I have been thinking about this the last 25 years. Bass guitarists are known to boil their strings. What happens if a drum head is boiled - is the molecular structure rejuvenated? Is the natural tension brought back?
Best as I've picked up from bassists, they don't boil them to regain tensile strength, but to get the sweat/skin oil grime out so the tone returns. I could be wrong. I'm not a bassist.
I'm guessing the question is, when it's time to dispose of a worn head, should it go in the recycle bin?
I'd say that smooth heads (clear or white or black) are recyclable, but coated heads probably aren't.
Also, before recycling the head, cut it out from the hoop and recycle only the Mylar. The hoop is either 1) metal/epoxy/remaining Mylar, and not easily separable, or 2) a crimped hoop with remaining Mylar and not separable. Recycled materials need to be as close to their basic state as possible.
I've thought about this as well. I actually think of all the drum heads that get thrown out by us drummers and that they really are not good for the environment! All that hard plastic just sitting there in garbage dumps and not being melted down for other stuff possibly.
Good point on cutting off the hoops though, if you do try and recycle them.
I used to "recycle" my old reads by giving them to my school to use. Most of the time my 'old' heads were in much better condition than those on the beaten up kits at school. Something else to consider
Someone told me that you can use a hair dryer to pop out the dents. I've tried it on a lot of badly dented heads and it really works. However, some heads don't respond as well as some others. I just hold the dryer at an angle to the head and rock it back and forth till the dent disappears. Works for me.
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