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August 29, 2005
Refurbished Nakatsuki finished!
Jet's been kicking up a storm lately since he discovered his limbs. He's still not crawling yet so I thought I should get these repairs finished before he does.
Let's start with the before photo. Those who have been following this repair know that I started it it two weeks ago. As you can see, someone had tried to tighten the nakatsuki with enamel paint and superglue. Over time, everything crumbled.
Here's what it looks like after.
After the coats of urushi had been cured, I use hair pomade as my joint grease to protect the fresh coat or lacquer. Hair pomade with beeswax is thicker than cork grease. The owner didn't ask for an inlay on the rattan binding but I decided at the last moment that an elegant old flute like this one needs all the trimmings. An inlay at one end makes the bindings looks much neater. To start the inlay, I needed a straight line to saw by. This is how I make my straight edge.
Here's what the cut of a fine Japanese saw looks like.
Next, I file a slight slope down to the line. I want the middle where the two ends meet to be fatter so I stayed away from that area.
All cleaned up and ready for the rattan windings. I've refurbished a bunch of inlays that were not done very well. If the bamboo is not smooth, it shows on the windings.
I like the streamlined look.
Two old friends meet again.
I think they came together well ;-)
Here's the after photo.
I get a lot of responses thanking me for sharing these techniques. Really, all I want is for people to respect these great old flutes and to care for them properly. The Hanko reads as Beautiful Wind.
I certainly do not mind cleaning up someone's experiments since I enjoy helping fine flutes find a life. But, I hope people will think twice before putting super glue on a nakatsuki.
Namaste, Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at August 29, 2005 12:11 AM
Comments
This was a demanding restoration which Perry met with characteristic skill, grace and generosity. Thank you, again, Perry! -- Chris
Posted by: Chris Moran at September 6, 2005 11:30 PM