SETTING THE RINGS ON STAVE CONGA

[Kona]

I will be putting the hardware back on the Gon Bops tumba in a few days. I repaired the cracks and put the last coat of finish on this morning.

I read here where I should knock the rings (there are 4) into place - using a mallet and block of wood - before putting the tacks back in place.
It seems simple enought but is there any advice on the best way to approach this? It seems like it may be easy to get a ring a little crocked.

Just thought someone here has maybe done this a few dozen times and could give a few important tips.

An aside:
I primered and very carefully painted the hardware black gloss. But, in the end I did not like the look. I much prefer the look of the unpainted rings, lug plates and lugs against the wood. So I took all the paint off - all my hard work and time down the tube. But I know I will be happier without the black painted hardware. Had to give it a shot....it's all experience.

It's going to be a nice drum when it's finished. I'm keeping the original head for now.

[jorge]

You didn't say where you live. If you live in a location with humid summers and dry winters, you don't want to put the rings on all the way tight until the winter time when the wood shell shrinks and the rings go on further. Gon Bops rings are usually aluminum and break easily, so in the winter just put the rings on hand tight so they don't rattle. When the wood swells again with the summer humidity the rings will get tight. If you put them on too tight in the winter, aluminum Gon Bops rings will pop their rivets in the summer. You can put a layer of good quality cloth tape (narrower than the ring width) on the inside of the ring to dampen the rattling in the winter and allow more expansion in the summer before the rivets pop. Getting the rings on straight requires either a craftsman's eye or careful measurement from the bottom or top at 3 or 4 points around the circumference of the drum, so the distance is the same on all sides. If you live in Hawaii like your name suggests, or in a tropical climate without major seasonal humidity changes, you can use the hammer and woodblock method to pound the rings on tighter right now and not worry about the rings getting loose and rattling in the winter.

[Kona]

Thanks jorge - that's the kind of 'advice' I was looking for.
I live in the Pacific Northwest - Nanaimo,Vancouver Island, BC Canada. We have relatively mild winters here - compared to Northern BC - we get a few weeks - 6-8 - of good hot weather in the summer. I may be moving inland to the Souther Okanagan Valley, BC Canada withing the next few years. The summer there can get 90-100+ in August and I've seen it 20 below for a week or two in the winter. So maybe the hand-tighten with cloth tape between the rings and wood would be the way to go for me?
I chose the name Kona because of some good memories from my younger days when I participated in the Ironman (1984) in Kona Hawaii......it would be nice to live there for a year or two.
Thanks again for the advice