Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido Forums
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > Supplies

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 01-07-2014, 01:46 PM   #1
Lorien Lowe
Dojo: Northcoast Aikido
Location: California
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 289
Offline
care and feeding of wooden weapons

what oil to use? Tung, beeswax, lemon oil? How often? Stored flat or standing on end?

Thanks for any input, experience, or stories
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2014, 01:59 PM   #2
Demetrio Cereijo
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,248
Spain
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

Me: linseed oil and stored flat.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2014, 03:29 PM   #3
Fred Little
Dojo: NJIT Budokai
Location: State Line NJ/NY
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 641
United_States
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

Hi Lorien,

Standard lemon oil works fine for me. Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, as needed thereafter. From time to time, maybe a quick lick and a promise with 400 grit sandpaper if needed. I've had warpage problems from standing weapons on end, but in each case, that was also associated with a wide lateral variation in the grain of the wood from which the buki were made.

I haven't broken a bokken in over a decade and have a couple of working bokken that are closer to twenty than ten years old. YMMV.

FL

  Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2014, 05:27 PM   #4
Janet Rosen
 
Janet Rosen's Avatar
Location: Left Coast
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 4,339
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

Because I'm lazy and worth with what I have....once a year I put two or three drops of olive oil in my palms, rub them, then rub my bokken...repeat with my jo. Store them lying down.
They are both hickory and are about 15 years old.

Janet Rosen
http://www.zanshinart.com
"peace will enter when hate is gone"--percy mayfield
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2014, 05:46 PM   #5
phitruong
Dojo: Charlotte Aikikai Agatsu Dojo
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,944
United_States
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

1/2 tung + 1/2 linseed. very fine grade sand paper to smooth. then rub on the oil mixture. every six months would be fine. i got a weapon rack that lay the weapon flat.

i feed my weapons with bad aikido folks which most of them are. they whined and whimpered a bit, but my weapons like it.

"budo is putting on cold, wet, sweat stained gi with a smile and a snarl" - your truly
http://charlotteaikikai.org
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2014, 08:35 PM   #6
jurasketu
Dojo: Roswell Budokan
Location: Roswell GA
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 145
United_States
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

Wood... Low maintenance. Wood warps because it can - horizontal or vertical storage method makes no difference. But don't store in sunlight - UV will damage finish and breakdown surface (creating splinters and soft spots). Various folks swear by lemon oil, linseed oil and/or hard waxes. I don't bother with any maintenance at all. As long as you keep it out of the sunlight and keep it dry, it should last for decades. Oiling and waxing once every couple of years certainly won't hurt the wood, but hardly needed.

All paths lead to death. I strongly recommend taking one of the scenic routes.
AWA - Nidan - Started Aikido training in 2008
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2014, 10:08 PM   #7
Millsy
Dojo: Aiki-Centre
Location: Melbourne
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 95
Australia
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

Constant use and sweet from my hands
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2014, 08:27 AM   #8
lbb
Location: Massachusetts
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,202
United_States
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

Me: no oil, no sandpaper, stored flat on the floor in their case when not in use. I find that vertical storage tends to warp a jo pretty fast, and horizontal storage on two points of support (as a standard weapons rack) may do it even faster. I have a jo that's close to 20 years old and that has been stored by the above method, and not a bit of a warp.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2014, 10:33 AM   #9
jonreading
 
jonreading's Avatar
Dojo: Aikido South
Location: Johnson City, TN
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,209
United_States
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

For me...

Sand to remove the finish (usually a water-based acrylic) and splinters. I prefer Linseed oil; old-skool is to cut the linseed oil with mineral spirits for the first several applications to improve the penetration in to the wood. Wait 30 minutes after application and wipe excess. You should not let either tung or linseed oil set up on the wood, this will leave a sap-like tacky residue. The heavier oils will have better preservative features (hence why linseed oil is still the favorite of gardeners for wooden tools). Some places do not recommend sanding as it can clog pores in the wood, especially if you use old paper and sand for a prolonged period of time. Unfortunately, most of us do not have fancy tools to plane the wood instead of sanding. General rule of thumb for me is periodic sanding and oiling when the wood feels "dry", roughly every 3-6 months.

As for storage... living conditions storage is best (comfortable temperature and medium-low humidity). Avoid extreme temperature (heat or cold) and extreme humidity. Vertical storage is fine in ideal conditions, but horizontal is better if the weapons are exposed to fluctuating temperature or humidity.

Jon Reading
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2014, 12:32 PM   #10
Cliff Judge
Location: Kawasaki, Kanagawa
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,276
Japan
Offline
Thumbs up Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

I hate linseed oil because it turns my weapons yellow. Someone recently told me that this might because i have tried to use the boiled linseed oil you can get from the hardware store and that there is a different type of product available in art and craft stores that does not stain weapons yellow. But I can also get tung oil at my local hardware stores and that really does the trick.

To prevent warping, I don't buy weapons made of hickory....
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2014, 02:37 AM   #11
Lorien Lowe
Dojo: Northcoast Aikido
Location: California
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 289
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

Thanks for your feedback, all.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2014, 10:12 AM   #12
Michael Douglas
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 434
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

If it is varnished ... nothing!

If bare wood : half & half raw linseed oil & turps : drop in the hand, rubbed in.
Apply once a week if new, once every six months if old.
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-22-2014, 05:16 PM   #13
TonyBlomert
 
TonyBlomert's Avatar
Dojo: Big Sky Aikido, Bozeman MT
Location: Livingston, Montana
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 19
United_States
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

Know what type of wood you have. Most weapons are made of white oak or impact grade hickory. There are weapons made of exotic woods like teak cocbolo, rosewood, purple heart and composites! These are usually custom weapons since the material cost can be quite pricey!

I assume you are asking about how to care for either Japanese oak (shiro kasha) or American hickory. Both woods, if from a excellent grade, will hold up to hard training for many years. The maintenance is basically the same for Jo, Bokken (or tanto); however, you may wish to finish them differently.

Before starting out, examine the wood carefully. Shallow dings and dents from normal training are expected and can be handled with a re-finishing process. A skilled woodcrafts person should probably handle major damage, deep splintering or gouges found on the wood. But this would be the exception rather than the norm.

Start by smoothing out scratches and dents using a medium grit sand paper. Use a sanding block if needed. Follow this with a second pass using a fine grit paper. If you want to get fastidious do a third pass with super fine paper. IMO the later is not necessary. Wipe down the wood with a clean cloth or paper towel before completing the re-finish process with an oiling.

Boiled linseed oil is the most commonly used finish. If you are working on a Jo staff, this tool is designed to slide through your hands. If you mix a small amount of mineral spirits into the linseed oil, it will dry on the wood with a smooth slippery feel.

The bokken (and tanto) are designed to be held onto during use. If you make a mixture of linseed and tung oil (10 part linseed 2 part tung) the final result will be a "sticky grip" on the wood as your hands warm up the finish during training.

Using a rag, begin by dapping the weapon's ends first. This will allow for a deeper penetration. Liberally wipe the weapon and then let it set for 10 minutes. Wipe away excess oils with a clean rag. Depending on your climate, ambient temperature and humidity the wood may take a few days to fully dry.

There are some folks who use other oils and waxes. The aforementioned procedure is widely used and is effective. It's served me well for decades. Remember to use good safety habits like wearing eye, face and hand protection. Oils are flammable so take care not to get them close to heat sources and dispose of oily rags appropriately.

I re-finish my personal weapons twice a year. The dojo weapons get looked at more frequently and are re-finished 3 - 4 times a year. Large splintering and grain delimitation are the most common reasons injuries occur, so we keep everyone safe and reduce replacement cost by paying close attention to these weapons.

In terms of storage, if you use your weapons frequently (as you should) keeping them in a weapons bag stored bokken handle down should cause no problems. If they are left dormant for extended periods I would recumbent laying them flat and in a place out of extreme temperatures.

Tony Blomert

Find me on Smashwords at: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AikidoToday
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-22-2014, 08:11 PM   #14
hughrbeyer
Dojo: Shobu Aikido of Boston
Location: Peterborough, NH
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 653
United_States
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

For good times, wad up your linseed-oil-soaked rags and drop them on a cookie sheet... then watch as they spontaneously burst into flames. You'll never dispose of them carelessly again.

Evolution doesn't prove God doesn't exist, any more than hammers prove carpenters don't exist.
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-23-2014, 06:04 PM   #15
TonyBlomert
 
TonyBlomert's Avatar
Dojo: Big Sky Aikido, Bozeman MT
Location: Livingston, Montana
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 19
United_States
Offline
Re: care and feeding of wooden weapons

Quote:
Hugh Beyer wrote: View Post
For good times, wad up your linseed-oil-soaked rags and drop them on a cookie sheet... then watch as they spontaneously burst into flames. You'll never dispose of them carelessly again.
Yes you are correct I call this the power of the demonstration

Tony Blomert

Find me on Smashwords at: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AikidoToday
  Reply With Quote

Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:20 PM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate