by Bodywork on Sat Apr 19, 2014 4:29 am
Long time wooden weapons user in schools with hundreds of others users experience as well. We always talk about weapons, woods, treatment etc. Here is our experience and opinion:
With the shiro shira kashi oak you are getting from Tozando the best bet is to soak it in boiled linseed oil (linseed oil is thick and used to swab on the bottom of posts -like creasote-as a water proofing). No worries as 90% of the time all you are going to find is the boiled variety and most store clerks haven't a clue anyway, but you need to know the difference.
Pure Tung oil -is not- a smart choice. It is primarily a finish or a sealer. It sets up a matrix on the surface of the wood, where boiled linseed oil penetrates and will NOT make a slippery surface seal.
A mixture of 80-85% boiled linseed oil and the remainder as tung oil is best as it will penetrate deeper than tung oil. Even though tung oil says it "penetrates" on the bottle, what it really means is that it penetrates the surface and then sets up a matrix ON the surface.
With the small cross-sections of weapons that we are discussing; swords, spears, staffs etc., anything after a two day soak is a waste of time, as the oil will already have penetrated to the center. Once you take it out of the oil. The fibers will have expanded to receive the oil. You cannot see it. You now need to burnish it. Burnishing is the re-compacting of the grain. Why?
Think of hitting a nail and missing. What happens to the surface of the wood? A dent, right? Now imagine your wooden weapon hitting another weapon. A dent! That's compacting the grain. Now imagine ten thousand strikes all over the surface, compacting all the grain on your weapon and NOT theirs. But it is not just a case of a harder surface, it also sets up a nice relaxed resonance, an integrity, to your weapon. You will feel it.
So... How do you burnish? It is best done with two people; one holds and turns the stick, one burnishes.
Take the weapon out of the oil bath and wipe it down. Get a long, smooth barreled screw driver. Hold it perpendicular to the length of the weapon. And start rubbing with as much pressure as you can sustain. What will happen is you will see a lot of oil start pouring out of the wood as the grain is re-compacted. The rubbed area will take on a sheen. This makes it easy to know where you worked and where you didn't.
As you work the surface, the other person turns the stick. When you are done. You still need to wipe it down until it is dry.
Do this twice a year and your weapons will last a life time with less dents and no cracks. I have worked with 60 year old weapons. Some of mine are 25 yrs old.
FWIW, this treatment works on all woods except the heavy oil-soaked exotics (certain ebonies and cocobolos etc.) which make terrible weapons anyway as they are too hard and will shatter with heavy impact.
Hah! That said, it's Sat. morning and I have to go teach a three hour weapons class!!
Dan
Wood is heavy and well-polished. Can certainly take abuse, albeit not as much as Bai La wood, and is also less flexible (but heavier).
