can't take off the tsukagawa!!!

[heri0n]

i'm having trouble taking off the leather from the hilt of my shinai! its impossible to take offff somethings wrong?! i want to rotate my slats.. but its kinda hard since the tsukagawa wont go down any lower than like 2 inches, its a cheapo made in china shinai and i have like 10 more of the same kind that i havent used yet.. im guessing those wont budge either... i've also used this shinai for awhile.. i thought like using the shinai would loosen the leather out a bit but.. nooo any tips??

[Nishi]

That is my nightmare....wait till you try to put it on again. I think ive increased my arm and back strength working with those stupid things.

I saw a guy at the worlds assembling shinai with deluxe leather tsukagawa (the bottom layer of the leather which is really gripy and shiney) and he used rubber gloves.

My only suggestion is to freak out and swing the shinai around the room smashing things and cussing alot....then buy a new one :D

[slidercrank]

Wrap a dry hand towel (the thicker the better) around the tsukagawa and use it to gain more grip on the leather.

[heri0n]

my grip was fine, i wasnt sliding or anything when trying to pull it off
i took my friends suggestion and wet it, that helped some, it was actually moving down now with the help of my plier pushing down, at a rate of 3 mm per push... eventually i got too impatient and took his other suggestion.. cut the stitching.. i guess i'll have to get my mommy to stitch it back up after.. if this tsukagawa is recoverable at all... :'( i think the reason it was on so tight is because i got this el cheapo made in china from korea.. and in korea and japan dont most people just throw their shinai's out once they break since they're so cheap and because the people are lazy.. well these shinais cost about 10$ each i think so whatever...
i very dearly wanted to take your suggestion nishi, but good thing kendo taught me self control..

[Neil Gendzwill]

Wet with hot water, use rubber kitchen gloves for really stubborn tsukagawa.

[heri0n]

i used hot water, even if i was using rubber gloves, i dont think it would come off seeing as how it was extremely hard pushing it down bit by bit

[James]

There is a device you can get to do this. It is a rubber cylinder, but it is hinged and split so that it opens lenghtways, so you can clamp it around the tsuka. The inside is ribbed and the outside has got finger grips. Yes if you leave it on the coffee table when the neighbours pop round you are going to start rumours.
Anyway it works quite well, starting nearest the tsuba end you grip and pull it, which causes the leather to wrinkle, you then clamp it around the wrinkled area and pull those down, and gradually work it off. No idea what it is called I have only met one person who has it, but he let me use it and it works well.
I'm guessing you can pick one up in Japan.

[iwatekenshi]

I just cut it and buy a new one. An old tsukagawa is too stretched for me anyway, so after a good use I just throw them out.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I like a used tsukagawa, especially a good one. The leather wears down nice and smooth... my tsukagawa last me years, I keep switching them from shinai to shinai.

[iwatekenshi]

The reason why I throw them out after a good use is because I use a 38 tsukagawa. I will reuse them, but if I can't get it off too easily that probably means it's too stretched out for me to use.

[mingshi]

AAAAarrrrr!! Don't put hot water!!! It strinks!!!

(The next thing I did was tearing it off. What a waste!)

[Nishi]

I have two shinai that i have been trying to put tsukagawa back onto for two weeks now.....im telling you, its a nightmare....im ready to break out the KY jelly :eek:

[Phlebas]

"im ready to break out the KY jelly" -- Nishi

No no no... don't give up now. Keep working on the tsukagawa.

:)

[Nishi]

Thats better..........now back to the tsukagawa :wink:

[terloungbee]

use a twisting motion, the leather is on too tight. twisting may do bad to the leather but it will help stretch the leather loose. hold on from the top and bottom and start twisting. The middle wont move yet. after you see the top and bottom loose you can you move on to the middle. if the leather is spinning freely you can just yank the whole tsukagawa off. i hope this work, email me or post more questions.

[terloungbee]

wait don't do this yet let an expert make sure of this. i think it might ruin the tsukagawa making it too loose.