Attaching the skin

Four disks of goat skin, measured and cut.

The skins now need to be soaked in water for several hours (one at a time, unless you are into production-lining). I find six to eight hours is enough.

If the water gets a bit stinky, you might want to change it a few times. I

generally soak overnight and attach the skin in the morning, or soak in the morning and attach the skin in the evening.

The skins will bloat and become floppy and pliable.

Before attaching the skin, rub a candle around the rim of the drum.

This will help stop the skin from sticking to the rim as the skin dries, which will make it easier to adjust the tension on the skin later on.

Now place the skin on a clean table, preferably on a towel or something. The playing surface (the outside or hairy side of the skin) should be face up.

Place the flesh ring on top of the skin. I wrap my flesh ring to protect the skin from any sharp bits, maybe not necessary.

Place the top rope ring on top of the flesh ring and tuck the skin in between the two rings. Try to make this a neat as possible.

Some people talk of stitching thread or rawhide across from one side to the other. around the ring, to hold it all together and apply gentle tension. I dont find this necessary.

Now gently pick up the skin and rings, and turn them over, so that the playing surface is facing down, the flesh ring is on top of the rope ring, and the skin is still tucked in around.

Place the drum, upside down, on top of the skin.

It should slip down into the rings.

If you haven't made the rings sufficiently big enough for the drum to fit inside, this is where you will start to have trouble.

If it's a tight fit, that is it will be big enough when the skin is dry, but it's tight now that it is wet, you might be able to pull the rings down when you start lacing the drum.

Now set the third ring in place, and place the lower rope ring on top of it (remember, the drum is upside down). Measure the distance between both rope rings, multiply by two times the number of loops around either rope ring (this is the number of verticals) and add a couple of meters for the mali weave.

This is how much rope you will need for the lacing.

I purchase 4mm drum chord (in Australia) from www.ropeonline.com.au

This photo shows two styles of weaving the verticals. At the top of the photo, the verticals simply go through the loops on the rope ring, at the bottom of the photo the vertical passes from one loop into the neighboring loop before changing direction. In general, I prefer the latter method on both upper and lower rope rings as this separates the verticals and produces a more even Mali weave later on.

Continue lacing the verticals around the drum. Don't pull on any tension at this time, just get the rope into place. If you run out of rope before you finish, you will have to take up some tension just to get enough rope to finish the loose verticals.

Making sure the lower rings are seated evenly and horizontal, start to take up some tension as you go around the drum.

Pay particular care that the top rings also remain horizontal as they pull down over the side of the rim. You want to seat the upper rings a couple of cm below the rim so that the rings wont get in the way of your hands when you are playing.

Don't pull too tight at this stage, you are only trying to seat the rings and smooth out the skin.

If the rings aren't horizontal, or you are not happy with how it went, loosen off the verticals, make adjustments and go around taking up the slack again.

With a sharp pair of scissors, go around the drum and cut the selvage away, as close to the top ring as you can.

It doesn't matter is a small bit is left sticking out, we will deal with that in the next step.

With a blunt instrument (I'm using the rounded end of a tea spoon), go around the drum and poke the remaining selvage back down between the drum and the top ring. It will stay there and dry hard.