Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Jivanmukta · 2010-10-25 05:50:03

Hello forum!
Can someone advice me:

How to treat a wooden shakuhachi, to remove smell of old humid basement, and remove the greyish surface of the rosewood which probably is from mold

I just ordered a used flute, rosewood, made by Peter Ross, a 1.8.
It plays very well and I already fell in love with it.

I already own a nice bamboo recommended to me by my teacher Michael Chikuzen.

I bought the wooden flute as I wanted something to take outdoors, during humid fall, dry winters, in front of a bonfire, near a waterfall etc. So, a flute that can take changes in temperature and humidity without cracking.
The Yuu that I have is very nice, I just need something with a more Mother Earth character when I am outdoors...

The new rosewood shaku plays very well, I like it a lot.
But I need some advice on how to treat it, it must have been kept in a humid place for a long time as it smells and looks as it has been in a dark wet basement for a long time.

edosan · 2010-10-25 06:31:36

Jivanmukta wrote:
Hello forum!
Can someone advice me:

How to treat a wooden shakuhachi, to remove smell of old humid basement, and remove the greyish surface of the rosewood which probably is from mold

I recommend using a solution of household bleach (sodium hypochlorite, AKA Clorox) and water. One part Clorox and 5 or 6 parts water would work well. Even bleach right out of the bottle would not harm the rosewood, but it's very strong and more difficult to rinse off than a dilute solution. You'll need something to scrub out the bore with, such as a small bottle brush, and you can use cotton swabs or a toothbrush or similar for the finger holes.

Just give it a good scrub, rinse it well, and wipe dry inside and out with cloth rags or paper towels. You may need several rinses to get rid of the Clorox smell, but it will dissipate eventually.

Tairaku 太楽 · 2010-10-25 07:39:17

Tea Tree Oil

Jivanmukta · 2010-10-25 07:46:05

Thanks, I guess first chlorine treatment and then tea tree oil can be good.

The tea tree oil has to be mixed in another oil to be diluted?
Or is it just a very small amount that is needed?
I guess teat tree can be mixed with lemon, pine, peppermint etc to give a nice mild arome to the flute?
Or is it the special "medical" properties of tea tree that is important?

Jarle

Tairaku 太楽 · 2010-10-25 08:03:26

Mix with water. Anti-fungal, anti-bacterial.

Karmajampa · 2010-10-25 12:53:06

Be sure to thoroughly rinse the blowing edge that is going to be in contact with your lips, which are most sensitive to these materials, including tea tree oil.
I once swabbed the bore with an essential oil to cover an odour, and burned my lips.
Now I use a 200ml spray bottle of water with a few drops of lavender oil in it to refresh the bore.

K.

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2010-10-25 05:50:03

How to take care of my wooden shakuhachi

#2 2010-10-25 06:31:36

Re: How to take care of my wooden shakuhachi

Jivanmukta wrote:

#3 2010-10-25 07:39:17

Re: How to take care of my wooden shakuhachi

#4 2010-10-25 07:46:05

Re: How to take care of my wooden shakuhachi

#5 2010-10-25 08:03:26

Re: How to take care of my wooden shakuhachi

#6 2010-10-25 12:53:06

Re: How to take care of my wooden shakuhachi

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