When is bogu dead...

[nodachi]

.... and how to revive a near death set of bogu...

I may have the opportunity to get my hands on an old club set of bogu. However, a lot of it is potentially super old, beyond old and maybe even dangerous to use. The problem is that I don't know when it is too far gone. So many questions for you all...

When is a men worn out? Ignoring mold or smell which can be taken care of by advice from other threads. When is the material too floppy that it is not safe to use. When I pick up some of these men, they seem to lack any sense of rigidness at all. Some are so so. When is it too far gone?

Concerning men like this, can you reinforce it with a mouse pad for extra padding as other people have recommended and does that make it safe again, or is it still not a good idea to use, even with added padding? Or will 2 mouse pads make it okay, instead of one??? And I forget, but how does one attach the mouse pad up in there?

Does a Do ever wear out? As long as the himo and places that the himo tie to are okay, is a Do fine to use no matter how old? Or will I just have to see how much shock goes through it when I get a Do hit to see if it is dead or not?

Does it matter if the tare is floppy? Essentially, it should still absorb shock even if floppy, right? My legs are stronger than my cranium and so floppiness is not as much of an issue here, or is this wrong? Also, it should still protect the gonad region even if it is floppy??? Maybe??? Please inform me as I would like to have kids one day. :)

Also, any suggestions on repairing partially ripped himo? (Is it still called a himo in this case???)

Feel free to tell when kote are worn out beyond safe use, but I have a reasonable set. I only need to repair a few holes in the palms and I am comfortable with that. Except, can you buy triangular needles to sew with in the states? I have never seen them here and I was told that to sew leather you need a triangular needle, not a round one.

I am being a scavenger and will need to put a lot of work into making a safe and useable set, but it may be awhile for me to afford something that is not free. Thanks in advance, enlighten me...

[Hai_hai]

Don't forget to remove the mouse from the mouse pad before putting in your men.

While you're at it, reinforce the tare, do, mune, tsuki, and kote by super gluing mouse pads everywhere. This way, it doesn't matter what condition the bogu is in, you are protected.

[Curtis]

Well Nodachi here we go.

Men. First push on the men buton just behind the men gane. If it is really soft then probably it is not safe. If it has some firmness still then it can be padded using neoprene sheet. I buy it in 3mm and 6mm thickness at the craft or fabric store. It can be cut to size and then inserted on the inside between the men buton and the face cushion. Mouse pad are probably too thick and affect the fit of the men so that the forehead does not sit right. Also make sure the tsukidare is not broken.

Doh. Yes doh do wear out. Mostly it is the mune that wears out. If it is soft and bends then it is probably not safe.

Kote. Repair and patch as best you can. Check for loss of stuffing in the area of the right knuckle. If too thin then the knuckle will be injured. You can make an incision on the inside, restuff and sew up. Old kote are the best source for stuffing. Triangular needles are available here in the U.S. as well as in Japan. However the ring type piece for the finger to push the needle through may be a Japan item. I have not seen them here. Maybe a leather shop here will have them.

Tare. You can get replacement himo from some boguya. I make mine from the nafuda material that is left over or I buy from Koei. If the tare is floppy it generally won’t hurt to use it unless it is too soft.

If you need further advice let me know. I have a lot of old kote lying around that could be used for stuffing.

[Hai_hai]

I hope you don't mind me asking, if the entire set requires repairing, why don't you just get a new set?

[nodachi]

I am a teacher and won't have the money for a set until I save up enough, which will be at least four months as I see it now, or until the US government pays teachers salaries that one can actually live off of... so in other words, when pigs fly.

Repairing can be done quite cheaply if one is resourceful enough.

[nodachi]

I am looking into buying a set but that will be at least four months in the future from now for me to save up, unless a miracle occurs. The process could be speeded up, but that would require the US government to pay teachers salaries you can actually live off of, and so the likelihood of that happening is quite slim. I should have gone into professional sports...

If one is resourceful enough, one can repair bogu quite cheaply. Also if there are enough other sets to take bits and pieces from, then a himo from one set to fix the Do in another set, etc, and eventually you have a functioning set of bogu from old club bogu. Us poor folk have to make due with what we can get our hands on.

[nodachi]

Sorry, didn't think it posted, retyped a similar response, then they are both there, I feel like an idiot.

Gomen nasai.

Moderators, feel free to delete one of those.

[Hai_hai]

Oh, okay. You are a beginner?

[nodachi]

yes, only been practicing for 8 months now