Skin and Head FAQ

[Jibaro]

Some questions about skins and heads - thanks for any responses.

1. Skins come in different sizes - I typically see 18", 20", or 22" rounds. Would an 18" skin be big enough for a 14" drum (just an example)? What's the advice there? What would be too big or too small?

2. Flesh hoops: seems like the outside edge of the bottom of the rim should be about the same diameter as the inside edge of the flesh hoop - right? So the bare hoop would just fit inside the bare rim? Is there a better rule for sizing these if you need to buy a new hoop and don't have one to match existing?

3. Suppose a guy wanted to have his skins on most of the time but wanted to put on synthetic heads one weekend a month or something... can they be swapped back and forth pretty quickly once they're set - or is this a bad idea? Do you have to soak the skin head to soften it up a little bit each time?

4. Some skin suppliers say they'll pick out the best skins for your particular purpose - I infer that means type of music, type of environment, etc, makes sense. But if you're getting say, a set of steer hides - what else are they looking for? Maybe a little bit thicker (0.1mm?) for the tumba than the quinto but is there more to it than that? How likely is it that buying skins from such a supplier would be a lot better than just buying the top three steer skins on the pile from somebody else?

Thanks everybody. I really appreciate this forum.

[Mike]

ad 1.: As a rule of thumb 18" flat skin for an 11" quinto = no prob, any thing else could be difficult if you are not very experienced. I once did a 14" skin on a quinto, but that was pretty hard, and of course with little spare skin, you cannot get the skin down all that much.
20-22" is good for conga / tumba, but that also depends on the type of rim and the exact diameter of the drum.
Again, the general question is how much down you want the rim to sit!

ad 2.: Roughly speaking, you are right, but the actual relationship of flesh hoop/skin wire and rim measurements depends on brand.

ad 3. My answer: the snug seating of a natural skin, the adjustment is what I am after,
so I would never want to sacrifice a tightly positioned skin by swapping skins.
You´d better collect a bunch of different sets....

ad 4. it is you who decides what you skin want after all, so being picky is OK.
But if you absolutely trust a quality seller from good experience, he wont trick you, so?


Hope this helps a bit.

[Jibaro]

Thanks Mike.

Yes, I knew the answer to #3 would be to buy more drums!

[pdxisbest]

Isn't that always the answer?

[Mike]

Thanks Mike.

Yes, I knew the answer to #3 would be to buy more drums!

You know, gear acquiring syndrome does not exist without a reason,
it is good to have justification - the question is if others, especially girlfriends & wives think the same
Seriously though, different settings call for different drums.

[jorge]

Some questions about skins and heads - thanks for any responses.

1. Skins come in different sizes - I typically see 18", 20", or 22" rounds. Would an 18" skin be big enough for a 14" drum (just an example)? What's the advice there? What would be too big or too small?

I just put an 18" skin on a 13" tumbadora, it was really tight and a bit more difficult to do than if the skin were bigger. Thicker skins are a little harder to put on. In places there was no excess skin to cut off, so cutting the skin off was more difficult. I seriously doubt you could get an 18" skin on a 14" drum. If the skin were thin, maybe, but then it would have lots of high harmonics and overtones for a tumbadora. If it is a barril de bomba, that sound might be fine but it would still be a challenge to get it on if you could. Figure 11/4" from the bearing edge to the flesh hoop, plus 1/2" around the flesh hoop, and 1/2" up to the top of the outer ring, that is 21/4" x 2 = 41/2" added to the 14" diameter, so you would need at minimum 181/2" without having any skin to pull up on and cut off. Add another 1" all around and you want about 201/2" flat skin for a 14" drum, 22" would be better.

2. Flesh hoops: seems like the outside edge of the bottom of the rim should be about the same diameter as the inside edge of the flesh hoop - right? So the bare hoop would just fit inside the bare rim? Is there a better rule for sizing these if you need to buy a new hoop and don't have one to match existing?

Flesh hoop fit inside the outer rim is critical. Too small and your skin may eventually slip inside the outer rim. Too large and you won't be able to fit the skin between the flesh hoop and the V-shaped brackets the lugs hook on to. If you can, put the flesh hoop inside your outer rim and make sure there is just 1 skin thickness between the outer edge of the flesh hoop and the inside of the V-shaped brackets all around. The soaked thicker skin will be tight, but should fit and will be fine when it dries down to original thickness. If the outer rim does not have V-shaped brackets, I don't know the answer, I have only put skins on traditional drums.

3. Suppose a guy wanted to have his skins on most of the time but wanted to put on synthetic heads one weekend a month or something... can they be swapped back and forth pretty quickly once they're set - or is this a bad idea? Do you have to soak the skin head to soften it up a little bit each time?

I agree with the others, get another drum. Taking skins off and putting them back on frequently can cause too much wear and tear on the part of the skin that goes against the bearing edge. Re-soaking too often would also damage the skin. If you like the sound of your skin, play it a lot but process it as little as possible.

4. Some skin suppliers say they'll pick out the best skins for your particular purpose - I infer that means type of music, type of environment, etc, makes sense. But if you're getting say, a set of steer hides - what else are they looking for? Maybe a little bit thicker (0.1mm?) for the tumba than the quinto but is there more to it than that? How likely is it that buying skins from such a supplier would be a lot better than just buying the top three steer skins on the pile from somebody else?

Picking a skin is more art than science, so either find a really experienced drum artisan or old drummer who really knows skins, or you will have to trust your supplier. Other things being equal, 0.1 mm won't make much difference in sound, and thickness is not the only important variable. Density of the skin, flexibility, thickness, vein pattern, evenness and unevenness, belly or back, oiliness can all change the sound and an experienced drummer who also knows skins may be able to consider all those characteristics and make the best choice. Or not. I have had master drum makers who knew the sound I was looking for put on a skin that did not sound at all like what they expected, and I wound up changing skins after finding out that "breaking it in" didn't do it. Usually they are right on target, but there are factors that make it a bit unpredictable. Sometimes you can salvage a too-thin skin that doesn't sound good on a big drum by putting it on a smaller drum, where it may sound better. I try to save an offcut of skin and write which drum on it, so if I like the sound I can try to get a similar skin 10 years later when it is time to replace it. This hassle and unpredictability is why you don't want to mess with a skin you like, as in #3.