Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Yuusui wrote:

I have a small stock of madake that I need to straighten, but so far my efforts haven't gone very well. How long do you need to heat the bamboo for before it will be bendable? I have heated it over a hot plate for what feels like a long time, but when I put it in my jig, I can't seem to get it to straighten at all. Any hints?

You need more heat than a hotplate can provide, such as charcoal (which is traditionally used for this).

It also helps to build yourself a simple device for applying measured force to the area that needs adjustment.

Perhaps these links will help:

       http://www.shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopi … 7262#p7262

       http://www.shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=3676 (many other links on this page, including some videos which may still be up).

There is a good search function on this Forum (upper left under the headline). These links were found by searching for 'aburanuki', which
is the Japanese word for this process, but 'bending bamboo' would also give similar results.

Wow, that's some impressive modern technology you're using there Mujitsu!

Thanks! I knew I had seen some of that info before, but for the life of me, couldn't find it when I needed it. I will fire up some cools tomorrow and try bending again and maybe cook something up for dinner at the same time.

Yuusui wrote:

I have a small stock of madake that I need to straighten, but so far my efforts haven't gone very well. How long do you need to heat the bamboo for before it will be bendable? I have heated it over a hot plate for what feels like a long time, but when I put it in my jig, I can't seem to get it to straighten at all. Any hints?

Hi Yuusui,


This photo is of the aburanuki process but I use the same set up for bending.

I found that a placing a cone made of aluminum foil over a very low flame works great for directing ambient heat. Just hold the bamboo about an inch over the spot you want to bend for about 20 seconds. Rotate around the perimeter several times until the bamboo ia heated evenly all around. Just experiment until you find the right timing. Keep your eye on the bamboo skin to avoid a burn. When done right the bamboo bends easily.


My jig.
Good luck!

Here is the tool I use for bamboo bending. After heating the bamboo at the point I want to bend, I place it in the "manriki" to bend.






This manriki can also be turned on its side to see the angle of bending more clearly.

Cheers,

Al
www.bamboo-in.com

Last edited by Ryuzen (2010-03-23 19:25:22)

Hi Ken,

Yes, with the help of my wood-turner friend, Gary Cross! It's such a cool device, I must say! I love using it.

Al

Last edited by Ryuzen (2010-03-24 01:01:51)