do u have a video on tuning tunable Bodhrans , because most of the videos ive watched off other peoples are all quite poor quality & hard to hear how the drum is meant to sound?
I tried using pure lanolin (Lansinoh) on a cheap Bodhrán yesterday (and overnight) with great results, similar to the dubbin. Used the same steps Michelle has given. It's really important to work the lanolin in the skin. It takes quite sometime considering how stiff the stuff is.
Bag Balm would seem a good conditioner - it's mostly a combination of lanolin and petroleum jelly and is intended for cows but people use it for everything from cuts & scratches to lubricating mechanical parts. Some of the pharmacies and grocery stores here in Seattle carry it and I know you can get it in New England. BTW - great videos! Can't wait for my first Bodhran to arrive in the mail!
I have a new tunable drum with tape on the playable side. Which side do I put the conditioner on? I am concerned treatment will cause the tape to come off.
After scouring the internet for advice I settled on lanolin to treat the skin of my drum, which is very, very tight. I used the product Lansinoh, which is sold as a breastfeeding cream but is supposedly one of the purest forms of lanolin available. I let it sit 10 hours before wiping off the sticky excess. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a noticeable different in my skin tension. Could be it was just THAT dry.
How often would you recommendI treat it? Live in SK, so at our most humid now.
Do you think Burt's Bees Hand Salve could be used? It has Sweet Almond Oil,, Olive Oil, Beeswax, tocopheryl acetate & tocopheryl (vitamin E), comfrey root extract, rosemary oil & leave extract, lavandin oil & flower extracts, eucalyptus oil. I didn't know if any of the above would weaken the skin or not. It works wonders on my hands after a night of drumming on my Djembe.
Canada: 'Arctic Dubbin' is mink oil and silicone. UK: ' Kiwi camp dry Mink Oil ' is exactly that. I use it on my Belgarth tuneable Bodhran ; applied as per your video. Im sure there are other good alternatives as well.
Nice video ! I wish I had seen this a few years ago. I started carrying a little plastic film carrier with some cotton balls soaked with neats foot oil along with another one with water. Over the years the bodhran has been sounding better and better and I don't have to
treat it as often as when it was new. b zero dhran
i've had my drum for 2 months now and its been feeling a bit dry. today i put some bodhran cream (with lanolin) on it, how often should i do this? can i over do it?
Also I have a cheaper non tunable Bodhran that was scratchy, I took 800 grit sand paper and lightly sanded the surface taking care around the edges and it made a world of difference. it does not thin the skin, just takes off the rough surface as would with a lot of playing.
I took the advice similar to this that I've read and treated my fairly crappy nontuneable with a pure lanolin called Lansinoh, a product you can find in the baby aisle of the drugstore (it's for breast-feeding mothers). It improved the sound, reduced scratchiness, and I don't have to wet the skin constantly as I was. It has made my inexpensive bodhran a much more tolerable instrument to learn on. Thanks for all the great advice!
Good vid. I have a tunable Belgarth, 9 months old. The thick skin is proving difficult to break in for a hobbyist like me. Lanolin didn't make any difference. Neatsfoot oil improved the "feel" (it's now less scratchy) but the thin oil REALLY darkened the white Belgarth skin. Kinda feels like I ruined a nice looking drum! And I still need to wet the skin each time I play - like drdrummer2, I find the tuning mechanism just doesn't go low enough. Love your videos Michelle, keep posting!
Neatsfoot Oil is good. Available at Saddle and Tack shops (Horse supplies) for about $9 per quart. Let's see... at a tablespoon per treatment, I should be covered for life. :-)
Good information on skin treatment. I treated mine with Shea butter but I didn't rub off the excess. I have a tuneable Bodhran but the pitch was still too high even with the tuners loose. The treatment lowered the base pitch so now I don't have to put as much water on it.
do u have a video on tuning tunable Bodhrans , because most of the videos ive watched off other peoples are all quite poor quality & hard to hear how the drum is meant to sound?
MotorheadDrew 2 months ago
I tried using pure lanolin (Lansinoh) on a cheap Bodhrán yesterday (and overnight) with great results, similar to the dubbin. Used the same steps Michelle has given. It's really important to work the lanolin in the skin. It takes quite sometime considering how stiff the stuff is.
zsyrinx 10 months ago
Bag Balm would seem a good conditioner - it's mostly a combination of lanolin and petroleum jelly and is intended for cows but people use it for everything from cuts & scratches to lubricating mechanical parts. Some of the pharmacies and grocery stores here in Seattle carry it and I know you can get it in New England. BTW - great videos! Can't wait for my first Bodhran to arrive in the mail!
uhklem 1 year ago
I have a new tunable drum with tape on the playable side. Which side do I put the conditioner on? I am concerned treatment will cause the tape to come off.
rekirkman 1 year ago
After scouring the internet for advice I settled on lanolin to treat the skin of my drum, which is very, very tight. I used the product Lansinoh, which is sold as a breastfeeding cream but is supposedly one of the purest forms of lanolin available. I let it sit 10 hours before wiping off the sticky excess. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a noticeable different in my skin tension. Could be it was just THAT dry.
How often would you recommendI treat it? Live in SK, so at our most humid now.
Gr8tBlueHeron 1 year ago
I just want to thank you for all the effort you put into your lessons. I think you're great! Easy on the eyes as well. Thanks again.
bobthewoodguy 1 year ago
Excellent video, thank you so much.
ozarkboy55 2 years ago
Thanks for posting these videos, it is really helping me! I was wonder would misting water with a spray bottle work?
Stix1800 2 years ago
Do you think Burt's Bees Hand Salve could be used? It has Sweet Almond Oil,, Olive Oil, Beeswax, tocopheryl acetate & tocopheryl (vitamin E), comfrey root extract, rosemary oil & leave extract, lavandin oil & flower extracts, eucalyptus oil. I didn't know if any of the above would weaken the skin or not. It works wonders on my hands after a night of drumming on my Djembe.
ArkayemStudios 2 years ago
Canada: 'Arctic Dubbin' is mink oil and silicone. UK: ' Kiwi camp dry Mink Oil ' is exactly that. I use it on my Belgarth tuneable Bodhran ; applied as per your video. Im sure there are other good alternatives as well.
thanks Michelle.
DelaneyODubhshlaine 2 years ago
how often should we apply this to our drums Michelle?
cowpooca 2 years ago
Nice video ! I wish I had seen this a few years ago. I started carrying a little plastic film carrier with some cotton balls soaked with neats foot oil along with another one with water. Over the years the bodhran has been sounding better and better and I don't have to
treat it as often as when it was new. b zero dhran
b0dhran 2 years ago
i've had my drum for 2 months now and its been feeling a bit dry. today i put some bodhran cream (with lanolin) on it, how often should i do this? can i over do it?
beanybo0 2 years ago
how often should you apply this to your drum?
cowpooca 2 years ago
I have used pure Lanolin cream to good success.
Also I have a cheaper non tunable Bodhran that was scratchy, I took 800 grit sand paper and lightly sanded the surface taking care around the edges and it made a world of difference. it does not thin the skin, just takes off the rough surface as would with a lot of playing.
earthspiritflutes 2 years ago
I took the advice similar to this that I've read and treated my fairly crappy nontuneable with a pure lanolin called Lansinoh, a product you can find in the baby aisle of the drugstore (it's for breast-feeding mothers). It improved the sound, reduced scratchiness, and I don't have to wet the skin constantly as I was. It has made my inexpensive bodhran a much more tolerable instrument to learn on. Thanks for all the great advice!
rlane1212 3 years ago
Good vid. I have a tunable Belgarth, 9 months old. The thick skin is proving difficult to break in for a hobbyist like me. Lanolin didn't make any difference. Neatsfoot oil improved the "feel" (it's now less scratchy) but the thin oil REALLY darkened the white Belgarth skin. Kinda feels like I ruined a nice looking drum! And I still need to wet the skin each time I play - like drdrummer2, I find the tuning mechanism just doesn't go low enough. Love your videos Michelle, keep posting!
davbuk 3 years ago
Neatsfoot Oil is good. Available at Saddle and Tack shops (Horse supplies) for about $9 per quart. Let's see... at a tablespoon per treatment, I should be covered for life. :-)
folboteur 3 years ago
Hmmm, lanolin...I think I have some left over from nursing days!! ;-)
Thanks for this video Mickey! Will look for the dubbin at the home hardware!
ianjenny99 3 years ago
Good information on skin treatment. I treated mine with Shea butter but I didn't rub off the excess. I have a tuneable Bodhran but the pitch was still too high even with the tuners loose. The treatment lowered the base pitch so now I don't have to put as much water on it.
drdrummer2 3 years ago
Great. I didn't know about that. I think I'll give it a try, soon.
klickstarter 3 years ago