cleaning tablas?
Paul
What does one use to clean the tablas? My hands sweat quite heavily when
playing & now the tablas have become caked in french chalk (should I be
using it?). Can one use a damp cloth? I don't want to damage the syahis etc.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Digitala
Sprinkle a little talcum powder on the chanti (sur-the skin encircling the
shyahi), and then gently rub with extra fine sandpaper. Avoid touching the
shyahi.
Try not to sweat.
-Jef Feldman
Paul
news:20030412172430...@mb-fh.aol.com...
Ha ha, thanks, but what about cleaning the syahi?
> -Jef Feldman
Toss
use anything damp, this will damage the syahi. Also I suggest you use
unpurfumed talc, it is the best as it has a dry and not fatty texture.
Normally for cleaning I use a razor blad or a very sharp knife. BE CAREFULL
you should only use
the knife to GENTLY scrape the top layer of talc off. The powder is white,
but the moment it starts to become black you must stop, because you are then
removing the syahi itself. Continue untill no more white powder can be
removed.
The next step is to restore the glaze. For this we need to firstly gently
rub the syahi with a fine sandpaper, just to smooth out any rough areas.
Follow by rubbing the syahi with a flat stone or a glass ball just as they
do to apply the syahi in the first place in India. As you rub, using a left
to right movement, slowly turn the tabla to ensure the whole surface of the
syahi is treated. Continue until the surface is shining.
The skin around the syahi will become discolourd and dirty from this
process. It to can be cleaned with the knife and very fine sand paper.
Again ... BE CAREFULL with the knife.... one slip of the wrist and...... a
totally new skin will be needed !!!
Good luck
Toss
Paul <re...@newsgroup.com> wrote in message
news:b7aq3v$oor$1...@ctb-nnrp2.saix.net...
bdixit
known as "hyperhidrosis" There are several underlying reasons.
Excessive palm sweating is known as Sweaty Palms or Palmer
Hyperhidrosis, and is the most common presentation of hyperhidrosis.
The term "hyper sympathetic activity" is more accurate terminology
because excessive sweating is caused by heightened activity in the
sympathetic chain. The sympathetic chain, part of the Autonomic Nervous
System, is located within the chest cavity and has nothing to do with
motor or sensory functions. If excessive sweating is occurring "only"
during a specific activity it could be due to anxiety. It is therefore
advisable to approach this problem medically.......Balwant Dixit
Paul
aanaddha
> > ...The next step is to restore the glaze. For this we need to firstly gently
> > rub the syahi with a fine sandpaper, just to smooth out any rough areas.
> > Follow by rubbing the syahi with a flat stone or a glass ball just as they
> > do to apply the syahi in the first place in India. As you rub, using a
> left
> > to right movement, slowly turn the tabla to ensure the whole surface of
> the
> > syahi is treated. Continue until the surface is shining....
> >
IMHO, rubbing any part of the tabla puddi with anything other than
your hand is probably the most efficient method of trashing the
instrument. The syahi is 'rubbed' by knowledgeable craftsmen with
stones especially selected for this purpose within minutes after it is
created to compact the masala composition layer while it is still
relatively damp and flexible. Rubbing the syahi when it is dry and
hard will only serve to loosen it. You may also risk tearing the chat.
The overall damaging effects may not be immediately pervcievable.
Sorry, that this does not help with the issue of sweaty hands. French
chalk may also not be the best lubricant or use it sparingly. Also,
you may try gently cleaning the puddi with extra fine grade steel wool
#0000 or #00000 more often to prevent excess build-up. Vacuum the from
the head afterwards to keep any residue from lodging beneath the chat.
Bill
Toss
Yes I do agree that my cleaning process is not 100%. I did mention that and
the risks involved. However, I have come across tablas that have been so
caked up with old powder and dirt that they are basically unplayable. there
is no more sound and the resonance is totally dead. So what to do?.... A new
skin is the best solution but not always an option, and therefore I have
very sucessfully cleaned and maintained many tablas over the years with this
method. Don't get me wrong, this is only a temporay solution and not at all
100%, but with regular treatment the tablas life span can be lentghend
somewhat. It stops a build up of dirt.
Your solution of using steelwool is also a possibility, but as far as I can
see less precise than a knife.
I forgot to mention that keeping the outer ring of the skin (chat or kinar)
of the tabla free from old powder is essential., Bills idea of vacuuming
the old powder is a good idea to keep it from getting under the outer ring
after cleaning one should use a flat piece of wood about 2 mm thick and
about 2 cm wide, like an ice cream stick, flattened and rounded at the end,
and gently ease the wood under the top layer just enough to raise it a
little to free any trapped powder. Tapping gently, blowing (or sucking) will
also help. Sometimes there is a string placed under the kinar, and by gently
pulling this out, it will bring all the old dirt with it. Of course, after
listening to the sound one still find the tabla a little low on resonance,
the string can be cleaned and replaced by using the wooden stick to gently
push it under the rim. BE WARNED>>> do not push to far or to hard, and do
not lift the kinar to high. Using any force in these processes can result in
tearing and irreparable damage.
As far as rubbing the syahi is concerned, Bill is right to mention the
dangers of loosening it. there is a risk. Again I advise to work gently, and
without force, so as to lessen any possible damage. If however the syahi
gets lose and buzzing occurs, then there is a very difficult path ahead to
try and resolve this problem...
Sometimes it is easy to locate a lose piece of syahi, one can see it or feel
it with the finger tops slightly sticking out above the rest. In this case,
I use a needle to extreemly carfully ease the piece free and I proceed by
filling the hole with a tiny drop of white wood glue. Do not put the glue
anywhere else on the syahi, as this will deaden the sound. Filling the tiny
hole with glue ensures further loosening of the surrounding syahi.
Sometimes I come across tablas that are so caked up with dirt that the syahi
can start rotting from the damp that comes from the sweat, and gets into the
excessive powder that has built up on the syahi and cannot escape. In these
cases, the syahi just breaks away and the skin is lost. Regular cleaning is
essential in these cases.
These are some basic ideas on tabla maintenance for you to try out. Sweaty
hands is another problem, I can't help you on that I'm afraid.
Toss
aanaddha <aana...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:b94883c7.03041...@posting.google.com...
Shree
I remember we used some sort of Yam powder (starch, I guess, though
not sure) supplied by the local sports shop (this powder was used for
carroms, and was better than boric acid powder). IIRC, it worked
better than talc.
Could you suggest any other material to substitute talc or French
Chalk? I use boric acid powder (mainly because I can't get the said
Yam powder). Caking is very little, though not absent altogether.
--Shree
Warren Senders
>Yam powder). Caking is very little, though not absent altogether.
...and I bet you have no problems whatever with insect infestations
on/in your drums!
WS
Schwarzwilly
carefully, leaves them sounding clear and looking splendid.
Filling a small saucer with ordinary
Paul
news:cb799687.03041...@posting.google.com...
I haven't tried many things I've just copied what others used. Some were
using the Johnsons (perfumed) baby powder, but I found it quite coarse
compared to talk. I also saw corn starch powder, maybe that's better?
Paul
Schwarzwilly
them sounding clear and looking splendid.
Filling a small saucer with milk (not non-fat), one dips an absorbant piece of
cotton (I use socks no longer in service), and using the thumbnail to guide
along the edge of the siyahi (which of course should NOT get wet), daubs the
milk with a circular motion all around the drumhead. I even use a butter knife
to clean beneath the outer 'kinnara'. Letting the milk soak briefly into the
pores (ever hear of ladies taking a 'milk bath' ?), then wipe it up, again
using the thumbnail to avoid the black spot, and the butter knife under the
outer skin.
They should then be left to thoroughly dry for an hour or so, after which any
trace of 'schmutz*' is gone, (even those hard to remove body oil stains at the
edge of the baya black spot!) and the drums sound exceptional.
As for the sihayi; The only method of cleaning I know is to very gently scrape
the powder off with a dull blade, using circular motions around the concentric
rings of the black spot.
Finally, I've always used pure talc, available in bulk at most discerning
pharmacies - who needs the perfume, ammonium hydroxide, etc? when you just want
to keep your hands dry?
Hope this is helpful...
Happy Riyaz,
Willy
Paul
"Schwarzwilly" <schwar...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030415155545...@mb-fm.aol.com...
I wonder what the Zakir Hussein's of the world do when it comes to cleaning?
Paul