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Now it's time to cut the excess hide away from the drum head. If the rim of your bongos is a traditional-style flat band, you will cut toward the drum shell. Place a flexible (yet durable) strip of plastic, or a spatula, between the skin to be cut and the skin alongside the shell, and cut against the plastic. Be very, very careful not to cut or scratch any part of the head itself.
If your rim is the modern "comfort curve" style, you can angle the blade away from the drum, so you are cutting against the metal rim. Use the inside of the rim, about halfway down, like a cutting board. (No photo here of this method.) Use a very sharp knife, like an X-Acto or razor blade. Cut in a clean, smooth line, and do not saw at the skin. If the hide is thick, you may need to make two or three passes with the blade to cut all the way through.
Once you have cleanly cut off the excess hide, your new head is done!
Now you need to let it dry for a couple of days. Set your bongos someplace dry where the new head won't get stepped on by your cats. You can tap the head lightly, but don't try to play it, or hit it strongly, or even tune it until it has completely dried. A thin macho head may dry in a day and a half in the sun, but a thick hembra may take up to three days to dry completely. You will notice after the first day or so that the nuts are loose on the lugs; it is OK to tighten them "finger tight", just so they aren't loose. After the head is completely dry, tune it up, making sure to tighten each lug the same amount. Enjoy your new, beautiful-sounding, easier-to-tune bongo head!
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