Paper nose flute by Susumu Yasuda: v.2 !

Less than one month ago, we published the template and some pictures of the 'Kamihanabue' ('paper nose flute') designed by Mr. Susumu Yasuda (check this post). Susumu-san just sent us an update! The new version, downloadable here, is very similar with the previous one, but even more elegant and easier to build: some angles have been replaced by curves. The airway and the nose rest are now finely designed. Actually, the new template offers you to build both versions, according to the color you choose for the lines to be folded or cut. For the new version, don't forget to pre-mark the half circle of the nose rest: it will form nicely and very easily.

Here is the one I made in 2 minutes (much more for the paint spray :):

Paper nose flute template by Susumu Yasuda

Mr. Susumu Yasuda (安田晋さん) is the owner of the workshop and shop Forest and Sea Nature workshop Linlinan ('森と海の自然工房 梨梨庵') located at Okinawa, notably producing and selling nose flutes.

Susumu-san designed and published a great template for making a heart-shaped cardboard nose flute, and gently authorized us to post it here. You can download the PDF file here for printing the Kamihanabue ('Paper nose flute').

With one printed sheet, you can build 5 nose flutes. The model is really simple to build. The tools needed are a cutter, some glue, plus something sharp but not cutting, used to mark the lines that have to be folded. There are two parts: the top and the bottom.

1.- First, you obviously need to cut the pieces:



2.- Then, mark and fold the bottom part following the mediant line:



3.- This is the most tricky part, yet very easy: you have now to mark the lines, and 'valley fold' (concave folding) what will become the nose rest, then the little top of it:



4.- finally, mark and fold the top part:



5.- Both parts are ready to be glued together, and that's it!



Here is the nice paper nose flute you obtain. The cool innovation and great feature is the little origami that creates a real nose saddle.

I made the five ones, and sprayed them with paint, not only for aesthetics, but also to get the flutes more rigid and waterproof.

Now, let's take a look at the details. It's a very nice flute, yet very simple. But as already said, there is a suoer-cool little nose saddle, very efficient. The flute provides a good sound, but certainly a bit weak, as on any paper flute.

Et voila! Oh... yes, the sound...





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Check here for the version #2 Mr. Yasuda made later!

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Christmas Nose Flute Cookies!

Two years ago, I made the Chocorina, and I thought this Christmas was the right time to make another experiment: the Nose Flute Cookie!

First I made some dough, a mostly classic one. The thing is that I wanted the cookies to be rather thin but resist the handling. So, I chose buckwheat flour and lessened a bit the butter portion. For 15 cookies, I used:

1½ cup (190g) buckwheat flour
¼ cup (55g) butter
¼ cup (85g) honey
¼ cup (55g) brown sugar (real one:)
1 egg
1 teasp. cinnamon
1 teasp. ginger
a pinch of nutmeg, powdered clove, salt.

I mixed the flour and the spices in a bowl. In another one, I kneaded sugar and butter, added honey, added the egg. Then I poured this in that, kneaded, and let this dark dough in the fridge for a 24 hours rest.

1 - The Shields

The next day, the real work began... I flattened to ±3mm a part of the dough on a silicone pad, and cut circles (the nose flute shield) and the rectangular mouth holes, following the plastic template I made (see at the bottom of this post).

With my scalpel, I cut the bevel of the labium. Better to be the most precise in this task, so I also use the help of a metal ruler to get a nice surface and edge.



I needed to bake the shields as curved tiles, so I carefully placed them over the rolling pin, bevel on the top. I shimed the rolling pin as I could in a dish, in order to avoid it to do what it does the best: to roll:). The oven set at 350°F (180°C), I let the cookies 15 minutes (this time really depends on the thickness: when they begin to turn brown, it's time to get them out).

I got 3 nice cookies, and did the whole operation 4 more times, in order to get 15 baked shields. I corrected the little imperfections with the scalpel then.

2 - The Airways

Next task was to make the dough bridges that would become the airways. Same thing, I flattened the dough, but this time I did it even thinner (±2.5 mm). Again, I used the second part of my plastic template, placed the cuts on the rolling pin and baked them (±10 min).

3 - Assembling

For the assembling, I made a good bunch of Royal Icing (I used the rest in the last step). For that, I took:

1¾ cup (230g) icing sugar
1 egg white
½ lemon juice

Then, I put some of my royal glue on the edge of the airways, and placed them into the shields, took a great care in aligning the bottom edge of the airways with the top edge of the mouth hole, and let a little gap betwen them (±1.5 mm). I let what we now can call nose flutes dry for half an hour.

4 - Icing

For the coating, I used the rest of my Royal Icing, that I separated in 5 parts. I added some tiny drops of natural food colorants to get 5 pastel colors. I coated the flutes with a paintbrush, leaving the "technical part" (the zone under the mouth hole) free of icing, to keep a nice air flow. Again, I let dry a good half of an hour.

5 - Christmas Nose Flute Cookies!

The result was 15 nice Christmas Nose Flute Cookies, 3 of each colour!

Here are some details:



And some pictures of the series:



Well, do they play? I must admit that not all of them are playable. I didn't try all of them, because I intend to offer some, but I tested 7 of them, and 4 were playable. More or less, several rather nicely, other squeaking:)

So, the last question is: are they tasty? Well, just take a look at this video!:

6 - Template

The template is more or less the same than the Wallet Instant Nose Flute v.1 one, excepted for the labium and the airway. Indeed, you can see that the lateral edges are curved now.



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