clean a jo

so i read the thread about oiling a jo... but is that the same as cleaning it? because my jo is pretty dirty, so i was wondering how to get it clean... i mean will just soap and water get it clean?... or will that make the wood funny? i really dont know anything about what to do and not do so any help would be much appreciated.

What is it dirty with? Blood?

Jeanne

i dont know... i think its just like actual dirt from training outside... and of course there could be blood and sweat and dust and who knows what else on there

Well any wooden weapons must be periodicaly cleaned and oiled in order to prevent them from drying, dried wood becomes brittle and breaks on contact with othe training weapons risking an injury to yourself or your training partner. Basically you would lightly sand the wood with a sandpaper grit 100-200 and oil it with a blend of linseed and tung oil. You can use papers soaked with oil or use your fingers to lightly coat the wood using the heat from the friction of your fingers to penetrate into the wood. Then you let the wood dry. And repeat the olilng process one more time. The linseed and tung oils can be purchased from any home improvement store along with the sandpapers. If i am not mistaken Bujin Design also sells a kit for conditioning the wood.
Cordially,

I just take some sandpaper to mine . But of course mine doesnt have any oil or lacker on it. It gets it clean and makes it smoother.

Light sanding will help to remove dirt andopen the grain. An application of Tung oil with some mineral spirits , boiled linseed oil or teak oil are needed to help keep wood from drying and becoming brittle. I usually apply oil twice about 10 min apart, let sit for a few minutes , wipe excess off, dry overnight and then buff the next day. I use a fine grit sanding paper for a smooth surface, usually 320 grit or higher. It is often referred to as a between the coats sanding paper. 00 or 000 steel wool works also but is more mess to clean up as the wool breaks as you use it.

that bujin stuff works like a charm!

So, does oiling clean it?

well, no, you have to sand it first.

After light sanding, I find that a mix of tung oil, linseed oil and beeswax makes for a good, long-lasting sealant... as posted, you should do this fairly regularly, but most especially after a sanding...

As a caveat, the jo/bokken I use this mix on are either Australian hardwoods and Japanse white oak, so I'm not sure how these go on other types of timber.

Burt Masem wrote: So, does oiling clean it?

sanding it each time might remove too much wood...
to CLEAN it you need only iron wool (tease steel? google translation not very good...) and alcohol
I would advise to sand it only if t has some splinters

about oils: tung oil is better than linseed, because it doesn't darken with age
but be carefull to buy PURE tung oil when you do, as we very often find mixtures with tung oil that are not as good
reason for that is tung oil is very expensive comparatively with linseed oil or other similar products
if the color of your weapon is dark already I guess it's not an issue, but it's something to keep in mind for fair woods

Straight linseed oil, baby! Only way to go....
of course your mileage may vary
Actually, the tung felt kind of "sticky" to me....maybe it isn't quite as good a quality as the oil Charles mentioned.
Lan

Lan Powers wrote: Straight linseed oil, baby! Only way to go.... of course your mileage may vary Actually, the tung felt kind of "sticky" to me....maybe it isn't quite as good a quality as the oil Charles mentioned. Lan

Again a light sand with very very fine emery paper will get rid of the sticky feel

Tung oil is useful in woodworking as it penetrates into the wood grain. Linseed oil, in contrast, is less much penetrant and in fact polymerizes to some degree at the surface, thus having more of a barrier function. Both effects are useful in reducing the effects of day-to-day changes in humidity on wood (i.e., warping). Some folks like to mix them 50-50.

The idea is to 'treat' the wood, not drown it. Sand lightly and rub in oil. Perhaps let stand a bit, but then definitely rub well with rags to remove oil. If it feels oily after a day or two, you've used too much - time to go back to the rubbing with rags.

It's probably worth noting that there is some reason to believe than there may be health risks associated with excessive exposure to these oils. Wear gloves.

John "lemon oil is a nice substitute"

John Seavitt wrote: Tung oil is useful in woodworking as it penetrates into the wood grain. Linseed oil, in contrast, is less much penetrant and in fact polymerizes to some degree at the surface, thus having more of a barrier function. Both effects are useful in reducing the effects of day-to-day changes in humidity on wood (i.e., warping). Some folks like to mix them 50-50. John "lemon oil is a nice substitute"

As a mater of fact, the bujin oil is 50-50 and my weapons have felt better than ever since using the stuff. lemon oil is nice, but I don't think it works quite as well as the 50-50 mix. Of course, I have absolurely no expertise in the area, so don't listen to me...

so how often should we be doing all of this???? like once a month, or more, or less????.... or just when it feels like it needs it????

in my dojo, once a month is about the average, but some people do it more. few do it less. just whenever you think your weapon needs it.

In My experience, Tung oil is more like a varnish witch tends to be very tacky. I like Linseed or better yet Teak oil. It doesn't dry as thick, and all my weapons are from kingfisher so sanding is out of the questing, I just use finishing steel wool (very fine) to clean it. I normally only have to do this about once every two months.

O-ren

What I use, both for my wooden flutes and for my weapons is extra virgin olive oil from my kitchen cupboard... wipe the wood with oil, let it sit for a while, wipe residue off. Seems to work. But I don't oil my weapons very often, I frankly don't see why I should. The flutes are expensive and unique and if they're not well maintained the sound will suffer. My jo and bokken are pieces of wood for practice, and not very expensive ones at that.

I did have a jo that I'd made myself out of a broomstick, that I oiled thoroughly with cold pressed linseed oil. It turned bright yellow. I really liked that. It got stolen though, I hope the thief is happy with their 3 € yellow broomstick.

kvaak
Pauliina

[quote= I did have a jo that I'd made myself out of a broomstick, that I oiled thoroughly with cold pressed linseed oil. It turned bright yellow. I really liked that. It got stolen though, I hope the thief is happy with their 3 € yellow broomstick.

kvaak
Pauliina[/QUOTE]

OMFG Thats freaking Hilarius. Goes to show you people will steal anything.

sanding a jo lightly and using vegetable oil works wonders. After that, constant use keeps it oiled via the natural oil from your hands. Same for bokken.

I just use a rough dish cloth and cold water to take the dirt off and give it absorbency, then I use a wax over this that protects from mildew and dust