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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2009 21:53:38 GMT
Today I experimented for a short period of time with Tom's technique of gripping the sword, and I learned several things. First, his technique is very effective. Next, the grip on the Norman is too thin for my hands. Third, my Norman is not sharp enough for bottle cutting.
I am aware that swords do not have to be able to slice paper in order to cut bottles. However, this sword is barely sharp enough to even be called sharp. I can hold the blade in my bare hands and squeeze without cutting myself. I took my finger, pressed down on the blade, and ran it up and down without suffering any injuries. I attempted to cut my arm, and I failed. While the sword may be sharp enough for heavier targets like mats, and it can cut milk jugs with difficulty, the dullness of the blade is impractical for my purposes. This problem can be solved easily, I believe. Eventually I will sharpen the blade via sandpaper, as the edge geomety itself appears to be fine. I am more concerned with the grip. At the widest part, I can barely hold the grip comfortably, and it tapers significantly towards the pommel. Sharpening the blade will make cutting easier, but I fear that I shall have to replace the grip eventually.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2009 22:48:59 GMT
Well, making a grip isn't that hard nor is sharpening a dull blade. Just fix it. You'll manage.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Oct 30, 2009 3:29:23 GMT
I agree the Hanwei Tinker grips tend toward the thin side but keep practicing with it and you may grow accoustomed to it. sharpening with sand paper isn't hard at all in fact I have a tutorial linked in my signature if you want to take a look. maybe some hocky grip tape could be used to beef up the grip won't look great but just don't admire your sword whilst you cut.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2009 5:27:03 GMT
You can test out how a thicker grip would feel by simply wrapping the grip in something like string or by wearing leather gloves. If you do decide to do a new grip, you don't need to redo the whole thing. You can if you want though. All you really need to do is rewrap the leather. You could use thicker leather or just ad a layer of string under the leather. There are many options for beefing up a grip without having to make the wood core.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2009 19:23:01 GMT
I can probably manage wrapping it in something thicker.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 8:49:46 GMT
That idea of using thicker string or even multiple layers to thicken a grip is bang up. That would keep a fellow from having to break his sword down and rebuilding or crafting a whole new grip.
If you know that you are going to redo it, wrap it with cloth friction tape to get an idea of where you want it to be, then measure when you get it right and proceed with mods.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Oct 31, 2009 16:14:11 GMT
cloth friction tape. yeah that's the stuff they use on hocky sticks right? use that stuff.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 17:08:43 GMT
Where can I find it? Is it called "cloth friction tape"?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 17:24:27 GMT
I usually find it in the sporting goods section of most dept stores (target, K-mart, the evil blue place...) it's either "sport tape," (not to be confused with the stuff in the first aid section), "grip tape," or "hockey tape." Good Luck, and Happy Halloween.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 19:26:48 GMT
Thank you.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 20:47:13 GMT
Jonathan, you also might check into tennis racquet grip tape. It's sold in most sporting goods stores that sell tennis racquets. It's a soft, leathery type of tape that may feel better than just plain medical tape.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 21:57:29 GMT
I will have to ask for that as well.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 22:48:19 GMT
I played a lot of tennis for a long time, and I can vouch for the comfort of tennis overgrips for staying secure in your hand, feeling great, absorbing sweat so you keep your grip, and being tacky enough to allow easy grip changes while maintaining edge alignment. That's what their designed to do, lol, but for the "flat" of the blade instead of the edge, if you like. I for a long time used Tournagrip brand overgrips to add width to the racket grip, and they're pretty much the best out there: www.amazon.com/Tournagrip-Pack-COLOR-Royal-Blue/dp/B0002SY26S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1257027901&sr=8-3However, their trademark color is bright blue, which would look pretty out of place on a sword. When I was all hung up on my grip being pretty, I used Wilson Pro Overgrips in white, which are what I currently have on my rackets, but I believe they sell it in black as well: www.amazon.com/Wilson-Overgrip-Tennis-Racquet-Grip/dp/B0015FI0MYThey work just as well as the Tournagrips and look better, but they get visibly dirty faster, and they wear out a bit quicker. The dirt shouldn't be as much as a problem with a dark color. That being said, the trade-off for these wonderful grippy, cushioning, feedback-enhancing properties is that they do all wear out eventually, far morso than a standard leather grip. Not TOO fast, mind you: when I was playing tennis for five hours a day, every day, full power, I would switch to a new grip every couple of weeks, and change before a tournament and before a final match. But I was kinda anal about changing grips (that white had to look pretty). I'm sure you could get months out of a tennis grip before it needed to be changed, and even then, the grips are pretty darn cheap. If you do go this route, remember that you'll have to cut them to size, as they are designed for a two-handed grip that is decently wide and you'll need to cut the end to a taper to keep if from looking ugly when you finish. This is the basic idea: www.ehow.com/how_2175615_change-grip-tape-tennis-racket.htmlEdited for grammar.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2009 14:57:52 GMT
Thanks for the video! It didn't work at the first attempt though. I made only slowed down moves trying to figure out the new position but it made my wrist hurt. It was different than the pain that usual "hammer"-type of holding makes if I swing as fast as I can. The pain was not on the skin but inside the wrists joint and it felt a lot worse. The pain also ended fast and its not hurting any more even when I movethe wrist, so I am not afraid that any structure like bone went broken. Still just in case I won't hold sword for a few days to let it heal completely. Then I will try again First with a wooden spatha I am making to a kid as a Christmas present.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2009 15:41:40 GMT
I wouldn't wrap a sword hilt in sports tape, the amount of headaches it could cause you isn't worth the hassle, there are better ways to do it.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Dec 1, 2009 19:16:11 GMT
I have recently wrapped my foamy-shinai arming swords with tennis tape like the stuff lunaman linked to above and I love it.
Rauta, please go slow and careful with that massively heavy sword! I would think it very easy to hurt yourself with bad form using a sword of that weight and POB.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2009 22:17:12 GMT
Bloodwraith, if there are any better ways of fixing my grip, please share them. Sometime soon I am going to sharpen my norman. Do you recommend that I tape the sandpaper to a wooden block?
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Dec 1, 2009 22:29:10 GMT
you can do that or you can pick up a rubber sanding block from any local hardware store for just a few dollars. I like the 3M hard rubber ones but the drywall ones work too and either of these is less of a headache than tape and a wood block.
personally I'd go with the athletic tape for your grip unless you are committed to all-out replacing it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2009 22:31:56 GMT
Thank you for the fast reply, Tom.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2009 22:39:00 GMT
I'm with Tom. I use the 3M wooden block to maintain mine. It keeps my fingers a safe distance from the sharp side (though my sword likes to bite me sometimes - guess I shouldn't have let it bite me the first time) and it's very comfortable for long work times. I think I paid like, 5 bucks or something. They're not too expensive.
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