Head installation (new calfskin mounted)
Mounting a premium calfskin head, on a superb vintage banjo, is one of the most rewarding things to me, in banjo restoration.
It also poses a goodly challenge.
I asked Julie Bernunzio, at Bernunzio Vintage Instruments, to "hand pick" me a nice vellum, and she did not dissappoint me.
This one was a 9.5, for quality, with a .5 deducted only for a short "margin"
I'll explain as I go.
First, I pre-wet the skin, but not "oversoak"
This can cause a "hairy" surface, that must be addressed, when dry.
Then, I add th flesh ring, allowing for the skin to be pinched,
but it must not be set too low, for you will end up with too high of a
crown, that will cause problems, and lessen life, by pulling down to max,
prematurely, over time.
On a BD, I go down about 1/8", to end up, at medium crown, just
when hoop is down far enough to clear the strings with head tight.
I'll show this on down the page
When installing the tension hoop, I get one hook started, with a
few threads.
If factory hooks are too short for this, you must use extended
hooks.
This first hook allows you to move around the head, pulling in the
slack
This factory hook worked
Now, the .5 deduction, is because the
is very little "margin" to grip onto, and pull under the hoop.
I would like about 3/4", this is about 1/2"
Hard for the beginner, no prob for me.
After pulling in some margin, I add another hook, this time, an
overlength one, so I do not pinch down so far as to make pulling the margin
under too difficult.
You can see under the hoop, where the slack is around flesh ring?
After you have a few hooks in, you can pull up on the margin, sucking
it against the ring
6 hooks, and full margin
Hoop is leveled, as in equal pull on all sides, so the tightening
can begin, ending up with a equal pull down on all sides
Now with the oversize hooks pulling down, I can begin to get factory
hooks in, all with the same amount of thread at fist, to stay equal.
You work around clockwise, for this procedure
With all hooks in, equally pulled down
As you can see, at th cutout in the hoop, I still have a 1/8" rise,
perfect for pulling down when cured, so it will be level, or a little lower.
Too high, means excessive tightening, to bring it down, causing
possible tear, and too low, makes for short life in adjustments.
This is very important, to end up like this each time.
Now with FRESH razor blade, you push hard against hoop, right at
periphery, trimming the "flash"
You want a clean cut, and a margin that is at head level
Change ends of razor blade, at first sign of "drag"
Fully trimmed, and ready to cure.
Do not rush this with high heat.
A couple of 100 watt bulbs, and 2-3 days of drying, yields better
end results.
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