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Post by oblivion25 on Jun 19, 2024 4:56:08 GMT
Just have a really quick question, anyone know how Ray Skin only feels on the hand? I know it’s usually sanded down a bit to stop some abrasion but I haven’t been able to find many people talking about the feel of Ray skin only on a sword handle. For context I want to wrap a sword with wooden grip with ray skin.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jun 19, 2024 5:40:43 GMT
I have at least two swords with ray skin grip, one was smoothed a bit I think, grippy but acceptable to hold and one was itchy and not comfortable to hold in the hand without gloves. Not smoothed ray skin is only for wearing gloves I assume.
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Post by mrstabby on Jun 19, 2024 8:08:01 GMT
Worn down coarse sandpaper. The nodules on the rayskin are essentially bone, so relatively hard beads embedded in leather. The synthetic rayskin feels a lot softer, but it's mostly used as lower layer (I think), underneath string wraps. The synthetics are only stamped to look like it (again I think, I am sure someone has/will come up with a process to recreate the rough texture of the real thing) and just feel like rough textured leather.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jun 19, 2024 13:15:38 GMT
I've heard somewhere here in the forum that real rayskin is cheaper than synthetic rayskin, so you pay for the comfort.
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Post by darknovashin on Jun 19, 2024 13:16:48 GMT
I have the LK Chen snow peak with a rayskin handle. It’s sanded to remove the peaks and locks very solidly in hand, but I personally would use it with a glove for cutting due to how solid it binds. There are also “polished” options with more rounded nodules that are usually also dyed. They are much more useable bare handed.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Jun 19, 2024 15:01:41 GMT
There's untanned (e.g. rawhide) rayskin--but then there's tanned rayskin, which is what you'll more often find from leather suppliers. Tanned rayskin is great even with bare hands.
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Post by eastman on Jun 20, 2024 0:44:03 GMT
tanned ray skin is fairly soft and smooth (but still textured and grippy) compared to sawagawa (rawhide rayskin)
it is not terribly expensive from dealers like Tandy Leather
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Post by oblivion25 on Jun 20, 2024 2:54:13 GMT
Thanks for all the help yall!! I ended going with some tanned and sanded and polished ray skin!
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Post by oblivion25 on Jun 20, 2024 2:54:47 GMT
There's untanned (e.g. rawhide) rayskin--but then there's tanned rayskin, which is what you'll more often find from leather suppliers. Tanned rayskin is great even with bare hands. I ended up going with the tanned Ray skin! Thanks for the help!
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Post by oblivion25 on Jun 20, 2024 2:56:02 GMT
tanned ray skin is fairly soft and smooth (but still textured and grippy) compared to sawagawa (rawhide rayskin) it is not terribly expensive from dealers like Tandy Leather Thank you!
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Post by oblivion25 on Jun 20, 2024 3:00:41 GMT
I've heard somewhere here in the forum that real rayskin is cheaper than synthetic rayskin, so you pay for the comfort. From what I’ve seen so far the synthetic ray skin isn’t too bad in pricing! But I honestly think that’s only because it comes in strips rather then a larger sheet of leather.
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Post by curiomansion on Jun 20, 2024 6:04:24 GMT
I second everyone's opinion. Rayskin and soft gloves are my favorite combo of any sword grip. It is very uncomfortable without gloves, though.
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Ouroboros
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Post by Ouroboros on Jun 20, 2024 16:37:22 GMT
![Samegawa](https://i.imgur.com/ySc7Qs9l.jpeg) The samegawa wrap on this antique American Naval Dress blade bites and locks into a nice light pair of deerskin gloves and you can see how far down its been ground and filed. For any japanese blade thats bothered me, [ I try and not use it (haha f-u Ouro)] i might consider trying to dress the surface in laquer to reduce the grip in the hooks and enamel of the samegawa then file away. I think on a samegawa only wrap the friction between hand and blade needs to be balanced against the utility of the item (fishing pole w samegawa handle is very hard to "yoink" from your hand, a tanto w a spikey looking tsuka sittting on your ancestral shrine vs the tanto you use to prune magic mushrooms w Uncle Yeti). Personally I avoid archaic japanese fishing poles and can tell you I did not appreciate samegawa only wrap when I tried on a tanto I owned. I promptly disassembled the blasphemy and thought not of it until today.
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Post by treeslicer on Jun 20, 2024 19:20:00 GMT
Just have a really quick question, anyone know how Ray Skin only feels on the hand? I know it’s usually sanded down a bit to stop some abrasion but I haven’t been able to find many people talking about the feel of Ray skin only on a sword handle. For context I want to wrap a sword with wooden grip with ray skin. I have at least two swords with ray skin grip, one was smoothed a bit I think, grippy but acceptable to hold and one was itchy and not comfortable to hold in the hand without gloves. Not smoothed ray skin is only for wearing gloves I assume. Worn down coarse sandpaper. The nodules on the rayskin are essentially bone, so relatively hard beads embedded in leather. The synthetic rayskin feels a lot softer, but it's mostly used as lower layer (I think), underneath string wraps. The synthetics are only stamped to look like it (again I think, I am sure someone has/will come up with a process to recreate the rough texture of the real thing) and just feel like rough textured leather. I have the LK Chen snow peak with a rayskin handle. It’s sanded to remove the peaks and locks very solidly in hand, but I personally would use it with a glove for cutting due to how solid it binds. There are also “polished” options with more rounded nodules that are usually also dyed. They are much more useable bare handed. I second everyone's opinion. Rayskin and soft gloves are my favorite combo of any sword grip. It is very uncomfortable without gloves, though. ![Samegawa](https://i.imgur.com/ySc7Qs9l.jpeg) The samegawa wrap on this antique American Naval Dress blade bites and locks into a nice light pair of deerskin gloves and you can see how far down its been ground and filed. For any japanese blade thats bothered me, [ I try and not use it (haha f-u Ouro)] i might consider trying to dress the surface in laquer to reduce the grip in the hooks and enamel of the samegawa then file away. I think on a samegawa only wrap the friction between hand and blade needs to be balanced against the utility of the item (fishing pole w samegawa handle is very hard to "yoink" from your hand, a tanto w a spikey looking tsuka sittting on your ancestral shrine vs the tanto you use to prune magic mushrooms w Uncle Yeti). Personally I avoid archaic japanese fishing poles and can tell you I did not appreciate samegawa only wrap when I tried on a tanto I owned. I promptly disassembled the blasphemy and thought not of it until today. Pish-tosh, hogwash, and nonsense, I daresay! Rarely have I been so disappointed in my noble and learned colleagues on this forum. Those of us whose palms are appropriately calloused from honest effort in the dojo, the forge, and the workshop, rather than smoothly polished from pursuits only fit for a geisha, prefer unpolished rayskin/samegawa (whether tanned or not) because it will not fly out of one's hand when drenched with gore on the battlefield or in the testing yard. ![(:))](//storage.forums.net/forum/images/smiley/ninja.png) It also does not allow ito to slip when tightly wrapped on it. If it did cause any discomfort, that would be unworthy of our notice.
I do, however, notice (and commend) those of my colleagues who have not yet responded to this thread. I am certain that, when they do, they will agree with me, rather than joining in the chorus of whingeing over how uncomfortably sharp good rayskin is in one's ungloved hands. I'll now return to studying Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure for the improvement of my character and karma.
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Post by larason2 on Jun 20, 2024 19:27:14 GMT
Haha! I agree it's rough on the hands. Once it's been meticulously sanded and finished though, it's quite nice on the hands. I have both to compare. If you're not going to spend hours carefully finishing it though, then I think you should wrap it with something. Just my half tuppence worth!
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Post by glendon on Jun 20, 2024 21:16:22 GMT
Work out with it for two weeks, heal, then work out with it for another two weeks, and it won't be anything but snug. Who has time to don gloves when its time to act? And what gentleman goes around in polite company wearing gloves?
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jun 21, 2024 3:04:17 GMT
I will now replace the silk ito with barbwire!
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Post by curiomansion on Jun 21, 2024 8:24:46 GMT
Pish-tosh, hogwash, and nonsense, I daresay! Rarely have I been so disappointed in my noble and learned colleagues on this forum. Those of us whose palms are appropriately calloused from honest effort in the dojo, the forge, and the workshop, rather than smoothly polished from pursuits only fit for a geisha, prefer unpolished rayskin/samegawa (whether tanned or not) because it will not fly out of one's hand when drenched with gore on the battlefield or in the testing yard. ![(:))](//storage.forums.net/forum/images/smiley/ninja.png) It also does not allow ito to slip when tightly wrapped on it. If it did cause any discomfort, that would be unworthy of our notice.
I do, however, notice (and commend) those of my colleagues who have not yet responded to this thread. I am certain that, when they do, they will agree with me, rather than joining in the chorus of whingeing over how uncomfortably sharp good rayskin is in one's ungloved hands. I'll now return to studying Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure for the improvement of my character and karma. Excuse me, plebe, but some of us court the ladies and waltz upon the floor after honing our killing skills. And the ladies of class like soft hands and a soft touch; hands of a lover, delicate and skilled, untouched by the hardships that plague mere mortals.
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Post by mrstabby on Jun 21, 2024 8:39:09 GMT
So now we can see who are the bluebloods and who the people who wipe with chainsaw chanis...
Personally I could never cope with rough textured grips. I knew a guy who put skateboard tape on the dumbbell for better grip, I was never a fan of that stuff, it's more that I hate the feeling of it on my skin than that it hurts when you use it a lot. I have an AKC F-16 OTF with skateboard tape grip scales, it just felt gross to me somehow and I took them off. It's the same with new CS SRK/Recon Tanto grips. I just don't like the feeling of a handful of tiny, hard nipples.
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AndiTheBarvarian
Member
"Lord of the Memes"
Bavarianbarbarian - Semper Semprini
Posts: 10,124
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jun 21, 2024 9:24:18 GMT
Pish-tosh, hogwash, and nonsense, I daresay! Rarely have I been so disappointed in my noble and learned colleagues on this forum. Those of us whose palms are appropriately calloused from honest effort in the dojo, the forge, and the workshop, rather than smoothly polished from pursuits only fit for a geisha, prefer unpolished rayskin/samegawa (whether tanned or not) because it will not fly out of one's hand when drenched with gore on the battlefield or in the testing yard. ![(:))](//storage.forums.net/forum/images/smiley/ninja.png) It also does not allow ito to slip when tightly wrapped on it. If it did cause any discomfort, that would be unworthy of our notice.
I do, however, notice (and commend) those of my colleagues who have not yet responded to this thread. I am certain that, when they do, they will agree with me, rather than joining in the chorus of whingeing over how uncomfortably sharp good rayskin is in one's ungloved hands. I'll now return to studying Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure for the improvement of my character and karma. Excuse me, plebe, but some of us court the ladies and waltz upon the floor after honing our killing skills. And the ladies of class like soft hands and a soft touch; hands of a lover, delicate and skilled, untouched by the hardships that plague mere mortals. This convinced me to stay with silk, wrap grip band over it and look down on the guys with rough hands like this: ![5212024112123.jpg](//storage.forums.net/1694914/thumbnailer/xgkJGYBSjRGrpPQuwWZP.png) (I'm such a leaf in the wind...)
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