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Post by charliecharlieecho on Jun 30, 2007 13:21:51 GMT
Medicated vaseline wouldn't moisturise anything except the surface of the lacquer. It's hard to think of any use for the stuff except making the qin sticky or maybe stopping infections if you start to bleed again.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Jun 30, 2007 16:06:34 GMT
Erm, one really shouldn't use creams or sprays on the qin. A clean cloth will do.
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Post by Si on Jun 30, 2007 17:42:02 GMT
so how to these experienced players get these habits.
Yet another qin mystery!
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Post by Si on Jul 3, 2007 1:27:42 GMT
I checked with a few people - they all use this product called BiLi Zhu, its a furiture polish. Makes sence qins are all wood.
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Jul 3, 2007 4:56:38 GMT
Still confused :-( . The outside surface of a qin is laquer, which is impermable to any kind of polish, so all you'll achieve is a shine and a possible build-up of goo. You don't want the goo, and can get the shine by playing regularly and wiping any sweat/ skin oils off with a soft dry cloth.
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Post by Si on Jul 3, 2007 5:32:37 GMT
Hahaha - yeah im confused. Isn't lacquer same a varnish?
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Post by guzhenglover on Jul 3, 2007 5:47:14 GMT
I thought we've discussed this before? I just use a piece of microfibre cloth.
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Post by Si on Jul 3, 2007 7:15:41 GMT
Yeah sorry. Maybe CCC should make a "sticky" on all these tips gleaned so far. So silly newbiees like me will not waist peoples time haha.
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Post by guzhenglover on Jul 3, 2007 9:03:55 GMT
No not at all, you are not wasting our time!! It's just that I was just wondering whether there's anything new in what we are discussing now that should change what I thought I learnt in previous discussions.
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Post by Si on Jul 3, 2007 9:51:32 GMT
at the back of the LXT book there is a section on how to buy a qin. I bet he also tells us how to clean it. Maybe CCC can read it and tell us.
I do find it odd that I get totally differing info from different sources.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Jul 3, 2007 13:59:57 GMT
From what I can remember, it doesn't tell you how to clean it...
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Post by guzhenglover on Jul 4, 2007 2:26:00 GMT
The general consensus I am getting from my sources is still try and clean your qin without any artificial agents.
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Post by guzhenglover on Feb 11, 2008 2:33:59 GMT
To my suprise, I recently found some mouldy spots on the underside of my guqin! I was horrified as I believe that I clean my qin meticulously and regularly. Fortunately there weren't many of those spots and it was easy to wipe them off. And judging from the pattern of the mould, I think those may have come from my fingerprints (despite efforts to keep my hands and fingers non-sweaty, non-greasy at all times). I also noticed a few ants in the vicinity. Do I have any cause to be alarmed? I've been playing the guqin as usual though admiittedly not as much as I normally do due to the Chinese New Year celebarations and preparations etc. And the weather in Singapore has been rather erratic and humid. Maybe the non-use of the air-con also had something to do with it...? Any Singaporean qin players out there who might have something to say about this?
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Feb 11, 2008 8:42:09 GMT
Maybe a Shanghai player could help. The older generation there have more than enough experience of humidity - remember the huangmei-tian - and air-con is relatively new, so it's likely they have plenty of experience dealing with gzl's problem.
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Post by guzhenglover on Feb 12, 2008 2:17:41 GMT
Maybe a Shanghai player could help. The older generation there have more than enough experience of humidity - remember the huangmei-tian - and air-con is relatively new, so it's likely they have plenty of experience dealing with gzl's problem. Thanks! Any player from Shanghai? Or does anyone come from a wet/humid place with a guqin/have a guqin from one of those places (like Szechuan)? If so, do you have any experience that you would be so kind as to share with us all? |
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Post by Charlie Huang on Feb 12, 2008 12:11:59 GMT
I have never heard of mould growing on lacquer before...
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Post by Si on Feb 13, 2008 1:32:17 GMT
Oh yeah I get this too. On the underside on the qin, small clusters of mould. I just have to remember to wipe it down often.
I never use AC.
Mould is a big prob in singapore - with clothes, shoes and CDs.
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Post by guzhenglover on Feb 13, 2008 3:16:03 GMT
Do you wipe your qin with any cleaning agent, even water? I don't use anything except just a piece of microfibre (I remember from our previous discussions on this forum and I think most people here believe it's a bad idea to use any cleaning agent in any form or manner).
I am told that AC actually helps in reducing humidity in the air - at least that's what a few furniture stores etc. in Singapore have told me, which is why I tend to use AC these days. As you know, syburn, it's been rather humid in the last couple of weeks, which may be why mould appeared.
Do you get ants, too? Apart from spotting three ants near the qin, a few of our Chinese teapots that we have on display on our display cabinet were also infested with ants. Why's that?
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Feb 13, 2008 9:06:54 GMT
It might be useful to dampen your cloth with an anti-fungal liquid the next time you wipe your qin down, but the general rule is to use only clean, dry cloths.
AC works by cooling and drying air. The cooled air obviously cools us, and the dry air adds to the cooling by increasing the rate at which our sweat evaporates. Even in hot, humid weather mould won't grow without something to feed on, which is why wiping the qin down is so important.
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Post by Si on Feb 13, 2008 13:47:14 GMT
well i too use micro fiber as suggested here even though i would like to use a polish!!
i have a big teapot display but no ants go there. do u use them - if so they might be feasting on tea leaves.
i do wage total war with ants that dare stray into my kitchen though!!
my place has a sea breeze so i dont use AC. also dont forget that AC is not usualy kept on 24/7, so what happens to your qin when your at work??
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Post by guzhenglover on Feb 14, 2008 5:15:36 GMT
Well my teachers have always commented on how meticulously I keep my instrument, and one thing that I do make sure is to give the qin a good wipe after each playing session. I think maybe I'll just dampen my micro fiber cloth and wipe the qin with that as I am still not too comfortable with the idea of using any cleaning agent.
Well we never keep any residual tea leaves in the teapots, so we can rule that possibility out. We suspect that maybe some of the teas have more sweetness in them, and so ants are attracted to the smell of those that might be left in the pots (though even that would seem quite odd). Where do you keep your teapots?
We don't normally have a problem with ants. The problem's been more with cockroaches and (secondarily) silverfish. Do you have a problem with any of these, syburn?
I only switch the A/C when I am in the studio back at home. Over here in this part of Singers (near Vivocity/Laboradour Park) we don't get much seabreeze - surprisingly, I guess - not that I like seabreeze much as (so that's what traditional Chinese doctors say) it's not supposed to be good for your joints etc. and I don't really want my qins to get too acclimatised to it as one day they'll probably be going back to a dry, continental weather.
Interesting how teas, teapots go with the qin - and also Chinese chess, painting, books, calligraphy, Buddhism/Taoism, traditional costumes, incense etc. etc....! (which are a lot more than the so-called Four Arts).
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Post by Si on Feb 15, 2008 1:14:39 GMT
I got a nice chinese style shelf stand fr most of my teapots. They look very nice but I only like the non-fussy styles.
I work in Pasir Panjang - seems very near u.
I always thought sea breeze was good - thats why the whole concept of Holiday resorts started - Blackpool is a erm good example.....well maybe not
Yeah I want an incense burner like on those old photos of qin players. All the qin shops in Shanghai serve chinese tea - I am a big chinese tea fan. I do play wei qi quite a lot but unfortunatly I have not met may real living organisms that want to play with me...
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Feb 15, 2008 8:36:32 GMT
Simon: If you'd lived in a major city before the Clean Air Act you'd know exactly why Blackpool was so popular. :-)
It was one of the few places where a whole community could go together to breathe air that didn't contain large amounts of soot and sulphur. 50 years after the Act you can see the results of all that on the walls on the high Pennines anywhere downwind of the Lancashire cotton towns.
In my area we had better taste though. Not for nothing is Morecambe known as Bradford-on-Sea.
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Post by Si on Feb 15, 2008 10:59:48 GMT
"Morecambe known as Bradford-on-Sea"
What u mean its full of P****s!! Pardon my racism
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Post by Charlie Huang on Feb 16, 2008 9:38:59 GMT
Out of order, Syburn, out of order...
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