The Perfect Shinai...

[Paul B]

Gordon, you mentioned another way of attaching a pommel. Can you describe it?

Also, going to give string a try on the uber shinai

[scholadays]

Gordon, you mentioned another way of attaching a pommel. Can you describe it?

The Bruno method.



However, I've never actually tried it.

Also, going to give string a try on the uber shinai

Yes, young Skywalker, reject the evil that is tape.
Embrace the subtle power that is string.

[Paul B]

Said I would give it a go, dont get all exited yet.

Yep, the threaded thingy. Nice if one is doing it on an industrial scale. Not somthing people can do at home though.

I wonder if he would be amenable to forwarding his design to a shinai manufacturer and getting them to do the production and assembly as a HEMA sideline?

[scholadays]

I wonder if he would be amenable to forwarding his design to a shinai manufacturer and getting them to do the production and assembly as a HEMA sideline?

Folk often raise the proffesional industrial production of HEMA kit as a possibility.

However, until we have a large enough community to make it worth their while, they are either not going to bother or are going to have to produce expensive kit that noone can afford. Hell, even flogging t-shirts isn't a financially worthwhile activity at the moment, let alone the expense of tooling up for the production of equipment.

But to build a big enough community to reach such a point we must have cheap and available kit.

Chicken.
Egg.


As a result I find myself concentrating upon creating not kit itself but designs for gear that folk can not only easily and cheaply gather the materials and parts for in thier local environment, but also easily assemble and repair themselves.

This is why my kit looks and works as it does.

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. - A. Einstein.

[Pili-pala]

Any tips/advice on the string method?
I'm going to be re-doing my mis-taped shinai either tonight or tomorrow.
Plus, in a communication cock-up between me and my dad about an inch too much was taken off the handle. I was going to try a combination of the Bruno and the Paul Methods - ie use a piece of wood instead of the screw thread to give me something to wrap the lead around.

Any thoughts- please note I am pretty baboon fisted.

[scholadays]

Any tips/advice on the string method?

Take string in hand.
Tie string round slats.
Oook.

Plus, in a communication cock-up between me and my dad about an inch too much was taken off the handle.

Why in bamboo's name are you cutting bits off the handle?

Any thoughts- please note I am pretty baboon fisted.

Okay, here's a thought.

It's never ever going to be a sword no matter how much you fiddle with it - quit at good enough.

[Pili-pala]

Plus, in a communication cock-up between me and my dad about an inch too much was taken off the handle.

Why in bamboo's name are you cutting bits off the handle?

Attempting to follow the advice of the Doctor.

I deliberately shortened the shinai handles so that, although there was room for the left hand, it clearly wasn't welcome.

[Paul B]

If it takes more than an hour, it aint worth it.

Think about doing it again if your shinai breaks......

[scholadays]

Attempting to follow the advice of the Doctor.

I deliberately shortened the shinai handles so that, although there was room for the left hand, it clearly wasn't welcome.

Oh dear.

There is an easier way to shorten the handle, dontchaknow?

Just drill a hole in the cross that is small enough to place the guard closer to the pommel.

It's a far easier approach, and by a startling coincidence this also has the effect of making the blade longer by exactly the same amount.....


How much leather is there above the cross? Golly.

[scholadays]

If it takes more than an hour, it aint worth it.

Think about doing it again if your shinai breaks......

Well, as the ringpiece and cross rarely break and are therefore totally recycleable repairing a broken shinai usually takes about 4 minutes..

[Pili-pala]

I never said this was going to be pretty....

Imagine what I'd get up to without supervision

(btw thanks to all for their help and patience)

[Monster Zero]

:oops:
Imagine what I'd get up to without supervision

[J Marwood]

This is my latest effort...

[Monster Zero]

Nice!

[scholadays]

:oops:

Good Lord, I can't make it any simpler.

However, not to worry. Once when cutting down a shinai to make a short stubby messery type object Marwood took his shinai apart, layed the four staves out neatly on the table and then sawed four inches off the handle of two staves and four inches off the point of the other two.

However, his abilites in the fiddling with shinai seemed to obviously have improved somewhat since then.

[scholadays]

This is my latest effort...

Very nice Mr.
I do like the way the fitttings simply hint at what repertoire one might be currently inclined to employ. I mean, it's..it's...a shinai...but...but....it's not a shinai....

Very nice.

I also note the complete lack of sticky tape, and feel most pleased.



However, although the brass fittings seem safe enough to gouge into your opponent or roll onto in the FUT, I'm curious to see how that brass treats your opponent's bamboo.

Also, what does is weigh? Does it need lead?

[J Marwood]

However, although the brass fittings seem safe enough to gouge into your opponent or roll onto in the FUT, I'm curious to see how that brass treats your opponent's bamboo.

I don't think the brass will be a problem. It may be unkind to a shinai, but no more so than a lid. In a fut it shouldn't be too bad. The one problem is the big boltt at the bottom. It works, but it is ugly and possibly not the safest option.

Also, what does is weigh? Does it need lead?

Exactly 2.5lbs, so no lead yet!

[scholadays]

I don't think the brass will be a problem. It may be unkind to a shinai, but no more so than a lid.

I suppose that's true.

As you know I'm not a fan of those steel crosses folk pop on shinai. They're often quite slim so not only does this small surface area stress bamboo a little more one wouldn't want one dug into your ribs.

Exactly 2.5lbs, so no lead yet!

Interesting.
So, doe sit balance quite far back?

[J Marwood]

Hopefully it won't be a problem for this shinai. I'm planning to use it with that stonking great foam shield you see on the above pic, so the brass shouldn't do more than constrict my hand.

The POB is about an inch up from the cross - so yeah fairly far back.

[scholadays]

All very styleeesh.