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i'm just wonderin what is the best type of skin for a conga, i'm askin cause I make drums and generally use goat skin, which is the easiest to acces, and is fairly thin after i stretch it to fit. but should the skin be a thicker one for more stability?
and what are the propper dimensions of congas, or does it really matter as long as their barrel shaped.

Hello Timo Calf skin has been used for a long time,also Mule skin(from the stomach area,because it's thicker there) which is a hard skin on the hands but the sound it gets is great!.Today they are now using (unfortunatly) water buffalo skin from Thailand. Kip or goat is used more for Bata drums and bongos. dimensions are anywhere from 28 inches in height to 30 inches. You will need a lathe,for the drum shaping etc. are you bending the wood? and How? What glue will you use for the staves? How many staves per conga shell, based on size? these are questions I don't know if you asked yourself . I'd like to know about your progress and if you need help, I'm at your service...JC JOHNNY CONGA....

hi JC.
i just made the conga shape ready earlier today, I used 20 staves for the conga shell, little less than 2" a piece, i wasn't too sure what would be the best way to shat the staves for bending, but i used a plane for that.
and just put them into a metal ring from the top end and then use ropes to bend the staves, i also inserted two other metal rings onto the bottom and middle of the conga to stabilize it. tomorrow i'll do the gluing, i'm using water and heat resistant glue which i think should work. and also use a lathe for the finnished shape. i'll see what happens!!?
if you suggest anything to improve the quality, i'll be very thank full.
also i have made a few drums from the acave plant though they may not be perfect they sound all right,
and a few from staves which ( unfortunatly ) are straight. and the one i made today was my first try to bend the staves, so i wasn't really sure how to reach the best results. oh yaeh, what's the best type of wood for congas, because i'v used pine (sadly) , mostly because i don't have anything else available at the moment. so thank's .

Timo you may want to add what they call in Cuba "La alma" or the Cuban hoop which goes on the inside top of the drum to keep it from "Egging " and it will maintain it's roundness. I would like to see a foto of the drum when your finished...OK? JC JOHNNY CONGA....

JC .. thanks i did that and it's not egging , anyway ill send you a picture once i'm finished, and once i figure how to get on the computer. where should i send it to , your e-mail?

Hi timo. It depends on the drum size. Most old master conga drummers used to use mule skin. Can't get it anymore.

Thick skins make more of a boomy sound. Thin skins are good for high-pitched sounds. Medium skins are good for both, and you want your drum to always sound like that hollow bell sound.

It's hard to answer your question about dimensions, because tumbas are bigger than congas, and congas are bigger than a quinto.

whats the best way to get the hair of skins, i'v tried some stuff but i never get all the hair off, this is not really a problem because it wares off over time, but usually takes long to ware off on the outside
(closer to edge) of the skin. so how do i get the skin smooth?

Soak the skins in hot water then use a straight razor to shave the skin. Mule skin from the stomach is good skin thick and hard. then cow or in some instances pigskin which is thick also. The best wood is oak,phillipine mahogany,birch,and maple for congas. In Cuba they use the "Ceiba" tree. size of heads should be 11 inch 12and 1/4 and 12 and 3/4 to 14 inch head round. So the three are quinto- conga- and -tumba. If u can get any Horseglue mix it in with the other glue but not with the water base. at ur service...JC JOHNNY CONGA....

I believe that for boats (where you also bend staves) they use a process where you steam heat the wood and then bend it.... not sure exactly.... just wanted to point out cause boatmaking probably has more written reference material out there than drum making.
-bb

yeah, they use high pressure steam presses to bend staves for congas, also the companys which mass produce congas, like LP, Pearl, make their congas from laminated wood, laminating about two or three pieces so that the staves are more durable and dont break so easy .( the staves stay bent even when there not on the drum), i just soak the wood for a day or two and then bend them, (cant afford fancy steam presses), i havent found a way to easily laminate the wood, (yet) this would take making right kinds of moulds for the staves, also it makes better for shaped congas.

Timo u can also use polyurethane to coat the shells. The kind they use on Bowling Alley floors. U can spray it on or dip the shells in a barrel of it. they would be coated in side and out if dipped, sprayed on, just the outside....My quinto has 18 staves and 11 inch head.....my conga has...18 staves also,though the head is 11 1/4 inch...my tumba has...20 staves and the head is 12 1/4 inch...JC JOHNNY CONGA...

my quinto has 20 staves the heads about little less than 11" (28 cm), but its not too good, (since it's straight), and my reguinto also has 20 staves,
its like 9 1/2" or something like that (25.5 cm) but its only about 25" high (67 cm)
both have goat skin on them and are pine wood,(not too good), and there both made from scrap wood( thats why the requinto is so small, didnt have long wood left for it), and extra steel parts i find in the wood shop i work in,
(alltogether they both cost me about ษ-30)
self made is allways the cheapest.

(Edited by timo at 1:28 pm on Dec. 25, 2001)

Timo are they "Tack Head" or u added keys? ......JC JOHNNY CONGA....

JC there keys, otherwise i cant tune them, also i made a bongo earlier this month, i send the pictures as soon as i can (i dont own a scanner, or a digital camera).

JohnnyConga wrote:Soak the skins in hot water then use a straight razor to shave the skin.

i'm not sure i know what you mean, what kind of razor is it?
i'v tried the normal ones you get from any store but they never seem to work, plus they cut the skin easily, or do you mean one of the oldstyle two headed razors which cut thruogh
anything.