I,m sure this thread is going to invite some interesting discussion, here goes!, My partner recently bought a very good bohdran from a great maker, great sound, tunable etc but.........................what she didn,t notice was the odor (stink!) of the billy goat that gave up the ghost to help make this work of art. Having kept a herd of the nasty creatures in a past life, I,m well aquainted with that particular perfume, and can,t stand the pong that wafts into the room every time she opens the case, and it seems attendance is steadily dropping at the local session . The skin is properly cured, she has the option to return it, but really likes the drum. So...... anyone know of any remedies or treatments other than swiss army knives etc ?
Sorry Zina, I knew what you meant and was only joking - mind you I wouldn't vote for overturning the ban here in Ireland which is one of the best things that's ever happened for trad sessions!
Not that any of that helps you much, mandobrynley. Would the smell go away if you leave the bodhran out of it's case in the great outdoors for a while?
at the risk of sounding far too hippieish- maybe try incense? everything i have (including the fiddle) picks up the smell of it when i've burnt some, and it'd smell a lot better than stale cigarette smoke!
I had a friend who had a bodhran which stank! A puck goat has a disgusting, nausea inducing smell. I'm not sure if there's a solution. Try charcoal, it's great at absorbing odours, or return it.
I have never had this experience through several bodhrans. Maybe its the evil spirit of a goat that has been sacrificed for this bodhran. Maybe this isn't Billy Goat, its Billy from H*ll. Maybe an exorcism would work. I know they sacrifice goats in voodoo. Maybe you need to contact your local Jamaican Shaman. When our dog plays with the local skunk, a shampoo with a little tomato juice does the trick (with a pinch of lemon juice). However, that may leave a bodhran smelling like tomato and lemon. Almost all teenagers in the world know about the super air purifier that they can use inorder to smoke pot in their bedrooms while mom and dad watch TV in the living room. Your session needs an air purifier. How about a mouth mint spray for your bodhran before sessions if everything else fails?
If I were to leave my near odorless bodhran out in the open to get aired, my dog would p*ss on it. Then it would really stink. I can't leave my (ITM percussion) bones from real bones out between playing them or the dog buries them.
More seriously, charcoal sounds good or some substance that will draw odors out of leather.
You could try some scented Lexol, the stuff they use on leather car seats and recommended by some bodhran makers for their drums. You drum would then have the new car smell.
Zina: maybe we need an emoticon smiley face with a cigarette, then a puff of smoke.
I now have the image irrevocably stuck in my mind of a bodhran with a small, pointy beard on it. ;)
And it would have to be Loki playing it...never mind, let's not go there.
Ahem.
I would like to suggest that you consider tucking into the bodhran case a handkerchief that has had several drops of essential oil sprinkled on it. This can cover up or even eliminate nasty odors without the oils damaging the bodhran head. Lemon oil is very good, as are the other citruses; so is lavender; so is cedar or another evergreen. Actually, thinking about it as I type, an evergreen would probably work best with goat smell. (Flashback to memories of a friend's farm and his remarkably smelly billygoat.) All of these are pretty cheap and not too hard to find. A one-ounce bottle would last for *years*, probably longer than the offending head.
Is it possible that Time is the Great Healer here?
I suspect "newer" bodhráns pong more than older ones.
But they new ones deffo pen and ink. Essential oil sounds a good solution.
BTW, I know this guy who has a bodhrán with a wee bit of goat hair sticking out of the skin...no doubt adding to its street cred authenticity value. That's what *I* thought you meant, as well, when you titled the thread Goatee Bodhrán!
Ha ha, that's one of the funniest things I've heard here. I'm gonna use it next time someone pulls out one of the darn things near me, "PUT THAT FECKIN' THING AWAY, IT STINKS"
Ooops, now look at what I stimulated. My wee little emoticonnie is innocent of disrespect.
I am a bodhran player ( along with several other instruments). I would be O.K. with a session being up front about not wanting percussion, or joining by invitation only. Maybe a stop road sign at the door with a picture of a bodhran and a bar across the middle would work. Best Wishes.
I have an old tacked bodhran, so I have to water spray the thing when I play. On goes the water, out comes the goat. The solution? Move next to a pig farm. The goat smell will go away.
Sounds like there are a few smelly instruments out there. Why? Sounds like some people don't know how to do their own skins properly, or have bought their skins from an unsuitable source. If people stopped buying them, they wouldn't make them. But sometimes you don't realise until it's too late!
Don't leave it in the case, that just perpetuates the problem, give it plenty of air (unless you want to transfer the smell to your abode, outside air is best). The cavalry used to rub animal droppings on leather as part of the saddle-making process, as it helps kill the smell of a dead animal, which spooks the horses. But I don't recommend that because it just substitutes one issue for another. Plenty of fresh air and time will solve the problem.
Oh, and speaking of bearded Bohdrans--one of the guys at our session recently bought a new drum that still had a fringe of white goat hair all around the rim. Very tribal looking. I remarked that it looked like my emerging hairstyle, bare skin surrounded by a fringe of hair!
I know, string it up in a tree! It'll air out that way and cats and dogs won't be able to get at it. You'll probably have to put up with the neighborhood kids amusing themselves with it as musical target practice, though.
African drums (djembe, ashiko) have a fringe of hair, as it gained status for the hunter-drum maker. Using the hide of a strong animal gave the drum spiritual power.
Sorry, I can't draw a parallel with bodhrans and African drums. The most spirited goat I knew would always get behind you and line up a head butt to your gluttonous maximus. You always had to make sure where he was before you bent over with you butt in the breeze.
Spearing a goat in a barnyard would be politically incorrect. You would probably get neighbor complaints, the police would investigate, and the Goat Huggers Liberation Front would show up. Their lawyer would show up. The goat's family would sue for "emotional stress and wrongful death." Extremists would chain themselves to the rest of your goats.
Note: I haven't actually tried this - :
You might try saddle soap applied with a brush.
As I recall, saddle soap used to come in a can. You open the can
and use a large round brush like a shaving brush (sort - of)
and a few drops of water to whip up a big lather. Then smoosh the lather around the problem hide. You might even try canned
upholstery cleaner, brush it around a bit, remove it with a rag or towel or waterproof vacuum cleaner.
Note this treatment might remove a lot of the natural oils so you might replenish them with some neatsfoot (bone) oil or oil that is designed for leather or hides.
Be careful not to unglue the hide from the drum!
I just thought that i'd mention that i also have a Bohdran that had a pretty strong smell at times. But i noticed that the more i used it, that the smell edventually fades over time.
Goatee Bohdran
Goatee Bohdran
I,m sure this thread is going to invite some interesting discussion, here goes!, My partner recently bought a very good bohdran from a great maker, great sound, tunable etc but.........................what she didn,t notice was the odor (stink!) of the billy goat that gave up the ghost to help make this work of art. Having kept a herd of the nasty creatures in a past life, I,m well aquainted with that particular perfume, and can,t stand the pong that wafts into the room every time she opens the case, and it seems attendance is steadily dropping at the local session . The skin is properly cured, she has the option to return it, but really likes the drum. So...... anyone know of any remedies or treatments other than swiss army knives etc ?
# Posted on March 2nd 2005 by mandobrynley
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Blow cigarette smoke at it?
# Posted on March 2nd 2005 by Zina Lee
Re: Goatee Bohdran
and risk a 3,000 Euro fine - not at our session! In any case you're just replacing one obnoxious smell with another.
# Posted on March 2nd 2005 by Bannerman
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Should I have included a smiley...?
# Posted on March 2nd 2005 by Zina Lee
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Sorry Zina, I knew what you meant and was only joking - mind you I wouldn't vote for overturning the ban here in Ireland which is one of the best things that's ever happened for trad sessions!
# Posted on March 2nd 2005 by Bannerman
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Not that any of that helps you much, mandobrynley.
Would the smell go away if you leave the bodhran out of it's case in the great outdoors for a while?
# Posted on March 2nd 2005 by Zina Lee
Re: Goatee Bohdran
at the risk of sounding far too hippieish- maybe try incense? everything i have (including the fiddle) picks up the smell of it when i've burnt some, and it'd smell a lot better than stale cigarette smoke!
# Posted on March 2nd 2005 by aaron b
Re: Goatee Bohdran
I had a friend who had a bodhran which stank! A puck goat has a disgusting, nausea inducing smell. I'm not sure if there's a solution. Try charcoal, it's great at absorbing odours, or return it.
# Posted on March 2nd 2005 by Backer
Re: Goatee Bohdran
I have never had this experience through several bodhrans. Maybe its the evil spirit of a goat that has been sacrificed for this bodhran. Maybe this isn't Billy Goat, its Billy from H*ll. Maybe an exorcism would work. I know they sacrifice goats in voodoo. Maybe you need to contact your local Jamaican Shaman. When our dog plays with the local skunk, a shampoo with a little tomato juice does the trick (with a pinch of lemon juice). However, that may leave a bodhran smelling like tomato and lemon. Almost all teenagers in the world know about the super air purifier that they can use inorder to smoke pot in their bedrooms while mom and dad watch TV in the living room. Your session needs an air purifier. How about a mouth mint spray for your bodhran before sessions if everything else fails?
If I were to leave my near odorless bodhran out in the open to get aired, my dog would p*ss on it. Then it would really stink. I can't leave my (ITM percussion) bones from real bones out between playing them or the dog buries them.
More seriously, charcoal sounds good or some substance that will draw odors out of leather.
You could try some scented Lexol, the stuff they use on leather car seats and recommended by some bodhran makers for their drums. You drum would then have the new car smell.
Zina: maybe we need an emoticon smiley face with a cigarette, then a puff of smoke.
Good luck!
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by CeolCairdeas
Re: Goatee Bohdran
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by Innocent Bystander
Re: Goatee Bohdran
I now have the image irrevocably stuck in my mind of a bodhran with a small, pointy beard on it. ;)
And it would have to be Loki playing it...never mind, let's not go there.
Ahem.
I would like to suggest that you consider tucking into the bodhran case a handkerchief that has had several drops of essential oil sprinkled on it. This can cover up or even eliminate nasty odors without the oils damaging the bodhran head. Lemon oil is very good, as are the other citruses; so is lavender; so is cedar or another evergreen. Actually, thinking about it as I type, an evergreen would probably work best with goat smell. (Flashback to memories of a friend's farm and his remarkably smelly billygoat.) All of these are pretty cheap and not too hard to find. A one-ounce bottle would last for *years*, probably longer than the offending head.
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by sara g
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Is it possible that Time is the Great Healer here?
I suspect "newer" bodhráns pong more than older ones.
But they new ones deffo pen and ink. Essential oil sounds a good solution.
BTW, I know this guy who has a bodhrán with a wee bit of goat hair sticking out of the skin...no doubt adding to its street cred authenticity value. That's what *I* thought you meant, as well, when you titled the thread Goatee Bodhrán!
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by Alf Tupper
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Bring the bodhran over to my place, my cat will take care of the rest.
His prowess is proved by what he did to my guitar case, my backpack and my mountaineering shoes.
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by EastPole
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Never seen a bodhran with a beard.
I had never considered it might have been the goatskin that smelt.
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by geoffwright
Re: Goatee Bohdran
A bodhran emoticon with a goatee smacking itself on the forehead with a tipper?
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by CeolCairdeas
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Ha ha, that's one of the funniest things I've heard here. I'm gonna use it next time someone pulls out one of the darn things near me, "PUT THAT FECKIN' THING AWAY, IT STINKS"
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by llig leahcim
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Ooops, now look at what I stimulated. My wee little emoticonnie is innocent of disrespect.
I am a bodhran player ( along with several other instruments). I would be O.K. with a session being up front about not wanting percussion, or joining by invitation only. Maybe a stop road sign at the door with a picture of a bodhran and a bar across the middle would work. Best Wishes.
PS: What happened to the inflatable bodhran?
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by CeolCairdeas
Re: Goatee Bohdran
I have an old tacked bodhran, so I have to water spray the thing when I play. On goes the water, out comes the goat. The solution? Move next to a pig farm. The goat smell will go away.
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by baxdrum
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Are you sure it's just not the sensory function of your nose that's going away?
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by Zina Lee
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Sounds like there are a few smelly instruments out there. Why? Sounds like some people don't know how to do their own skins properly, or have bought their skins from an unsuitable source. If people stopped buying them, they wouldn't make them. But sometimes you don't realise until it's too late!
\())
# Posted on March 3rd 2005 by greenman
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Get a tomcat to pee on it.
# Posted on March 4th 2005 by ragaman
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Don't leave it in the case, that just perpetuates the problem, give it plenty of air (unless you want to transfer the smell to your abode, outside air is best). The cavalry used to rub animal droppings on leather as part of the saddle-making process, as it helps kill the smell of a dead animal, which spooks the horses. But I don't recommend that because it just substitutes one issue for another. Plenty of fresh air and time will solve the problem.
# Posted on March 4th 2005 by AlBrown
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Oh, and speaking of bearded Bohdrans--one of the guys at our session recently bought a new drum that still had a fringe of white goat hair all around the rim. Very tribal looking. I remarked that it looked like my emerging hairstyle, bare skin surrounded by a fringe of hair!
# Posted on March 4th 2005 by AlBrown
Re: Goatee Bohdran
I know, string it up in a tree! It'll air out that way and cats and dogs won't be able to get at it. You'll probably have to put up with the neighborhood kids amusing themselves with it as musical target practice, though.
# Posted on March 4th 2005 by Zina Lee
Re: Goatee Bohdran
African drums (djembe, ashiko) have a fringe of hair, as it gained status for the hunter-drum maker. Using the hide of a strong animal gave the drum spiritual power.
Sorry, I can't draw a parallel with bodhrans and African drums. The most spirited goat I knew would always get behind you and line up a head butt to your gluttonous maximus. You always had to make sure where he was before you bent over with you butt in the breeze.
Spearing a goat in a barnyard would be politically incorrect. You would probably get neighbor complaints, the police would investigate, and the Goat Huggers Liberation Front would show up. Their lawyer would show up. The goat's family would sue for "emotional stress and wrongful death." Extremists would chain themselves to the rest of your goats.
# Posted on March 4th 2005 by CeolCairdeas
Re: Goatee Bohdran
Note: I haven't actually tried this - :
You might try saddle soap applied with a brush.
As I recall, saddle soap used to come in a can. You open the can
and use a large round brush like a shaving brush (sort - of)
and a few drops of water to whip up a big lather. Then smoosh the lather around the problem hide. You might even try canned
upholstery cleaner, brush it around a bit, remove it with a rag or towel or waterproof vacuum cleaner.
Note this treatment might remove a lot of the natural oils so you might replenish them with some neatsfoot (bone) oil or oil that is designed for leather or hides.
Be careful not to unglue the hide from the drum!
# Posted on April 25th 2007 by b0dhran
Re: Goatee Bohdran
I just thought that i'd mention that i also have a Bohdran that had a pretty strong smell at times. But i noticed that the more i used it, that the smell edventually fades over time.
# Posted on August 23rd 2007 by Megan