Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Due to the hardship of finding just the right traditional handmade tools like small blades and chisels in the past I invested in a knife sized forge years ago and spent a few years working with a traditional blacksmith to learn to make all of my own tools for shakuhachi making. As a side effect I learned a lot about controlling heat and applying it to things. I have tried the traditional charcoal methods, propane, heat from the forge and a little device made by heating a 1 ft length of 5 inch steel pipe amber hot and passing the bamboo culm slowly through that. I have burned more than my fair share of bamboo. I agree totally with the improvisation that Perry provided earlier. Charcoal is too slow in small quantity for a large harvest and difficult to manage the exact heat. although it does work perfectly if done right. I usually use propane attached to a welding regulator and a torch tip called a rosebud. I find that at the key to all the above techniques is patience and control of low heat. You can't unburn a piece so sometimes you just have to take a little more time. God bless the person who invents the bamboo curing kiln that does this without dehydrating the wood.

Good luck and happy flute making