Iaito in cold

[Ren Blade]

Does it ruin an Iaito to be left in the car when it's cold outside? Like leaving it in the trunk while I'm at work and then going to class at night. If it's cold out, and leaving it in the trunk for over 8 hours, would the cold temperature ruin the metal or the saya? I would rather take it with me into work and keep it at my desk and not worry bout anything happening to it, but even with it in a case, I don't think it would be allowed at my job.

How bout summertime? Is the heat be a problem as I leave it in the trunk while I'm at work?

[Ralutin]

Originally posted by Ren Blade
Does it ruin an Iaito to be left in the car when it's cold outside? Like leaving it in the trunk while I'm at work and then going to class at night. If it's cold out, and leaving it in the trunk for over 8 hours, would the cold temperature ruin the metal or the saya? I would rather take it with me into work and keep it at my desk and not worry bout anything happening to it, but even with it in a case, I don't think it would be allowed at my job.

How bout summertime? Is the heat be a problem as I leave it in the trunk while I'm at work?

Hi Walter,

I wouldn't know about leaving iaito in my trunk in extremely cold weather, since it rarely gets below 40 degrees F here in Southern California...:D. I have, however, taken my iaito and shinken on a few plane trips where they've been stored in the cargo portion of the airplane. Now, I don't know for sure if the compartments are temperature controlled or not, but my swords have always gotten out of there without any warp.

Now, it does get hot out here (100+ degrees F for a few days or more during the year) and leaving my iaito in the car trunk has never been a problem. I think as long as your wooden saya remains dry, it's not going to warp. The iaito blade itself is usually composed of an aluminum alloy and it will stand up to extreme weather conditions. Just don't stick it in an oven or anything.

[Ren Blade]

Originally posted by Ralutin
Hi Walter,

I wouldn't know about leaving iaito in my trunk in extremely cold weather, since it rarely gets below 40 degrees F here in Southern California...:D. I have, however, taken my iaito and shinken on a few plane trips where they've been stored in the cargo portion of the airplane. Now, I don't know for sure if the compartments are temperature controlled or not, but my swords have always gotten out of there without any warp.

Now, it does get hot out here (100+ degrees F for a few days or more during the year) and leaving my iaito in the car trunk has never been a problem. I think as long as your wooden saya remains dry, it's not going to warp. The iaito blade itself is usually composed of an aluminum alloy and it will stand up to extreme weather conditions. Just don't stick it in an oven or anything.
Thanks Dennis. Much appreciated. :cool:

Originally posted by Ralutin
I wouldn't know about leaving iaito in my trunk in extremely cold weather, since it rarely gets below 40 degrees F here in Southern California...:D.
Damn you Californians! :mad: :p

[Ralutin]

Hi Walter,

I should add that you store your iaito in a leather or cloth case (bukuro) for extra protection. Most iaito of decent quality will come with a thin fabric bag.

Right now, we're actually going through some rainy weather and the temperature ranges anywhere from the high 40's to the low 60's. Still cold for me...aren't I just spoiled? ;)

[Diane Mirro]

Like today, for instance: I had to actually wear a light jacket on the way to my usual hiking trail--fortunately, it warmed up to the low eighties by the afternoon...;)

Obviously, we do not have much problem here with cold temperatures. However, it is a sad fact that many people who leave their bokken or jo in the car in the summer (When we pay the price of nine months of mild weather by enduring three months of daytime highs in the eighties to hundreds) discover that heat+wood=warping effect...

[TimothyKleinert]

I'm in no way an expert, but what I was told was to watch out for condensation on the blade when you come in from the cold. But I use a shinken, and the moisture could cause rust. With an iaito I don't know. Maybe moisture could damage the saya, I don't know? Anyway, I was advised that you just leave the sword in saya for a little while (15-20 min) to let the blade warm up before you start to use it.

[jest]

Simply from a practical point of view, any metal object is going to be more brittle if it's cold, so the advice to allow it to warm up is a wise one...

I recall reading about extensive sword testing where, as an aside, they repeated the tests (dropping a weight on the ha, shinogi and mune, i think, or maybe cutting) after the blades had been "deep frozen".

They all snapped.