Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Thanks Perry for your insight!

It's been a few more weeks now and I last got the rash on my chin, upper lip and left forearm (!?), from playing about a week ago.  The rash is virtually gone now, so it's not lasting as long it seems.  Still, I don't want to pick it up again and get another rash...it's not debilitating or painful anymore, but it is quite annoying!

I used Cortaid poison ivy wipes on the flute before I played, then again on my lips and hands after playing for about 10 minutes.  I still got a rash obviously, although I suspect the wipes may have lessened the severity.

I have been keeping the fue in a plastic bag to protect it from cracking, however I'm considering keeping it out to help evaporate the remaining oils.  Does anyone think this might work?  Will the risk of cracking increase too much?

( Pardon me while I scratch....LOL! )

I continue to play my other fue, made with cashew paint.  These are nice fue, however the lacquered one is much sharper and lighter to play...I enjoy it very much!  The cashew paint did have a smell to it that was unpleasant, but that is diminishing greatly with time.  I would definitely buy another flute made with cashew paint.  Perhaps if I needed to, I could have one custom made with cashew instead of urushi, but I hope I just get used to urushi instead.

If I don't get used to it, I think I will spray my current lacquered flute with a synthetic varnish...as a last resort.  Does anyone see any problems with doing this?  Again, this would be a last-LAST resort.

I'll keep posting here to let everyone know how things develop (or do not develop!)

Thanks all,
Dave

Take this with good healthy skepticism, but I am under the impression that warmth and humidity are both important factors in how fast the urushi cures.  I really have no idea if the irritant vaporises or if it cures into an inert substance, but it does on of those.

Here's the purely anecdotal evidence:  My new flute kept causing reactions for much longer than the seller thought it should.  I had not reacted to any other flutes, and I was keeping mine humid, but in a relatively cool basement.  A long shakuhachi camp weekend, with the flute still humidified by either playing about six hours per day or storage with a dampit, ***and temperatures at 90 (F) and above*** ended my reactions, and I have been rash-free since then.

I certainly do not recommend baking your flute, but storing it somewhere humid at nice warm temperatures (keep it under 100 F) for some undetermined number of days or weeks might (MIGHT!) help.  How to do this is left as an exercise for the reader, but a sufficiently large plastic box for the flute and a glass of water or two (in the glasses), all safely placed in a small room or closet with a thermostatically controlled space heater might be a start.

Again, treat this as unverified rumor, not as established fact.  Good luck.

mrosenlof wrote:

I certainly do not recommend baking your flute, but storing it somewhere humid at nice warm temperatures (keep it under 100 F) for some undetermined number of days or weeks might (MIGHT!) help.  How to do this is left as an exercise for the reader, but a sufficiently large plastic box for the flute and a glass of water or two (in the glasses), all safely placed in a small room or closet with a thermostatically controlled space heater might be a start.

Again, treat this as unverified rumor, not as established fact.  Good luck.

Maybe I'll keep it stored in a humidified container on top of my computer monitor for a while.  I understand what urushi needs to cure.  Also, it might be that the maker of my flute was in a bit of a rush to complete his work since his flutes have been in huge demand lately, and the one I have literally just came in to the store a day or two before I bought it in early December.

edosan wrote:

In addition, using Cortaid swabs to wipe the flute with doesn't make much sense to me: The active incredient in Cortaid is a cortico-steroid which is there to reduce the reaction in the SKIN to the urushiol. It does nothing to the urushiol itself.

Actually, the wipes I used are not treated with hydrocortizone like Cortaid cream.  The full name is "Cortaid Poison Ivy Care Toxin Removal Cloths", and says "clinically proven to wipe away poison plant toxins before the rash occurs."  As I said above, I don't think it worked anyway.

Ah, what doesn't kill me will make me stronger...or something like that...right now I will wipe the flute against my arm and see if I get a rash in the next day or 2....

Thanks everyone for your replies!  Arigatou, ne!

I have reacted with rash on a couple of relatively new flutes. Left a nice red spot on the chin for awhile. I actually washed the inside of the flute with soap and water. I then stored the flute in high humidity within a bag. Eventually, the flute was free of causing the rash. Of course, had to play the flute before fully cured. So, I would use alcohol swabs to clean the outside of the bamboo touching my chin. I was also careful to wash my face and hands after playing. Just some thoughts.  All the best, Jeff

I am the person, who was still reacting to urushi in the bore of a shakuhachi even after it had cured for 5-6 months, that Perry was refering to in his previous post in this thread.

I have stored the offending flute in a plastic damp box with a small bowl of water for four months now. At Perry's suggestion, I drilled holes in the box lid after 2 months in an attempt to reduce the humidity in the box from 100% to around 50-60%. I do not know if I was successful as my only humidity indicator was the one that came with a Dampit and it does not measure above 50%. Even with the holes, the flute started getting moldy two weeks ago so I removed it from the damp box and cleaned it with a weak bleach solution. Lo and behold, it no longer causes a rash when I play it, and I am VERY sensitive to both urushi and poison ivy! I am also VERY glad as the shakuhachi was an old myoan 1.8 with a wonderful voice.

I have had some success with Quercetin.  It's a food supplement for people with allergies, available at most health food stores..  I took it for one week twice a day, and was able to play several flutes without reaction for the first time in one year.  We're all different, but, you might give this a try.....

Peter