembe last year an i used raw goat. first soak it and stretch it evenly over metal rings tie it down dry it which will make it taught an shave it with a razor blade (thats a careful job mind) on african drums the centre line of the spine should run vertical on the drum skin when playing. have fun man

 

[JohnC]

I'm sure Eric Methven made a drum or bodhrán before now. He was using some untanned skin...

 

[tombear]

I looked into this a while back but other things got in way.

Traditionallly in Northern Europe vellum made from calf skin was used for military drum skins. I'm told the stuff from Pakistan is no good but the alternatives were prohibitively expensive.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4814566_make-vellum.html

What really put the mockers on it for me was the bodies of the sort of drum I wanted to make where made from steam bent 1/4 inch oak and I lack the facilities, like a boat yard, that can handle
that!

Linen rope was used for tensioning the skin, best bought from a e shop called "bound to please" in my experiance.

Best of luck with it!

Tom

 

[jojo]

You can get English Red Deer rawhide from here to make drumskins.

Sorry, they are out of stock...There is another site, but I can't think of the name at the moment. I'll post when I remember it...That might take some time though....

 

[caliban]

Can you use thin leather treated with hide glue or something?

 

[Bardster]

I have a rawhide goatskin sitting here doing nothing. I bought it many years ago to repair a bohdran and never got round to it. I can bring it along to the moot if required. You can buy them from people like Tandy Leathercraft or the Identity store.

 

[Wayland]

I have a rawhide goatskin sitting here doing nothing. I bought it many years ago to repair a bohdran and never got round to it. I can bring it along to the moot if required. You can buy them from people like Tandy Leathercraft or the Identity store.

I'm very interested in that mate, have a think about price and we'll go from there.

 

[EdS]

Round Green Deer farm - Barnsley would most likley sell you a skin.

ROUND GREEN DEER FARM

*
Great Britain VENISON FARM, ROUND GREEN LANE, WORSBROUGH
S75 3DR BARNSLEY, SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Phone: 01226 205577
fax Fax: 01226 281294
GEO: 53.516105, -1.516087
E-mail: Send message
Homepage: roundgreenfarm.co.uk

 

[DFCA]

Just a little caveat here with drumskins.

I have been known to do a little leatherwork from time to time and have always kept an eye on related things.

I read in a journal some time ago about a drum maker chap in London who had contracted anthrax - they believe from some contamination on goat skins (raw hide not tanned) imported from Africa.

This is anecdotal of course and I can offer no further evidence - it just made me a little more wary of such imports

ATB
Dave

 

[Tadpole]

Just a little caveat here with drumskins.

I have been known to do a little leatherwork from time to time and have always kept an eye on related things.

I read in a journal some time ago about a drum maker chap in London who had contracted anthrax - they believe from some contamination on goat skins (raw hide not tanned) imported from Africa.

This is anecdotal of course and I can offer no further evidence - it just made me a little more wary of such imports

ATB
Dave

His name was Fernando Gomez, he died in 2008

 

[DFCA]

Yes, thats right, a terribly sad story

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5073396.ece

 

[EdS]

and in his case it was not working hte skin that was the source it was removing the hair that relased the antrax spores.And it was a case of cutaneous anthtrax which would of easily been treated wit ha course of antibiotics.

 

[Bardster]

I'm very interested in that mate, have a think about price and we'll go from there.

I'll bring it along to the moot and you can have a look and we'll have a chat

 

[Wayland]

Sounds a good un...

 

[joejoe]

do not know if this any good http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/forums/9