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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2009 21:18:28 GMT
What would be a good alternative to the traditional bamboo pegs I might find on shadowofleaves.com? I could have sworn I saw someone mention making pegs out of hardwood dowels, is that a good alternative?
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Post by genocideseth on Jan 31, 2009 22:37:39 GMT
I am not sure about this. From what I once heard, it isn't such a great idea. Most say bamboo is the best this for a peg, as brass allows sweat to leak unto the blade (or something similar) and it adds more stress to the steel and the tsuka, unlike bamboo, which absorbs more shock. I know next to nothing about hardwood unfortunately.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2009 23:14:14 GMT
Well I was reading and it has to be a specific bamboo to make the pegs safe. They go for 10 for 20 dollars I think, but they could be done much cheaper using hardwood.
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Marc Ridgeway
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Post by Marc Ridgeway on Feb 1, 2009 1:33:20 GMT
hardwood is no good... bamboo is cool, any bamboo just needs to be smoked....
Bamboo absorbs shock, but more importantly is fibrous , and even if it shatters it will remain in place to retain tsuka... bamboo will not break like wood.... also tanins in many hardwoods are corrosive to steel....
Delrin is an OK alt. to bamboo , but why? Bamboo mekugi cost little $10 is for a small bag , not one mekugi....
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2009 14:13:25 GMT
Best place to buy Mekugi? I already know Shadowofleaves.com has them for 10 for 20 dollars. The same person also sells them on ebay for the same price, but shipping for them is outrageous.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2009 17:44:01 GMT
SOM has(or had) mekugi for cheap. Or you can make your own from Japanese bamboo knitting needles found at Michales(or other craft stores). They come in different sizes in diameter and sell for under 10.00 for two or so 9'' sticks. They also help with sageo tying.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2009 18:48:02 GMT
Best place to buy Mekugi? PM our forum mate katanado ( James ). Hi makes the best, IMHO, traditional smoked bamboo mekugi pegs. Plus, James is a really nice guy to do business with. Many of us bought from him ( me too ). You can read in our classified section all feedbacks on his mekugi and other artsy handmade sword care stuff. Hope it helps.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2009 20:25:43 GMT
Is bamboo that hasnt been smoked safe to use? I did a good amount of reading, and from what I read stuff like Bamboo chop sticks and similar items that are mass produced are not good for making Mekugi.
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Post by genocideseth on Feb 1, 2009 21:16:05 GMT
I just buy good quality chop stick and use those. They seemed to have worked for me...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2009 0:28:38 GMT
Brass rod is OK to use.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2009 16:20:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2009 16:28:30 GMT
How much is safety really worth it to you and others if you're actually swinging a 2+ foot long sharpened blade around? I mean, there are companies that double peg as a "just in case" measure because of the fears that one may fail.
Some things aren't expensive enough to skimp out on. But that's just me.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2009 17:41:08 GMT
How much is safety really worth it to you and others if you're actually swinging a 2+ foot long sharpened blade around? I mean, there are companies that double peg as a "just in case" measure because of the fears that one may fail. Some things aren't expensive enough to skimp out on. But that's just me. What I am trying to get at, is it really worth it to buy Mekugi pegs when you can make 16 for the price by buying chop sticks?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2009 18:03:02 GMT
Hi Vtolds, I was curious about this too a while back. I just looked up the old thread I started about MekugiI think it is worth reading, and there are some good links there, but the take home message (from all I have seen around the fora) is that chopsticks are not a good alternative Debbie
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2009 18:05:12 GMT
What I am trying to get at, is it really worth it to buy Mekugi pegs when you can make 16 for the price by buying chop sticks? The chopsticks in the ebay listing look very much like the ones I get when I have Chinese for lunch at work. If they are the same, they are considerabley softer than the Mekugi I purchased from Katanado. There is a real difference in the material used. The Mekugi I purchased are made of a harder, more dense variety of bamboo. I would not use chopsticks in any blade I'm using and I would not want to be anywhere near someone using chopsticks in his/her Katana. The risks are too high. I read a thread on SFI that detailed the results of the wrong material used for Mekugi. Long story short, the blade became separated from the Tsuka and nearly killed the owners friend. Here is a link to that thread. forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=79231Vernon Moderators, if the link in inappropriate, please remove it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2009 18:36:50 GMT
From what I've heard from different sensei is that it is ok to use bamboo chopsticks. I haven't used chopsticks myself so I do not know how fail safe they are.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2009 18:57:37 GMT
Only salvage material that I've read of being acceptable during my research is from old shinai. *shrug*
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Post by genocideseth on Feb 3, 2009 5:03:05 GMT
What I am trying to get at, is it really worth it to buy Mekugi pegs when you can make 16 for the price by buying chop sticks? The chopsticks in the ebay listing look very much like the ones I get when I have Chinese for lunch at work. If they are the same, they are considerabley softer than the Mekugi I purchased from Katanado. There is a real difference in the material used. The Mekugi I purchased are made of a harder, more dense variety of bamboo. I would not use chopsticks in any blade I'm using and I would not want to be anywhere near someone using chopsticks in his/her Katana. The risks are too high. I read a thread on SFI that detailed the results of the wrong material used for Mekugi. Long story short, the blade became separated from the Tsuka and nearly killed the owners friend. Here is a link to that thread. forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=79231Vernon Moderators, if the link in inappropriate, please remove it. That would also be a cause of improper tsuka construction. I remember reading that the tsuka should be able to hold the blade on it's own, the pegs are just for added security.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2009 14:29:51 GMT
SO much contradicting info. still very confused. Probably will just buy Mekugi from Shadowofleaves.com and not risk killing my self or someone watching me use my blades.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2009 15:35:39 GMT
The chopsticks in the ebay listing look very much like the ones I get when I have Chinese for lunch at work. If they are the same, they are considerabley softer than the Mekugi I purchased from Katanado. There is a real difference in the material used. The Mekugi I purchased are made of a harder, more dense variety of bamboo. I would not use chopsticks in any blade I'm using and I would not want to be anywhere near someone using chopsticks in his/her Katana. The risks are too high. I read a thread on SFI that detailed the results of the wrong material used for Mekugi. Long story short, the blade became separated from the Tsuka and nearly killed the owners friend. Here is a link to that thread. forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=79231Vernon Moderators, if the link in inappropriate, please remove it. That would also be a cause of improper tsuka construction. I remember reading that the tsuka should be able to hold the blade on it's own, the pegs are just for added security. The pegs are not there just for added security. It's an integral piece to keep the blade in place during actual usage. A proper tsuka should slide in and off the nakago with minor resistance. Hence the need to only tap against your hand to dislodge the nakago or tap against the kashira to put it back in and line up the mekugi-ana. Edited - Thanks for the correction Marc.
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