The reason we apply oils, and other finishes of a more permanent
nature for that matter, is not to REPLACE moisture, but to seal in
moisture that is already present and which we wish to retain. By the
same logic, oil (and finishing in general) also keeps OUT moisture
which we wish to avoid, although this is less critical with things
like shakuhachi.
It is quite difficult, and often impossible, to replace moisture in
wood structures which has been lost; the cell walls of the cellulose
changes when moisture is lost, and with most woods the process is one
way: loss of moisture, but this happens at a rapid rate at first, say
when curing wood initially (including shakuhachi culms), and as time
passes moisture leaves at an increasingly slower rate, until a
homeostatic balance finally persists, unless of course the ambient
environment is changed--application of heat, for example, or soaking
in water.
The idea behind applying oil is to help keep that homeostatic moisture balance.
eB
>Nelson,
>
>Thanks, so much on the oil information.
>
>I have a question on the replacing of evaporated water with oil. Is
>it an even replacement? Can you really replace all the evaporated
>water with oil? I wonder if the bamboo, or any wood for that matter,
>re-absorb the oil at the same rated as it evaporates the water and
>as deeply as the water is evaporated. Or does the oil only penetrate
>so deep and them no more with surface topical application? Would
>temporary immersion work?
>
>Also, in other woods, lets say for bow making, you still WANT a
>certain percentage of moisture in the wood. You want, say 7-10%
>moisture for the bow wood to work efficiently and not sluggishly.
>Has anyone done a study on optimum moisture content for
>bamboo/shakuhachi, or other woodwind instruments, for best resonance
>and sound qualities?
>
>While I seriously doubt it, is it possible to -over- oil your
>shakuhachi and reduce it's resonance?
>
>Herb
>
>
>At 2/3/02 02:22 PM, Nelson Zink wrote:
>
>> > Behind the scenes they are continually rubbing the tubes of
>>their instruments
>>> against the side of their noses to get the best sheen and
>>>natural, spiritual
>>> sound.
>>
>>While face oil is free, it tends to be fairly acidic. Should you
>>have any doubt, put some in your eye.
>>
>>> When asked about oiling my shak, my teacher replied that eventually the
>>> oil will oxidize and who want's to play a rancid flute!
>>
>>Nut oils are often the worst culprits for rancid smell. To bypass
>>any possibility of this switch to mineral oil. It doesn't oxidize
>>and is virtually inert. Paraffin/Vaseline/mineral oil are
>>essentially the same substance, just taken at different points in
>>the cracking process. Jojoba oil is another good choice as it's a
>>little different than most vegetable oils in that it contains a
>>high percentage of waxes.
>>
>>Wood/bamboo cracks because the water molecules evaporate, thus the
>>cell structure shrinks. To stop cracking the spaces the water
>>occupied must be filled and that's usually done with with an oil or
>>wax. Because the woody part of bamboo isn't very dense penetration
>>isn't usually a problem.
>>
>>Think of it this way: At the beginning of your favorite shak
>>concert all the seats are filled, but slowly people start leaving.
>>The Water People. So to keep the concert going we want to fill
>>those seats with Oil/Wax People. They won't evaporate. What we're
>>after is all the seats being filled, a full house--then the music
>>goes on. Once all the Water People have been replaced with Oil/Wax
>>People the hall will stabilize and our job is done.
>>
>>Nelson
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