Protecting 100 year old art on a didgeridoo?

DidgePete · **Joined:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:20 am **Posts:** 3

Hello guys, i'm new here so be nice to me!

I've bought a (roughly) 100 year old didgeridoo from a house clearance an antique shop did of a very old house. I don't think it's been played for years and the inside is covered in cobwebs! The paint is in bad condition and flaking off so wondered if there's some kind of clear protective coating I could apply that wouldn't go yellow with age and protect is and look good?

Please help me! I don't dare play this before It is protected as I don't want to damage it! It probably is quite rare.

I'm not going to make a mouthpiece for it before I know how I will protect it to stop me from being tempted to play it!

Thanks for your help guys,

DidgePete.

kdidj · **Joined:** Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:03 am **Posts:** 470

Please post a picture of this instrument Pete. 100 year old instruments are very, very rare and I would expect that this is not really that old. Traditional ochre paints tend to fade rather than flake off (except for white) so perhaps it is painted in a more modern sythentic pigment. A picture will certainly help with attributing this to a specific decade.

With regard to a protective coating, if indeed this is an ancient instrument I would suggest not adding anything and maintaining its authentic original state.

Kyle

DidgePete · **Joined:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:20 am **Posts:** 3

kdidj wrote:

Please post a picture of this instrument Pete. 100 year old instruments are very, very rare and I would expect that this is not really that old. Traditional ochre paints tend to fade rather than flake off (except for white) so perhaps it is painted in a more modern sythentic pigment. A picture will certainly help with attributing this to a specific decade.

With regard to a protective coating, if indeed this is an ancient instrument I would suggest not adding anything and maintaining its authentic original state.

Kyle

Thank you for your reply.

Here are some pictures:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Would be great if you could give any potential information on this instrument.
How old would you suggest a didgeridoo would have to be before considering a protective coat? Even if it is going to get played isn't a protective coat better in order to stop more paint coming off?

Thanks for your help!
DidgePete

EliptiK · **Joined:** Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:09 pm **Posts:** 28

Hey DidgePete,
Thanks for the pictures! They make me feel like Indiana Jones!

I love the crab and (what I assume is a) turtle.

So here's my newbie opinion: it's probably less than a 100 years old. Unless it was stored in perfect conditions (which I doubt in an old house), the ochres would have faded much more over time. True it might not have seen daylight in a while, but even so, I feel a hundred years old didge would be more damaged.

Could you add the length and the weight of the didge please?
The shape is definitely old school, you should try to play it to see how it sounds.

Usually people don't like protective coats, because any coat strong enough to stop the paint from going usually doesn't allow the wood to breath, and it ruins the artifact value of the instrument because it's been tampered with (and the coat won't come off, so there is no turning back). Plus there's a good chance you might alter the sound too.
So no protective coat whatsoever. If you worry too much about the painting, then stop handling it.

To my knowledge, nobody has ever restored a didge yet. It's more a matter of philosophy really. Like old Chinese paintings. Some say they should remain half-eaten, some say they should be restored, but the restoration should remain invisible (so they make new rice paper to fill the gaps, but color it so it looks old) , some say they should be restored and that the restoration should be made plainly visible.
Well, for the time being, people prefer to leave the didges as the are. And unless the didge has spreading fungus, it's the attitude that puts the least the instrument at risk when you think about it.

ozmadman · **Posted:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:45 am

DidgePete wrote:

Hello guys, i'm new here so be nice to me!

DidgePete.

Ok I will!!!! welcome to our forum, great entry!!! interesting instrument, look forward to your activity on the forum
Paul

kdidj · **Joined:** Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:03 am **Posts:** 470

I've seen similar looking instruments in the past - most of them manufactured in the 1960s for the tourist trade (before the big boom in didgeridoo popularity). The figurative elements appear similar to instruments crafted west of Darwin, but I will revert to Guan on this one for a proper attribution as he has the reference collection and experience to offer the best opinion.

I would say that it is not 100 years old despite the dilapidated appearance, but is probably more in the 25-40 year old range.

I look forward to Guan's comments.

Kyle

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:31 am

Hi Pete,

Not 100 years old but probably from the 1960s-70s period. Hey, if anyone wants to know what sort of pics to upload here if you want identification, do a side profile pic so the instrument is directly side-on and there's no distortion of proportions and the shape of the didgeridoo can be assessed properly.

The pigments kinda remind me of Port Keats but looking at the timber type as well as painted motifs I'd say definitely Mornington Island. The timber used for didgeridoos at Mornington Island is particular to that island, I haven't seen this same wood used elsewhere for didgeridoo crafting. I like the animals painted at the bottom of the instrument, looks cute!

I've only come across one 100+ year old didgeridoo on the internet in all this time, it belonged to a guy in the USA who had a Bambusa arnhemica instrument handed down from his grandfather with good provenance. It looked right in every respect. But it wasn't for sale...

Pete, if you intend to play the didgeridoo, you could seal it indeed, but if you value the instrument because of its age and you won't really be playing it that much, just leave it as it is. Is the artwork quite fragile? Pigments don't stick very well to the timber used at Mornington Island unfortunately (very very fine-grained timber) so most old didgeridoos from there don't have all that much artwork unless it has been painted with synthetic paints.

Hoep that helps,

Guan

DidgePete · **Joined:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:20 am **Posts:** 3

EliptiK wrote:

Hey DidgePete,
Thanks for the pictures! They make me feel like Indiana Jones!

I love the crab and (what I assume is a) turtle.

So here's my newbie opinion: it's probably less than a 100 years old. Unless it was stored in perfect conditions (which I doubt in an old house), the ochres would have faded much more over time. True it might not have seen daylight in a while, but even so, I feel a hundred years old didge would be more damaged.

Could you add the length and the weight of the didge please?
The shape is definitely old school, you should try to play it to see how it sounds.

Usually people don't like protective coats, because any coat strong enough to stop the paint from going usually doesn't allow the wood to breath, and it ruins the artifact value of the instrument because it's been tampered with (and the coat won't come off, so there is no turning back). Plus there's a good chance you might alter the sound too.
So no protective coat whatsoever. If you worry too much about the painting, then stop handling it.

To my knowledge, nobody has ever restored a didge yet. It's more a matter of philosophy really. Like old Chinese paintings. Some say they should remain half-eaten, some say they should be restored, but the restoration should remain invisible (so they make new rice paper to fill the gaps, but color it so it looks old) , some say they should be restored and that the restoration should be made plainly visible.
Well, for the time being, people prefer to leave the didges as the are. And unless the didge has spreading fungus, it's the attitude that puts the least the instrument at risk when you think about it.

It may have been stored in perfect condition as apparently it was in a house attic for many years untouched and unplayed.

It is 98cm long and weighs 1,720 grams. External diameters at ends - approx. 5.8 cm and 6.2 cm.

By the wood not breathing with a protective coat what do you mean? Would it be more prone to cracking? I understand it may effect the value of the instrument but one part of me would rather see the coat protected than disappear.

Interesting analogy about the Chinese painting, but can a didgeridoo spread fungus?

ididjaustralia wrote:

Hi Pete,

Not 100 years old but probably from the 1960s-70s period. Hey, if anyone wants to know what sort of pics to upload here if you want identification, do a side profile pic so the instrument is directly side-on and there's no distortion of proportions and the shape of the didgeridoo can be assessed properly.

The pigments kinda remind me of Port Keats but looking at the timber type as well as painted motifs I'd say definitely Mornington Island. The timber used for didgeridoos at Mornington Island is particular to that island, I haven't seen this same wood used elsewhere for didgeridoo crafting. I like the animals painted at the bottom of the instrument, looks cute!

I've only come across one 100+ year old didgeridoo on the internet in all this time, it belonged to a guy in the USA who had a Bambusa arnhemica instrument handed down from his grandfather with good provenance. It looked right in every respect. But it wasn't for sale...

Pete, if you intend to play the didgeridoo, you could seal it indeed, but if you value the instrument because of its age and you won't really be playing it that much, just leave it as it is. Is the artwork quite fragile? Pigments don't stick very well to the timber used at Mornington Island unfortunately (very very fine-grained timber) so most old didgeridoos from there don't have all that much artwork unless it has been painted with synthetic paints.

Hoep that helps,

Guan

Ok thanks, I will try and get a side picture. Thank you for the possible place of origin, that is excellent-looks a lovely place i'd love to visit one day.

What would you reccomend sealing the outside with? And would I leave the inside unsealed? I'm unsure what to do yet, just considering my options.

Yes, the artwork is verry fragile, with it visibly hanging off some of the edges on the lizards on the white
(i.e could fit a needle under the edges) However the animals on the yellow bit seem fine. But yeah, the paint doesn't seem to have stuck very well.

Thanks to you and everyone else who posted, I find it very interesting.

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Protecting 100 year old art on a didgeridoo?

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