John Croft, Glan Tanat, Llanyblodwel, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 8NQ, England. Tel: (44) 01691 - 828850.
E-Mail: theukuleleman@hotmail.com

How to Change a Vellum.

*** No part of this Article may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the written consent of the Author.***
Copyright by J.E.Croft, August 1st, 2002.

“So, exactly how do I change a vellum?” This is a question that I have been asked many times, so I thought that it was about time that I wrote an article that showed how do do it, and here it is. Before I start, let me say that there is no ONE single accepted way of doing this job, and different people do use different techniques at different stages along the way, but the steps that I have shown in this article have served me well over the years.

In this article I have used a Gibson UB2 banjo uke, which is a fairly easy instrument to on which to fit a new vellum. However, you should be aware that different instruments present different problems in this respect, although the basic steps remain the same. I hope that the following information will help you to take the plunge and to successfully undertake this task for yourself.

Photo 1 shows a banjo uke in what looks like fine condition. It is, but there’s a problem. The vellum is a very nice one indeed but it has, sadly, come to the end of its days. How do I know this? If I tap the vellum in the centre with my fingernail there is a dull sounding ‘thud’ which shows that the vellum needs to be much much tighter. If I press down on the vellum I can depress it much more than I should be able to. Thirdly, the vellum has been tightened to its limit and cannot be tightened any more. Photo 2 shows one of the tension hooks next to the neck of the instrument. The hook is hooked over the top of the plated metal ring called the bezel, and immediately beneath the bezel is a square shaped brass ring called the flesh ring, around which the old vellum is tightly wrapped. Tightening the nut will pull the hook down, which will in turn pull the bezel down onto the flesh ring and tighten the vellum. In this case the vellum can no longer be tightened because the flesh ring is sitting on top of a small ‘ledge’ which is part of the neck. At the back of the instrument the tailpiece is designed to sit on top of the bezel. As you can see in Photo 3 the tailpiece is digging into the vellum and in this case it has actually pierced it through to the wooden hoop. This vellum’s days are well and truly numbered. Here’s what to do.

First of all carefully disassemble your instrument. Remove the resonator (if it has one) first. Next, take off the bridge and the strings and then take off the tailpiece. Remove the neck and place it on one side with the resonator. Then, undo all the tension hooks and remove the bezel and the old vellum. The bezel and vellum usually come off together fairly easily, but they may need some gentle persuasion. Pull the bezel away from the old vellum and you should be left with the following; the hoop (or pot), in this case with the shoes still attached (Photo 4); all the metal parts from your instrument (Photo 5), and the old vellum still attached to its flesh ring (Photo 6).

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