These vintage bongos are a beautiful example of this versitile and classic instrument.  It'll take some TLC to get them back to the coffee house for poetry night hep cats. 

After removing the hardware, the extent of the damage is determined. 

Repairs begin with preparation of the surfaces to be re-glued by scraping to remove old glue and scuff the contact area.

A 24 hour vinegar bath followed by a vigourous wire brushing and final polish makes the hardware shine.  Check out the before and after pics.

The goatskin rawhide used to make new drumheads is first soaked for several hours then trimmed and closely shaved before being stretched and installed.

Before reassmebling, a couple nails are used to create stabilizing pins, and a chunky lock washer is added to prevent the loosening and twisting that can happen to bongos like these.

The finish just needed a thourough cleaning and buffing to bring out the original sheen.  Now once again these vintage rythm skins can freak out squares and make the scene.  Whoa man...