High quality rawhide for drums consists of fat, elastin and collagen. Processed properly, it has all the elements necessary for a great sound and long life.
Oils and conditioners can be over applied easily. A natural skin drum head can be saturated to the point of sounding flabby, dead and difficult to tune.
We always recommend allowing the natural oils from hands to condition the skin. In the case of very dry hands, a very light application of environmentally friendly vegetable oil like canola will work annually. Apply with a very soft cloth, and wipe off.
Relieving some tension when not in use will extend the life of the skin.
Pro tip! In order to determine drum shell size, uninstall the head and measure the outside diameter of the bearing edge. Let the tape hang down the side of the shell so that it sits flush against the bearing edge. This is an 11″ quinto.
Happy Juneteenth! Manito Percussion believes in community, love and inclusivity. We are all human.
“On June 19, 1865, freedom finally came for the 250,000 enslaved people of Texas. That day, which would become known as Juneteenth, the Army arrived to enforce what had already been the law of the land for two and a half years — the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, we recognize that Juneteenth not only marks the end of America’s original sin of slavery but also the beginning of the work at the heart and soul of our Nation: making the promise of America real for every American.”
The Emancipation Proclamation
January 1, 1863
By the President of the United States of America:
A Proclamation.
Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:
“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.
“That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States.”
Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit:
Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth[)], and which excepted parts, are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.
And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.
And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.
And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.
Manito is busy roughing a new batch of solid shells to season for next year. He allows the logs to sit outside to acquire spalting before the roughing stage. Spalting is any form of wood coloration caused by fungi. The unique coloration and patterns of spalted wood are highly sought by woodworkers.
We all get older. We all have health problems. We all need help at times in life. We are all part of this wonderful drumming community. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-john-rodriguezs-road-to-recovery
Here’s a before and after. I recently mounted new steer skins on this set of Manito solid shell spalted maple bongos- 1mm on the macho, 1.6mm on the hembra. This was the fourth set of bongos Manito made many years ago. They arrived with a macho skin that had been replaced, and mounted without removing all the folds in the skin.
Here’s another pro tip. When mounting skins on bongos, I always remove the center block. This makes it very easy to mount the skins and trim the excess evenly. I also use 6.25″ mounting lugs, and replace them with the original lugs later.
For those of you that mount your own flat skins on your drums, here’s a pro tip for trimming the excess. I use a utility knife with a ground and deburred hook blade. Deburring is the process of removing the small imperfections known as burrs from machined metal products. This prevents me from accidentally cutting the playing surface. I’ve used this very tool to mount tens of thousands of skins- one of my best friends here in the shop.
