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Different skin colours and textures?

PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 8:06 pm
by drbongo42
Can anyone explain why some conga heads are almost transparent and others are completely opaque? I assume they are either treated differently or from a different animal? Are there ways to tell what sort of rawhide you have by looking? And what properties do the different types have. Some of my congas have almost transparent heads and are quite rough, others are pure white and very smooth... Tried googling but can't find anything useful...

Re: Different skin colours and textures?

PostPosted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 5:40 am
by Thebreeze
Some skins that are pure white go through a bleaching process to make them that way. Some drum manufacturers would do this to have an even clean look to their drums. I think that this process makes the heads dry out quicker as the oils get removed. As far as your drums with the rough heads... When I put a head on a drum that has a rough head I like to smooth it out by using some Wet/dry sandpaper on it. Say about 400 grit, dipped into some water, then starting at the center of the head in a circular motion, wetting the sandpaper as you go along. every so often wipe it with a clean rag and feel the head and you will notice it is getting much smoother than what you started with.