Getting - A - Head

Okay I received my package from Elderly containing pretty well everything I need to finish off the banjo.

Decide to go right for the thing I am dreading the worst - attaching the skin to the gourd (**gasp**)

Went out and got some plain upholstery tacks, and read and re-read David Hyatts gourd banjo manual to get in my mind how I am going to tackle this.

First things first I fill up my trusty plastic recycling container with some water and soak the goat skin (I could have gotten calfskin I guess, but this was cheaper). It takes a few minutes to get pliable, and then I am ready to rock and roll.

Basically get the top coated with some glue, and wipe the excess water off the skin. Then place the skin roughly where you want it, and push in one tack. This will be your 12 o'clock starting position. Pull the skin as tight as you can in the 6 o'clock direction, and pull it is as tight as you think you can, but not hard enough to crack the gourd. Place in another tack. Then repeat at 3 and 6 o'clock.

Start going around clockwise from 12 o'clock, and pulling and pushing in tacks. If you get to the tacks you already put in and the skin is bunching up around it, stop and tack the tack out and re-tack it. Keep going until you get back to 12 o'clock.

At this point trim off the excess skin with a razor blade. I didn't have one handy so I used my utility knife. Don't do this. I thought it would be sharp enough, but I made a mess of head. Nothing to major, but definitely not as precise as I would have liked!

Okay go ahead and let the skin dry for 24 hours. Don't touch it or tap it, or play in like a bongo, no matter how tempting, because you stretch the hell out of it! This definitely was the hardest part for me ;-)