Rawhide

[Lillian]

NO, not the TV show.

The other day I was able to get to McPherson's Leather in Seattle for the first time since hearing about it. While shopping for sheath leather, I spied rolls of rawhide up on the top of some high shelves. And of course my mind leapt to drum and banjo heads. I mentioned this in Ron's banjo thread and Taffy's ears perked up.

I don't know what the rawhides will run or what is needed for a banjo head, but I'm willing to check them out if someone could let me know what I'm looking for in a rawhide.

[Puff]

Looking for in a rawhide .....Chaps? Martin?
Sorry; really do need to get rid of this Dear Abby frame of mind
Lillian IME synthetic is the way to go for banjo heads unless you can source pig skins that you can actually eyeball and I would only use same as a restoration.
That said there would possibly be nothing wrong with rawhide but getting it through the thicknesser could be "interesting"

[Taffy Evans]

I'll get back to you Lillian, but if the supplier is not aware of what is required for a banjo, might be best for me to leave it , as its a long way to send the wrong stuff. It's bound to be too small for chaps anyway.

Puff , I fit both types of heads, but I have to do what the customer wants.

[Lillian]

Taffy, I can inquire. I was in looking for leather to make a knife sheath for and saw the rolls up on top of the shelf. I was distracted by the table of furs and rolls of chap leather. There were mostly black rolls, but there was a roll of dark purple that make me think of Allen. And of course the sheep skins made me think of Nick and Martin. Once distracted, I didn't think about the raw hide again until I logged in to the forum.

[jeffhigh]

Rawhide is something that quarantine here really cracks down on.
Apparently if you try to bring in a djembe from bali they will just cut the ropes and give you the bare shell or charge an exorbitant amount for fumigation.
Last time i bought skins it was from Birdsall Leather in Sydney

[Craig]

I've always used goat skin when lapping drum and banjo heads. Goat is the norm although some folk use calf skin .
Hopeless on wet or humid days

[Taffy Evans]

I've been using the calf skin heads from Stumac in recent years.