smelly charango

[billkilpatrick]

i usually hang out with my charango (wooden body) in the medieval/renaissance section of the cafe but "world music" might be just the place for this.

i have a friend in l.a. who bought an armadillo charango recently. haven't heard it yet but she says it's a jewel. only thing is, it smells.

would anyone care to offer suggestions on how to alleviate this problem? i suggested sprinkling bicarbonate of soda into the shell and swishing it around but she didn't like it.

any suggestions gratefully received.

thank you - bill

[Tom C]

How do you stop a dead animal from smelling? I have no idea. -cut off it's nose http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Bruce Evans]

I've been told that this is just one of the things you put up with to own an armadillo charrango. The shell is usually just pickled and doesn't go through a tanning process. They really smell in high humidity.

[Django Fret]

Soak it in tomato juice? I understand it works for skunks.

[Dolamon]

"Smelly Charango" - hmmm, I think he's a former politician, now inmate somewhere near Chalupa Mexico.

The dead animal scent is a monster to get rid of, when it gets humid, it gets riper. The baking soda will work but you often end up with a layer of soda inside the instrument (or your shoes). Two things which have worked on both old instruments and old furniture though are, small bags of activated charcoal and mixing the baking soda with a few handfuls of barley "pearls". The activated charcoal will just absorb the odor, the soda and barley mix needs to be shook around for a few days and it will "scour" the inside of the shell. It will absorb the stench but may need to be done three or four times (total cost - maybe $2.00).

Smelly Charango does sound like that classic Eli Wallach line from "Treasure of the Sierra Madre".

"Smelly Charango's? We don't need no Smelly Charango's."

[Ted Eschliman]

sound like that classic Eli Wallach line from "Treasure of the Sierra Madre".
"Smelly Charango's? We don't need no Smelly Charango's."
AH, HAH!
I've been going to trade shows for 25 years, and everytime my partners and I get our badges, we chime in with our "BADGES?!?! We don't need no..."
The first line that comes out next is, "What movie was that from?" (No, it WASN'T "Three Amigos.")
But, I thought the smelly charango was one of those numbers from "Dirty Dancing..."

[billkilpatrick]

just had dinner with my friend with the smelly charango and it doesn't smell that bad at all. in fact, my charango made from naranjillo wood smells much worse. said she got a kick out of the thread.

alfonso bedosa played "gold hat" in "the treasure of the sierra madres" - eli wallach played a mexican bandit in "the magnificent seven."

if i wanted to formally ask the biggies on the site for official recognition of the charango, what and to whom would i have to write?

many thanks and mega respect - bill