cjmichael
Oud Junkie
Posts: 117
Registered: 4-22-2007
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Member Is Offline
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Mold growing in my Oud!
No, I'm not doing a science experiment. I understand that using dehumidifiers would prevent this problem from happening, but what should I do about
it now that these guys have found their way to infiltrate? And on a somewhat related note, is it better to store a oud in open air or in a case? I
keep mine in a case which I believe helped cause this.
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djmoudi
Oud Lover
Posts: 16
Registered: 7-8-2007
Location: Virginia, USA
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Mood: raye2
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i would believe the opposite..storing it in open air will expose it more to humidity..as to what to do with the mold...i wish i could help, but I will
let some of those pro members answer that.
good luck
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cjmichael
Oud Junkie
Posts: 117
Registered: 4-22-2007
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Member Is Offline
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Thanks for the reply djmoudi, my speculation is that the case was damp to begin with.
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jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Presumably the mold is inside the bowl of the instrument so is inaccessible unless the belly is removed - which may be the only way to get to it and
destroy it.
I imagine that high humidity is a big problem in the part of the world where you live cjmichael so storing the oud in a case where moisture may be
trapped and there is no air circulation is not a good idea and likely is the reason that you now have mold growing. The other difficulty that might
occur if an instrument is stored in a case is that it is in intimate contact with any polluting chemicals present in the materials of the case -
chemicals which may (or may not) cause problems.
Also the presence of mold may be an indication that you might have other potential problems such as impending glue joint failure.
Museum organisations concerned with the conservation of instruments and other artifacts such as the Canadian Conservation Institute have published a
number of booklets written by experts in their field providing guidance to museums (and members of the public) in conserving articles in their
collections. I have not checked out what is available 'on-line' recently but have no doubt that treatment of molds in musical instruments will be one
topic covered. This might be an avenue worth exploring for guidelines on how you might solve your particular problem?
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jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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I have just checked the C.C.I. website at:
http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca and there is currently a free article on how to deal with mold in a museum collections environment - including killing of
the mold with dry air or by freezing. There are also technical bulletins on the subject available for purchase from their bookstore.
More information than you will need but it might be helpful.
Good luck
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cjmichael
Oud Junkie
Posts: 117
Registered: 4-22-2007
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Member Is Offline
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Thanks very much for the wealth of information you have given me jdowning. My oud has openings on the soundboard, I can peek in there and if the
strings are removed I can stick my hand in there and get to the root of the problem. I hesitate, however, because a lot of the work inside seems to
be coming apart! (It may have been this way since I purchased it, I never examined it with great detail.) I have planned a trip to a local luthier on
Monday to get his opinion on this as well as many other fixes and adjustments I want to make on my oud. I will certainly fill you in on what he has
to say.
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