Raw hide preparation for atabaque - Warning: a bit graphic

Описание: This is a timelapse of the skin preparation over a few days.
It is part of the 2017 Challenge; making an Atabaque from start to finish in as little time as possible.
The skin came to me in a box, kept refrigerated for 2 days but not salted.
I applied a cleaning process that can surely be improved on, but so far it has worked for me. There is practically no information online on how to process a fresh skin to use on drums. I guess masters of that trade know it, but in the modern age of the internet, there is no atabaque, or related, good information on this. Therefore, I came up with my own tools and steps.
The draw knife is a modified machete with an extra handle. The work table is made of wood though I have seen people using a big PVC pipe for the same effect.
I start by cutting stripes of about 60cm wide. That later on can be stretched to about 80 cm which is more than enough to cover a 25cm open drum shell.
I salt and store away in a cool place (esky with ice) the extra stripes and then I work out the first stripe on the table with the draw knife.
All of the extra fat and meat must be removed. Also a good opportunity to soften the grooves left by the butcher when cutting the meat out.
Next, I trim the edge by a few millimetres to get a clean finish. Add salt and put away, then start working on the next stripe.
When all the stripes are done, after a day or two, I cut them in squares (ish) of about 60cm wide, clean them from salt then wash them and put them to dry.
I screw them on a wooden rack to try to have them dry in a shape as flat as possible.
At that stage it's also possible to start stretching. Drying time can take a few days or more.


Patreon link:   / malucoatabaque