Conga Skins + Rain =

[luv4congas]

What happens to your conga skins when it rain for lets say..... A month straight! Last winter all my skins just absorbed all the moister in the air and sounded like crap for months even when tuned, now winter is just around the corner .

[bongobro]

Move over, L4C, and I'll cry with ya, bro'......Midwestern humidity does awful things to skins...I've had times in my church group when the drums sounded awesome during rehearsal but awful during a service. (I keep a wrench with me at all times nowadays!)

If you haven't thought of it, look into a dehumidifier for the room where you're keepin' your congas. Sounds like you've got a moisture problem in the room (whether it's the rain itself or moisture from the house itself doesn't matter; as you know yourself, moisture is moisture no matter where it comes from). You may have to experiment with how much moisture you have to remove, but a dehumidifier may help you keep the congas in tune between gigs.

If you're using bags to store them between gigs. of course, that'll help, too...

Keep rockin' them congas, man!

[BongoCajon]

I hear ya. The moisture is picking up in this area too and the skins are tuning down and sounding hollow. I just crank it up again...oh well. Summer we miss you!!!

[luv4congas]

Wow BB, a dehumidifier hmmm.... I never thought about that, I'll have to try it. Leedy2 you mentioned a stenal, I don't think I ever seen one but I will look into it. I'll definitly miss the summer BC, humidity is one thing but when you get the long storms coming in one after another the kind thats put mold on your walls is a real bummer. I've been looking at Remo nuskyns just for the winter even though I'm not fond of plastic heads It may be better than nothing during the rainy months. What your take on Remo Heads?

[BongoCajon]

Wow BB, a dehumidifier hmmm.... I never thought about that, I'll have to try it. Leedy2 you mentioned a stenal, I don't think I ever seen one but I will look into it. I'll definitly miss the summer BC, humidity is one thing but when you get the long storms coming in one after another the kind thats put mold on your walls is a real bummer. I've been looking at Remo nuskyns just for the winter even though I'm not fond of plastic heads It may be better than nothing during the rainy months. What your take on Remo Heads?

I have no experience or knowledge about Remo heads but I bet BB does.

[bongobro]

Humidity is a killer for skin's. Best to keep drums in a cool dry place helps, also heat from winter month's here in north east is another killer must apply a mosterizer such as coco butter or hand lotion so skins don't dry up.It dame if you do and dame if you don't situation. One thing if playing in humid place carry a stenal with you put in drum few min. helps with humidity just like olden day's.Also un tune drums when not in use save skin from stretching out when mositure in air or if heat from over tunning

leedy, are you talking about STERNO--a brand name, BTW, for the jellied alcohol a/k/a "canned heat" as one would use for keeping food warm in a chafing dish at a buffet? DON'T DO IT. I agree that heating the drum would help tighten the head by drying out the skin--but it takes only seconds to damage the head from too much heat--and you have to deal with the fire hazard (alcohol burns with an almost-colorless flame) and making sure the Sterno can is closed and the flame is OUT before you do anything else. Might be safer to use a small lamp with, say, a 40-watt incandescent bulb if you go that route...

Wow BB, a dehumidifier hmmm.... I never thought about that, I'll have to try it. Leedy2 you mentioned a stenal, I don't think I ever seen one but I will look into it. I'll definitly miss the summer BC, humidity is one thing but when you get the long storms coming in one after another the kind thats put mold on your walls is a real bummer. I've been looking at Remo nuskyns just for the winter even though I'm not fond of plastic heads It may be better than nothing during the rainy months. What your take on Remo Heads?

I have no experience or knowledge about Remo heads but I bet BB does.

L4C, a dehumidifier may cost from $75 to $100, but it'll help ya big-time...

BC, the head on my Remo Pancho Sanchez tumba has NEVER, EVER been affected by humidity or temperature changes. It's the one I've had for years, and it's been rocked hard twice a week (or more) since 2004. Some people have had problems with the layers delaminating, but I haven't--and the sound of the NuSkyn2 head is indistinguishable from the Hand Picked heads on my CP quinto and conga.

Play 'em for yourself, if you can, bro', because they do feel different than real skins...

[PsyAbi]

Hey Cuco,

I've got an old tackhead exactly like the one Ubaldo Nieto is standing next to. It may even be the same tumba because I've never seen another one just like it! I don't play it often but when I do I use a light bulb. I always wanted to tune it by a fire and wipe off the soot with rum but never have.

I'm restoring the old set of walnut 1930's Cuban bongos I got from you. The repaired hembra won't take the stress of modern hardware so I either have to reinforce the shell somehow or I'm considering turning it back into a tackhead.

I really like playing the old tackheads and the old tuning methods. The sound changes as you play but I never think of it as "going out of tune"

I'm on the road now but will post some pictures in about 6 weeks when I get back and have time.

[bongobro]

Leedy--great history on tackhead tuning, and you expanded on why Sterno and lamp bulbs--even open fires!--were used to tighten soggy skins!

I just wanted to remind hand drummers who haven't done it the way it was done back in the day that it's somethin' you don't want to mess with if you don't know what you're doin'...

And bro', I dig those vintage congas in the pics you've shared with us! (Kinda looks like the conga I use as my signature pic!) Share 'em if ya got 'em (the pics, at least)...

[luv4congas]

I noticed one other thing that has an affects on tuning besides Sterno, lamp bulbs, candles, heat and sunny days… barometric pressure. The higher the pressure the tighter my drums get but if there is a low coming in even with the sun shining the drums start to loosen up. BTW Leedy2 nice pics of the old tack heads, they look like old folkloric art!
L4C

[bongobro]

Here are two vintage drums a friend of mine own's and is in process of referbishing them. These are drums from the 30-40's at one time saw alot of heat from open fires to you name it.Can see burning of skin though years and dryness of wood incredibal to last this long.The owner of these drum is an excellent wood worker I love to see what they look like after he finishes them he was thought by one of best conga manufactors Junior Tirado.One thing that was also used back then that I for got to mention to smoothout skin's candle wax and a hot iron .These drum are chard inside from all the heating yet still can go another few more years, needs glue and new skin's and refinish of wood.



One thing like bongobro said if you have never done this do not mess with modern drum do not need this to be done so don,t intent to do if you do not know can damage to skins and cause fires so don't try if you don't know

Leedy, I dig that multi-color conga...looks like somethin' straight from "I Love Lucy," and I bet Desi Arnaz would feel right at home playin' "Babalu" on either one of them!

I noticed one other thing that has an affects on tuning besides Sterno, lamp bulbs, candles, heat and sunny days… barometric pressure. The higher the pressure the tighter my drums get but if there is a low coming in even with the sun shining the drums start to loosen up. BTW Leedy2 nice pics of the old tack heads, they look like old folkloric art!
L4C

Makes sense, L4C--higher barometric pressure is associated with fair and dry weather, and usually milder temperatures. Lower pressure often brings in moisture that leads to rain or snow....and that of course detunes the skins faster than anything. Good call, bro'!