This fine flute came a while back for minor repair and refinishing of the bamboo skin. The flute had been over humidified and mold formed on the skin. The owner attempted to remove the spots by light sanding but that damaged the bamboo skin. The rattan wraps on the skin were also a little loose. As I was cleaning, they got progressively looser to the point where they just came off!

Turns out the mold got under the rattan and caused the Ji plaster to deteriorate.
After thorough cleaning and rewrapping, I applied a thin urushi wash and hand rubbed it in for an antique effect.

The bamboo skin looked quite pale and dry when the flute came in.


I experimented with the color (yes, I still experiment!) by mixing some wood stain to match the natural bamboo and hand rubbed pure Tung oil to seal the skin

I love all aspects of my shakuhachi work - discussing commissions, repairs, tuning adjustments etc… but it is so rewarding to just simply make a flute look good

Had an amazing weekend with the Kids at the Brooklyn Sakura Matsuri. I had a Sankyoku workshop with my teacher Ralph Samuelson in the middle of the festival and was lucky enough to leave the kids with friends for a play date. I was back just in time to see some friends perform Samurai swords and Okinawan pop. I love New York City. My life rules!