Blistered Thumb and Web of hand

[Nyumonsha]

hello all.


any hints or advice of how to lesson the skin on inner thumbs and web of hand from getting rubbed and blistered.

Is it just a case of waiting for the skin in these areas get toughened?

thank you.

[poryu]

Hi

is your Jo covered in varnish. If it is then that may be one of the problems

I would suggest rubbing it down with a glass/sand paper and making it as smooth as possible it will then glide over the skin.

[Nyumonsha]

hi.

thanks. it has a very light thin vanish. i wasnt sure if i should sand it off or not so thanks. i'll give that a try.

[JAnstey]

If you have used the Jo a bit already - I assume you have to get the blisters, you might want to try using very fine steel wool as an alternative, 000 or 0000 grades will be best ( not grade 3 or 4).

The reason is that you will probably have very shallow dings and dents on the jo. The fine steel wool will conform better than paper and give you a smoother finish.

Cheers

Jason

[Kim Taylor]

It's the finish. Lacquer or varnish is oddly sticky on weapons, and it seems to be prone to picking up even stickier bits of dead skin and dirt.

Sand it off (don't be afraid to sand your weapons folks) and reapply a drying oil like Tung or Boiled Linseed oil (some "tung oil" finishes, such as Minwax, have varnish so check to see you've got straight tung).

If you like oiling your weapons you can use a non-drying (non-polymerizing) oil like lemon or walnut or what have you but don't let your jo dry out or it will warp.

Speaking of warpage, if you have a jo that develops a slight warp, don't panic, you may have a "summer jo" and it may straighten out again as the humidity changes. Have a couple of those myself.

It's the warping that prompts the use of varnish which seals the wood better than the drying oils.

If you want to keep the varnish, do clean it once in a while with fine steel wool or a plastic kitchen scrubber and lemon oil, that will remove the dirt and skin and leave a bit of lubricant behind.

Wax is about as sticky as varnish and isn't as good a seal.

Kim Taylor
general stickmaker/user.

[twayman]

I agree with Kim on the varnish issue. I had the same issue with my tonfa handles sticking and rubbing. I removed all the varnish and used 5 + coats of lemon oil to reseal the handles, then to keep the oil from getting sticky I used talc to soak the excess surface oil. Now they spin like a dream and have enough friction, as to not slip out of my hand while allowing me to control/stop the spin.

[charlesl]

Sand it off (don't be afraid to sand your weapons folks) and reapply a drying oil like Tung or Boiled Linseed oil (some "tung oil" finishes, such as Minwax, have varnish so check to see you've got straight tung).

Kim, my jo has this small area that's not cracking, but is sort of drying or something to the point that someday it'll give me a wicked splinter. Would sanding this out be a way of getting rid of the potential problem?

-Charles

[Kim Taylor]

Hi Charles

If it's not rough you don't need to sand it, but you do need to get some oil onto that area to seal it.

As wood dries it gets more dense but it also gets less flexible so dry spots will eventually become brittle and will splinter.

In general: Green wood is very flexible, but light and dentable as the fibres are far apart and soft. As it dries it gets smaller, more dense and more hard but also as mentioned more brittle.

Dry any wood enough and it breaks, which is why you should always bake your breaking boards in the oven before the big demonstration. ;-)

Kim.

Kim, my jo has this small area that's not cracking, but is sort of drying or something to the point that someday it'll give me a wicked splinter. Would sanding this out be a way of getting rid of the potential problem?

-Charles

[charlesl]

Hi Kim,

uh, was at Home Depot today to pick up some sand paper (there is a small area that has definite sliver potential), and realized that I am not woodsy enough, ie I couldn't figure out which grit of sandpaper was optimal for sanding out the small flaw I'm growing in my jo. Can you throw out a number for me?

Thanks for your time,

-Charles

[Tony Peters]

Hi Kim,

uh, was at Home Depot today to pick up some sand paper (there is a small area that has definite sliver potential), and realized that I am not woodsy enough, ie I couldn't figure out which grit of sandpaper was optimal for sanding out the small flaw I'm growing in my jo. Can you throw out a number for me?

Thanks for your time,

-Charles

Charles,
try 180-220 to remove the flaw and 400 to smooth out afterwards. Go slow on the removal.
Peace
Tony

[charlesl]

Charles,
try 180-220 to remove the flaw and 400 to smooth out afterwards. Go slow on the removal.
Peace
Tony

Thanks man. Hope things are going well for ya.

-Charles

[Mekugi]

After a while, you won't get blisters. Your skin callouses and it simply will not bother you anymore. You could also use a conditioner to make the skin pliable, but I have never done this. I just waited it out.

[Tony Peters]

Thanks man. Hope things are going well for ya.

-Charles

I'm just about done here in Japan...headed to Conneticut in a month or so...no idea who if I'll be able to train with anyone there

[Joman]

Ooo good advice, tis has been happning an off to my left hand-blister in the same area... Strangley i never considered varnishing or sanding for fear that it would damage the jo but now i know better.

-Alfred Igancio