Ayasa Care

Regular Treatment

Though your Ayasa has been treated to resist rust, it is still steel and prone to rust! It’s important to regularly treat your Ayasa. Here is a way with a few easy steps to do it:

  1. Clean it. The best way to do it is to wipe it thoroughly using paper towels with Alcohol 70 or 96%.
  2. Lube it. So far the best tested method inhouse is to lube it with Phoenix Oil. Use only a few drops and then spread it over the whole surface area of the instrument, making the instrument more shiny and giving it a darker color.
  3. Leave it. The best way to make the Phoenix Oil stay on the surface, is to leave it overnight on the instrument.
  4. Wipe it. After leaving it overnight the instrument will still feel very oily. Now you can wipe it with a microfiber cloth, taking off the excess Phoenix Oil. It is recommended, but not necessary to wipe your instrument after every playing session with the same microfiber cloth used to wipe off the excess. The cloth will still have the residual Phoenix Oil in it; wiping it after playing will put a thin fresh layer on the instrument, as well as wiping off sweat from your hands.

Rust removal

If for some reason rust appears on the instrument, then it’s important to treat it as soon as possible, as it might spread and go deeper into the steel. What works particularly well is the “7448 Ultra Fine Scotch Brite Pad.” (Grit Equiv. 800-1000). By applying alcohol 70 or 96% on the pad it’s possible to lightly sand the steel. Sand off the rusty colour until it’s gone- the colour might become lighter than it was before (this cannot be reversed or prevented).

Don’t be afraid of affecting the surface around the rust, sanding it with the scotchbrite pad won’t affect its colour or finish, as the same type of pad is already used several times in the process of making your Ayasa. What can also help is Miracle Cloth. After taking off the rust implement a regular treatment as described in the above.

Be careful

  1. Sunshine. If the sun is shining directly on your instrument it can heat up really fast! Exposing the instrument to high temperatures can detune the instrument, and you might need a retuning service. Don’t be afraid if it does heat up from sunlight because often the instrument will get back in tune after cooling down.
  2. Moisture. Besides making sure your instrument is protected against rust with Phoenix Oil it’s a good idea to avoid moisture to limit getting rust on your instrument. Be careful in humid environments. Most carrying cases have foam inside and the foam can collect moisture; it’s advisable to have a soundsinspiring moisture eater at all times in your case (available at www.soundsinspiring.nl).
  3. Abuse. It’s not advised to strike too hard on your instrument, even though it has been tuned and stabilised to withstand a lot of force. There’s no danger in searching the limit; start by striking the notes softly and slowly increase force. It will probably hurt your fingers before the note starts to sound different in tune and timbre, it will “overblow”. Don’t worry as it can handle it, yet don’t push it much further, stay under the overblow – from really soft up to that point you will encompass a large dynamic range.
  4. Don't forget to play! 🙂