Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Is anyone familiar with the common procedure for installing the single center silver/gold strip at the abutting edges of the nakatsugi?

I have done quite a few using the Mejiro center rings, as well as rattan only, but I really prefer the single ring/rattan, as it allows the metal to conform to the shape of the bamboo, especially when not perfectly cylindrical.

Were I to guess, I would say it might be either:

(a) File a 1mm+ groove around the edge of the joint, trace around the bamboo onto a 40mm square x 2mm thick +/- piece of silver sheeting, and cut the ring out slightly oversize, install and fine-sand to desired flushness, circumferencially.  That seems odd, and inefficient to me, so probably not.

(b) File the groove, cut a thin strip out of 2mm silver and then scarf joint it into a ring around the bamboo, through either pounding or heat?

After applying, in whatever method, a dual sandpaper sided, thin, flat ring goes over the hozo, the halves are put together (each half touching the sandpaper ring now), and the flute is gently and opposingly twisted at the center, to smooth-sand the silver flush and seamless, when the two halves are joined normally.

I know the latter procedure is common, but it is the application of the silver/gold I would like to try.  I'm sure it is probably far easier than my incorrect guesses, though.

Any help would be wonderful.



Derek