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Post by Blue on Dec 12, 2011 16:08:03 GMT
I think I'm getting a hang on the fandizhi flute, but the maker has a tendency to put a tape of oil-based transparent furniture paint (ie 油漆) on the outside of the flute.
Could anyone comment if the next flute that I buy from him should have that paint or not?
Here are the pros and cons I could think of
pro:
protect from oxidation
protect from humidity
prolong life of flute from x number of years to y number of years
protect from cracking (?)
easy to clean on the outside
makes the flute more rugged for travel (?)
cons:
We don't know what that made-in-China paint contains.
The flute looks like it's on botox or has been preserved in amber like that mosquito in Jurassic Park, making it feel and seem unnatural.
Are the pros overrated here? (ie: prolonging the life of the flute using botox doesn't made a real order of magnitude difference here).
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Post by Blue on Dec 12, 2011 16:59:54 GMT
Well, more precisely, I know that bitter bamboo flutes must have a varnish because the skin is peeled off. For purple bamboo and Xiangfei bamboo, sometimes there isn't a varnish because the bamboo skin is still there. For that case, I'm just wondering if the varnish is necessary or not. Are the pros of having the varnish not that strong for such case?
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Post by xindi on Dec 13, 2011 9:33:00 GMT
Hi Allen,
I think I tend to err on the side of having a lacquer finish. Many of the baroque flute makers (western baroque 300+ yrs ago not chinese baroque lol) used natural plant oils for the same sealing purposes. Any flute can be attacked by moisture from
within by playing, or from without. The baroque flutes in museums are possible because they were treated and cared for.
An unfinished raw stripped bamboo flute might risk becoming hygroscopic in a humid place like Taiwan, no?
One major benefit which I see with the lacquer, particularly for long slender flutes, is the improved grip. I've have caught my low F xiao flutes in mid air after screwing up pipers grip into clawless butter fingers :-) They only have a thin layer of linseed. With extended play, the sweat from the finger tips make them very slippery so the lacquer does help. The sound difference on layering with linseed is too subtle to trouble me.
You know that I use toxic chemicals like selenium cyanides and pyrocatechins and industrial hydrochloric acid so I possibly am slightly casual about lacquer poisoning hoho...Having said that, WD40 on any flute is a bad idea since it works its way up to the embouchure. One of my friends recommends using Neals Yard lip balm for her flute playing. Its helping her do Twinkle twinkle little star and other similar masterpieces :-P
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Post by Blue on Dec 13, 2011 13:24:11 GMT
Yes, a stripped bamboo has to be covered with a varnish, but I'm talking about Chinese flutes with their skin still on such as purple bamboo flute and Xiang-fei flutes. Those are not "raw."
I've already learned the hard way the need for a type of water proof coating inside a flute to prevent moisture gradients from a person's breath, so my question is for purple bamboo and xiang-fei flutes only: is the lacquer/paint on the outside really necessary since they still have their skin?
Also does lacquer/paint on the outside of the flute peel off or crack with the passage of time?
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Post by xindi on Dec 14, 2011 21:01:26 GMT
My purple low G bamboo dizi is unadorned..just a light oil lustre finish...the purple bamboo low G xiao is highly glossy...like shellac lol.
They both have metal tenons and binding...neither have cracked too! I think the xiao does actually sound deeper maybe even duller, but with the dimo on the dizi...hard call.
Definitely not necessary to have a paint or finish. I try for as little extra accoutrements on flutes as possible ecause I already have too many accoutrements elsewhere lol.
A good varnish finish will be layered, or almost laminated. If the varnish or paint flakes, then theres something wrong....maybe the bamboo has not been seasoned to dry enough with moisture trapped in the cells or the paint is suzpect with inadequate subbing onto the wood texture so that it peels or the varnish itself is suspect! Unusual though..
I.ve never seen this on flutes..generally painted flutes aren't as common...?
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Post by xindi on Dec 30, 2011 3:35:00 GMT
....to answer my own question...
I've been surprised at the mix and array of different styles - both painted, red inside, or lacquered, or varnished flutes.
One Hangzhou flute maker lacquers on the inside: the bore is polished before lacquer is applied, and it is shiny and clear, however the bamboo itself has already been stained before hand.
The same maker also uses a thick varnish like lacquer on the outside. It is effective for improving grip.
The price range of the lacquered/unlacquered/varnished/unvarnished from the same maker are all around the same spread. Generally Hangzhou being subtropical, I suppose the lacquering is more of a traditional thing which might be specific to the geography.
I tested a mottled bamboo root xiao which was unlacquered; and unpainted; just raw bamboo. Just bringing the flute to my lips, I could smell mould coming from it and decided against even trying it. It was stored in the same cabinet as the rest of the flutes which is a bit of a worry - but stored in the same conditions.
This year I decided to settle on all lacquered (inside and outside) which has more moisture resistance.
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Post by Blue on May 6, 2012 11:48:13 GMT
Does transparent paint on dizis contain lead? Or is the chance not as great as colored flutes? Wondering if prolonged playing will cause me to become dumber . . . .
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Post by edcat7 on May 6, 2012 21:05:12 GMT
Does transparent paint on dizis contain lead? Or is the chance not as great as colored flutes? Wondering if prolonged playing will cause me to become dumber . . . . No need to worry; unlike me you have plenty to spare. I suppose if you're really worried you could use wooden dizis. |
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Post by xindi on May 6, 2012 22:08:27 GMT
Won't make you dumber....might make you deafer..?! You already know my recommendations, so I won't rub it in  |
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Post by Blue on May 6, 2012 23:34:10 GMT
I don't have plenty to spare. I'm trying to cut down expenditures.
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Post by edcat7 on May 6, 2012 23:57:56 GMT
I mean brain cells
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Post by xindi on May 7, 2012 0:06:36 GMT
Lol.
Yes I'm hard pressed for those sometimes.
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Post by edcat7 on May 7, 2012 0:24:54 GMT
Don't any of us sleep?
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Post by xindi on May 7, 2012 0:35:36 GMT
Evidently not before a bank holiday Monday  |
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