[Griff]

Rich, I think you need to talk to somebody at a drum shop. I'd guess the wood is some kind of hardwood from the tropics, like a mahogany. If it were mine, I'd probably rub cut linseed oil into it to keep it from drying out and cracking but its not mine so I'd hate to have you mess it up. I don't know how goat skin would react to contact with the oil. My bodran came with a polyeuthene finish and I haven't altered it.