-----Original Message-----
From: Phippens <Nicky@ecol.net>
To: Hill Peter <shakahuna@yahoo.com>
Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2000 12:34 PM
Subject: Re: oil
>Hi out there.......I have no choice but to oil my Bamboo flutes as I live
>in WI. The humudity is allways changing here. Dry one day, wet the next,
not
>to mention the teprature changes...I have used many differnt types of oils
over the
>years, ( I'm currently using walnut oil with a drop or two of vitamin E in
>it to prevent it from going bad), and have also heard allot of pros and
cons
>for oiling your instruments. For what it's worth, heres my opinion, on
natural bore instruments, ( transverse bamboo flutes and such), oiling them,
to my ear, mellows the sound a bit for a little while, as for my Shakuhachi,
I first soak the
>Root section, by pouring the oil on it, then wipe the ecsess oil all over
the flute, letting it soak in
>for a few minutes, then I take a paper towels and wipe the ecsess away...I
>allways put a drop or two on the blowing edge and rub it in well...I rub
>body oils from my face and hands on the flute as well after playing. I do
>not notice any change in the sound on my old laqure bore Shakuhachi
>flutes....As for Cracking, I have many flutes and take care of them all, I
>belive that when it comes to bamboo, some flutes are going to crack
>no matter what you do to them. I have a few bamboo flutes that are very old
>and haven't cracked yet, Knock on wood (so to speak), But I think they are
the
>exeption, not the norm.....I saw a quote from someone on this site last
week who said "it's not a question of if, but when"....I couldn't agree
more. All of my best bamboo flutes are cracked and
>repaired...It adds to the look of the flute......I oil them anyway. You
asked....All good things to
>you all.................Peter Phippen Web
>site: www.artforpete.com
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Hill Peter <shakahuna@yahoo.com>
>To: shakuhachi@weber.ucsd.edu <shakuhachi@weber.ucsd.edu>
>Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2000 1:16 AM
>Subject: kukui oil
>
>
>>I'd think that a stable oil, like that from
>>nuts/seeds, is best, but not one extracted chemically.
>>For years I've been using some apricot oil that I got
>>in Ladakh since I know it was manually pressed out,
>>doesn't go rancid (or at least hasn't yet), and is
>>very light. It also imparts a slight but appealing
>>fragrance. It's easy to find but I don't know what
>>type of extraction process is generally used.
>>
>>The kukui nut is definitely not the coconut. It's
>>used in Hawai'i for softening the skin as well as for
>>excema, acne, and other skin conditions (it's also a
>>very strong laxative). Since it belongs to the spurge
>>family, which also contains the castor plant and the
>>rubber tree, castor oil would probably work as a
>>substitute, and since Castrol motor oil is derived
>>from castor beans...perhaps that's what Tom was
>>referring to ;-).
>>
>>I only oil my old shakuhahchi and only when it's
>>looking really dry, since it seems to me that too much
>>oil would deaden the resonance a bit, and the maker
>>removed the bamboo oils when making the
>>instrument...I've heard arguments both ways and would
>>like to hear more on the merits/demerits of using oil.
>>
>>
>>__________________________________________________
>>Do You Yahoo!?
>>Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products.
>>http://shopping.yahoo.com/
>>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jan 31 2001 - 12:46:39 PST