Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

founder wrote:

I am very ashamed but life led me away from playing .To get to the point ,my shakuhachi got mouldy then dried terribly, I was mortified!(just come back after 10 years not playing at all so you can imagin the state I'm in !) should I cook them in Dainish oil or camilia oil  ? I would be greatfull for professional advise.

Damon,

I don't recommend any oiling at this point, as it won't deal with the mold. If the mold is in the bore, get a bore cleaning rag (tsuyutoshi: a soft cloth with a pull string attached), wet it with a solution of bleach (clorox; a few tablespoons added to a quart of water) and pull it through the bore several times. Repeat over time as necessary. Rinse with plain water (using the rinsed tsuyutoshi) after giving the bleach some time to work on the mold. Pull a dry cloth through the bore, and allow the shakuhachi to air dry.

If the mold is concentrated around the root end (common situation), get an old toothbrush and scrub the moldy areas several times with the bleach solution, then rinse, pat dry with a paper towel and allow to dry. Repeat as necessary over a few days. The bleach solution will do no harm to the instrument.

founder wrote:

Edosan
Much appreciated to recieve your thoughtful responce. But the problem is the splits open up just after an hour or two playing and humidity content slitly changes,I'v bound them .but how to acustom the bamboo to be just a bit more tollerant of the air so i dont need to return it to moist atmosphere ,like a normal instrament .My brother Sean who has many years of keyboard instament making behind him, says ,we must keep the musical instrament in the same environment as humans,ie,air flo,not to dry or to moist. the problem is I'v condichond the bamboo to damp atmosphier.

You might've mentioned all this in your first post.

My guess here (a guess, at best), is that the flute is/was likely to crack in any case. 'Conditioning' the bamboo for different moisture conditions is not really a viable option, and I think all you've actually done is put it into conditions where mold could prosper.

At this point, I'd consider cleaning up the mold as best you can, and then sending the flute to an expert like Perry Yung, who can be reached here:

perry@yungflutes.com

He can advise you as to whether the flute is reparable or not.

Thank you both ,Edosan, Perry,sound advice! . De-mould & Bind. Strange but true, when I run water through the bore i  find it much easier to get sound until I get my
ombushour back.I know ,very funny, but I'm a desprate man.