subculturalgirl

I think I'm going to take your advice and contact a professional. Possibly bring them into someone on my next trip to Minneapolis. I really don't want to risk destroying them with my own incompetance. Haha.

Thanks for all the advice! I also am hesitant to try restoring it on my own. But I live in a small town, not near any cities, and there's no where I can bring it to ask what I should do. Since one of you said gazelle hide, and after looking at it a bit more, I'm starting to lean towards that. There's a small band of hair around the very edge of the drum that I hadn't looked at very well. But now that I do, it does not look like zebra hair. It's all just dark brown. So I think gazelle is probably more accurate.

Anyone? No? Come on! Someone MUST have some suggestions for what I should do with this thing...

I am in posession of an old wooden drum made in Africa. My grandfather was stationed on an Airforce base in the Congo in the early 60s. My mother was born there actually. They had a "houseboy", as they referred to him, and he made them 2 of these little drums as a gift for helping him and his family shortly before my grandparents left to come stateside. I believe it is zebra hide that forms the top of the drums, this is what my grandmother told me, but I'm not positive. The hide is really dry and brittle, the skin on one of the drums is actually cracked beyond repair. The other drum is fine. I'd like to restore the skin so it's not so fragile. I'm thinking just clean it and condition it but I'm not sure what to use or if I should do something specific for this kind of hide. I realise zebra hide is probably not something most ppl ever get the chance to work on. Haha. Any suggestions and advice would be very much appreciated!