by jorge » Mon Sep 10, 2018 11:54 pm
Yeah, not many people know to put the macho skin on with the rim so high up like that. That is the best way so once you play them and get the macho broken in, it pulls down to 1/4" or 1/2" below the bearing edge and stays there, which is perfect long term. If you put the skin on with the rim already 1/2" or more below the bearing edge, it can pull down too low as it breaks in and becomes hard to tune and breaks more easily, plus wears out your lugs faster.
The one thing is, now you have to PLAY YOUR BONGOS to break in the skins!
Sun is nice, but mild heat near a radiator works well too. Warm not hot. Patience is important like you said. The one thing you don't want to do is tune up the macho while the skin is still damp in the high stress area between the rim and the shell. That area is the last to dry, and is hard to tell if it is completely dry in there. If you tune it up before it dries you can weaken or partially tear the skin in that area and it won't last. Sometimes if I am in a hurry I even take the skin off to check and make sure the skin is bone dry in that area, then put it back on immediately and leave it a few more days or tune it up.
Since you are in NYC, you have access to some GREAT bongoceros to learn from, so you are all set.