[kabelshik]

I have never thought of using olive oil. I personally use vegetable oil, followed by candle wax to the same reasons as Kuri.

[Jenisoisy]

Food grade wood conditioner works well in my experience. It is mainly mineral oil, if not completely mineral oil. You can usually find it at stores which sell kitchenware. It is used to condition cutting boards, butcher blocks, etc.

[meridiasas]

I normally use virgin olive oil too and works bloody great, but also been using gun oil from the many sa80/lsw maintance kits I found buried at the bottom of my wardrobe
i'll Say no more in case we got any Rmp’s on here, if so my name is errr brigadier Hepworth… yeah that it

[ansarigf]

Time to put some of my Edjumacation to use!

The best oil to use after a little research seems to be mineral oil. Why? Use Google.com and search for chemistry of oils and such.

Organic oils such as olive oils will oxidize over time, causeing it to "solidify" and produce a hard protective coating. This is disasterous wrt a shinai!

Mineral oils (or baby oil) do not oxidize, and hence will remain an oil.

Now, don't worry an awful lot about using olive oil and ruining your shinai. kinetically, the oxidation of the olive oil is fairly slow. Meaning, if you clean and oil your shinai regularly, you'll eand up "washing" away the oxidized bits and replacing them with fresh oil. (like disolves like).

Next, vegetable oils are fairly heavy. if you really soak your shinai in these they will become quite a bit heavier. Most of the oil will be in the outer portion of the shinai, as it takes time for heavy oils to diffuse through the bamboo pores into the core of the shinai, leaving the staves unprotected to "inner fractures".

I'm no expert, and this is just some info i've collected. Its up to you to find your "secret recipe". Whatever the outcome, any oil would be better than none!

Steve.

[markphata]

I must confess, fellas, under very desperate circumstances, I have resorted to WD-40. Even Vaseline. The former evaporates too quickly for the shinai to really absorb the lubricant while the latter stays on like jelly for weeks...

It all depends on the climate in where you live...in most East Asian places you hardly to have oil your shinai...ever. Not even in the winter time. When I was living in NYC - oiling, sanding, and shaving shinai were almost a daily chore...

[HotDolly]

I've also been running with vegetable oil (canola oil usually, depending on what's in my pantry) and that seems to work fine for shinai. I'd rather use the extra virgin olive oil on my food than putting it on my shinai

[imawlBoli]

After coating it in linseed oil (it works well on other timber, so why not bamboo), I run a candle down the sides of the slats so they slide past each other easier. Some people I know prefer to use bees wax.

just my 2 yens worth

[lerobudrse]

Originally posted by lewis
At least nobody has said motor oil...yet. ummm...have they not? are you sure about that...hehehehe.

[DoctorTDent]

uhh...i think you actually forgot to put one extra on your poll thingy.... ear wax? it works for me, especially for some with so much of it....hehehe

[opelonafqe]

I just wanted to add to Jerry's post. It is good to wax the shinai after repairing the splintered areas using the method that Jerry described.
I did not know that Linseed oil was combustable!!
The list was composed of things that I heard people used on their shinai.
Just one note of warning: DO NOT USE CHOJI OIL ON SHINAI! Choji oil is clove oil, used to maintain Japanese swords. It smells nice, but it is acutally highly toxic.

[nTDsD0aU]

My secret recipe of a synthetic wax like coating or boiled rape seed oil (canola to you in oz).



Richard

[arrasleds]

At least nobody has said motor oil...yet.

[kSmica]

My curiousity wins out again. What do you use to maintain your shinai?

[thushioli]

I use vegetable oil, probably canola.....keep in mind that linseed oil whcih is great for wood in very conbustible....no I'm not worried about your shinai bursting into flames althought that might be a interesting sight....take care in how you store the used oil cloth with linseed oil on it...if you keep a oil cloth store it in a sealed metal container....with high enough temptures linseed oil cloths can self combust.....bamboo shinai will dry and become more brittle...the oil is to help slow this process down to extend the life of the shinai and to help prevent cracking and splintering....I usually oil a shinai even before I use it for the first time....then with regular inspection look for drying and splintering on the sides of the shinai....trimming and sanding any splintered or rough edges and re-oiling the shinai....this not only extends the life of the shinai but is for the protection of training partners who are at risk from breaking of splintering shinai...

[TornadoPD]

I have only been practicing kendo for a few months and have not given shinai maintenance much thought until now. What indicators does one look for that a shinai should be taken apart and oiled? And if I may extend the question a bit further, when is it necessary to sand and shave the shinai as Olaf stated?

[PeterPatrickJohn]

hi, newbie here

Is sunflower oil any good? thats all i have in the kitchen at the mo. I also have some cycle oil.

[Piediahef]

hi, newbie here

Is sunflower oil any good? thats all i have in the kitchen at the mo. I also have some cycle oil.

Nope. If you use the shinai long enough the oil in the shinai will go mouldy, ruining your shinai.

Linseed oil is supposed to be ok, I used for a while, but for the past 18 months I've not oiled my shinai at all, and they haven't lasted any longer or shorter than previously. That having been said some people also swear by it.

[DenisLevvin]

but for the past 18 months I've not oiled my shinai at all, and they haven't lasted any longer or shorter than previously.

This is one way in which your constant 100% humidity is a blessing. I took a vacation this summer came back and my shinai had dried out. Three of them broke the first time I used them.

[mobiphones]

for new shinai,
1) lightly sand edges.
2) use damp rag to wipe down and dust from sanding.
3) use mineral oil to soak each slat good.
4) let sit for a day
5) use Vasoline rag on each slat
6) reassemble then place in plastic bag for another day.

Regular use; after practice
1) inspect for splintering.
2) wipe with damp rag
3) put in plastic bag for night

it's really dry in san diego

[bestonline]

Vasoline rag on each slat

Please keep the vasoline far away from my bogu.