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Post by Rapideffect on Nov 24, 2012 4:54:25 GMT
G'day people. I'm new to this forum and next week i'm getting an early christmas present, a Ronin Dojo Pro katana #5. This is my first sword and I am looking forward to using it. My girlfriend purchased the sword for me through the SBG website, after I had gone through all the reviews here. Great website, good effort people, much appreciated.
I was wondering what are the most fun things to cut with a katana?
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Post by johnwalter on Nov 24, 2012 5:10:28 GMT
Welcome to the forum.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Nov 24, 2012 5:50:44 GMT
Welcome aboard! Ronin are really the way to go for a beginners sword. Tough as hell, and Chris(owner of Ronin Katana) is a real square dealer. Compliments to your lady for her fantastic taste.
Funnest thing to do with a katana? Cut! Plastic bottles are fun and relatively cheap. Beach mats. Hippies.
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Post by Maynar on Nov 24, 2012 5:55:28 GMT
Milk jugs are fun in summer, 'cause we get wet. Double beach mats are my target of choice, because I happened to score a bunch. Dollar store works too (in season).
Welcome to the forum.
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Post by Rapideffect on Nov 24, 2012 6:40:15 GMT
Thanks for the welcome. Has anyone tried to cut down a banana plant with their sword? The banana plant is not a tree and is soft enough to have a hack at it. I'll have to wait a while until the bananas are fully grown before I can try cutting down the plant and in the meantime I plan on learning how to use my katana. I'm fortunate enough to have a girlfriend who has practiced kendo for many years and is willing to show me how to use a katana.
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Post by johnwalter on Nov 24, 2012 6:52:29 GMT
Yes,it isn't very difficult provided you ha ve good technique.Anyone can hack stuff with these swords. Yes you are very lucky to have a girlfriend versed in Kendo.But please be aware that Kendo,Iaido,Kenjutsu,BattoDo are not all the same.Just something to know. I am assuming she is trained in the Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei Seitei Iai Kata?Which would show differences in handling a shinai and shinken.
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Post by Deepbluedave on Nov 24, 2012 8:56:45 GMT
Nice to have another Aussie on board, welcome Rapid
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Post by raf2 on Nov 24, 2012 9:36:51 GMT
I like cutting pool noodles. Cheap too. +1 on water jugs.
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Post by WEWolf on Nov 24, 2012 18:00:21 GMT
Plastic bottles, empty water and coke bottles and milk jugs are lots of fun. Welcome to the forum, and your girlfriend is really cool.
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Post by Rapideffect on Nov 25, 2012 0:20:29 GMT
johnwalter, my girlfriend practices only kendo, her friend studies laido and they often teach each other there own styles. My girlfriend does have her own real katana, but only uses a bokuto in kendo. Water bottles & pool noodles sound good. I was thinking of trying to cut through a piece of hardwood, which my mate (friend) thought was a sure way to damage my sword. But I was referring to a piece of balsa wood and not trying to use my katana as an axe. Does the acid in citrus fruit damage the blade quickly? If I was to wash it off and apply oil to the blade, after say half an hour of cutting citrus fruit, would this over time (once a week) be a bad idea?
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Nov 25, 2012 1:05:46 GMT
It does stain the steel pretty quick. I cut a grapefruit with my Ronin Dojo and wiped it off with a dry cloth, by the time I got home from my friends house it had already started to stain. You could probably get away with it if you wiped the blade off with alcohol(91% or higher only) or oil after each cut or two.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2012 2:12:54 GMT
That's half an hour of acid etching with a weak acidic solution! Yes, it will definitely etch the steel.
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Post by johnwalter on Nov 25, 2012 2:23:30 GMT
Adrian is right. You are a lucky dude to have a girlfriend like that! I've never cut balsa wood but wood in general is an extreme target.Plastic bottles and pool noodles are fun,beachmats give more options and aren't as tough as proper tatami omote.You could bundle straw,broom grass or reeds.Bamboo if you have it but be aware they aren't all the same,some varieties of bamboo will easily damage a blade especially if you aren't very practiced.Growing conditions and time its harvested will also affect its hardness.Corn stalk bundles,the sugars in them will also stain yourt blade as will some bamboo juices.Rolled newspaper soaked in water can be fun but very tough also.
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Post by Rapideffect on Nov 25, 2012 3:45:46 GMT
So no citrus fruit then. I want my Ronin Dojo Pro to last for years and plan on cutting maybe once or twice a week. When I first get it I will probably be using it daily for a while. I've got many soft drink bottles ready to go, i've been collecting them from everybody. I have bamboo growing in my yard although your right John it's a bit risky to cut if you want to avoid damage. The variety I have are small 25mm - 35mm (1" - 1.37") diameter, but the wall thickness varies quite a bit 3mm - 10mm (0.12"- 0.4"). So no citrus and no bamboo, well not anytime soon.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Nov 25, 2012 4:08:22 GMT
Here is a list of good items to have for upkeep.
Uchiko powder or 91%(or higher) isopropyl alcohol. Use them to wipe off grit and old oil before applying new oil.
Light Mineral Oil or Camellia Oil. Make sure to give the entire blade a very thin but complete coat after every cutting session. Sewing machine oil and 3 in 1 oil work as well. When not cutting, it's okay to wipe and re-oil every two weeks or so.
Metal Glo, Flitz Polishing Paste or Mother Mag and Aluminum polish. These are fantastic for removing grit and grim from the blade. Make sure to wipe down with the alcohol to make sure all paste has been removed, as there are unseen remnants usually left.
Scratches and scuff are impossible to avoid when cutting unless you only cut pool noodles. Plastic bottles/jugs, tatami mats, rolled and soaked newspaper, ect. all leave scuffs. These will not impede the ability to cut, though, just the polish.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Nov 25, 2012 12:59:41 GMT
I was attacked once by a bag of imported Navels! only one got away and told his mates, have not seen any since. Seriously mate, once in a blue moon is fine, once a week would be like driving a Phase III HO to work, you end up spending too much time cleaning. If you want to cut things thrown at you try 300ml PET bottles full of water, it's better for the blade
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