Hi all, I am new to the list and am in fact a shakunewbie. I have a few
questions and I hope that some of you will be kind enough to share your
wisdom and experience with me.
After toying with a very inexpensive shakuhachi for about a year I decided
to get myself a 1.8 Madake rootend model for my birthday. As I anxiously
await its arrival from Japan I have been researching how to best protect it
against drying and cracking in the very dry climate here in Los Angeles.
I plan on storing the shakuhachi in a small acrylic display case. Although
I have read every care sheet on every website I could find, I have yet to
uncover what the optimal relative humidity percentage should be in order to
best protect a shakuhachi. I am talking about a real number that I can test
and monitor with a digital hygrometer. I know people have done tests for
other wood instruments like guitars but has anyone ever done a comprehensive
study to find out the best relative humidity for storing Madake bamboo?
I have read that you should keep shaks in a plastic bag and blow into the
bag before sealing, but I am a little skeptical about this maintaining a
constant humidity. Are the DAMPITS used for string instruments a better
choice? What about humidifiers made for cigar humidors?
My other question is about oiling. I have heard suggestions on everything
from camellia to walnut to olive oil. I have even heard about using off the
shelf clarinet bore oil while others suggest that the natural oil from your
skin should be sufficient so no additional oil is necessary.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance to all who care to share their wisdom with a
new guy.
Cheers,
Roy Unger
____________________________________________________
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Feb 03 2003 - 09:09:53 PST