just picked up an old Banjo... looking for pics & or suggestions for freshening

it's got the typcal "gaps" a couple maybe 1/8"... was thinking about filling the gaps with epoxy, maybe wrapping some friction tape to build up the wheel thickness a little, & add a light tan leather wrap...

this is what it looks like to start with...

you guys got some suggestions or pics of what you did to your old banjos ???

any ideas what this might have come out of ???

 

JB weld or epoxy reason, I usually try and dig a little bit if a trough in both sides of the crack and lay a little piece of wire in there to support it, then sand and paint.

 

thanks for the reply BEANER... so add the wire like rebar in concrete to help keep it from chipping out I assume

BTW... the wheel is 16.5" if that help with identification

 

Splined or keyed? can you put up a picture of the back where it meets the column?

 

Well that is Herb, I can tell by the sideburns.

Yea the wire works like rebar. Someone else will have a better idea and there is probably a proper way to do it but that is what I have done before with good success.

 

HERB... are you sure ???


Splines... they don't show up well here though...

 

Probably a Brit import like and MG or Triumph, actually Porsche also had a banjo at one time they were all splined as I recall, and they are all keepers.

 

Cool... I do a little leather work myself, so I'm still trying to decide if I want to do some sort of leather strap wrap ( like those string wrapped wheels, or 1" wide like those 70's ish vinyl padded wraps, or if I should just buy one of the new kits like this ???

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221047565986?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

PM this guy, I believe he knows a thing or two about them: