Small Do

[kancho]

Is there anyway to make my do a little wider. Since someone did buy it for me I did not have the luxury of returning it or asking the person to get a larger one.

I try putting a stick in between the side it would work for 30 minutes but return to its original state.

2nd option losing weight. I am working on that.

Any suggestions in the mean time?

[sminki]

Is it bamboo or fiberglass? People with bamboo doh have done things like stretching it with a stick while putting a glass of water underneath (to provide some moisture to loosen the bamboo) - NOTE: don't actually wet the doh - but that I consider to be dangerous (you might ruin a nice bamboo doh).

Fiberglass doh, you can do the same except applying some heat on the fiberglass instead of the glass of water to stretch the fiberglass - but also somewhat dangerous.

Why can't you contact the person that bought the doh for you, find the retailer and asking the retailer directly for an exchange?

[kancho]

I got it from Korea and I hope to lose some weight and just to send it back and forth is really expensive. Some one brought it over. It is fiberglass so is there a safe and easy way?

[AlexM]

Check out this link for what you need to know about dou sizes and how to make them conform to your "geography".

http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=785&page=2&pp=15&highlight=size

[Jon Seay]

Is there anyway to make my do a little wider. Since someone did buy it for me I did not have the luxury of returning it or asking the person to get a larger one.

I try putting a stick in between the side it would work for 30 minutes but return to its original state.

2nd option losing weight. I am working on that.

Any suggestions in the mean time?
I had a similar problem with a fiberglass Do. I cut down some old shinai staves to stretch the Do and applied a wet cloth to the inside. After a weekend I was able to increase the length of the bamboo and I now keep them in my Do when not in use. I needed about 3 to 4 inches and I got them. Good luck.

[Neil Gendzwill]

For fibreglass doh, cut two sticks (old shinai staves work well) and brace the doh across the back at the corners. Get a hair dryer and aim it at the centre of the doh, leave it on low heat overnight. In the morning, turn off the dryer but leave the sticks in for another day. If it is still not big enough, repeat the process. You can stretch it 1-2 cm at a time this way.

[Curtis]

Resizing doh. If it is bamboo then forget it. Get it the right size.

Fibre doh, first about the fibre doh. The fiber doh was introduced in the 1960's by a paper company. The fiber doh is not fiberglass. It is a type of Japanese paper mache that is very dense and durable. In 28 years of kendo I have yet to see an actual fiberglass do. If someone else has seen one let me know.

To resize a fibre doh place a damp, not wet towel on the inside. Then use a stick to widen or the himo to make it narrower by tying it in. I leave it on overnight and will dampen again as necessary to attain the size I need. This method thanks to Murakami Sensei of S. California.

For the plastic nylon doh I just use a stick or himo. Works for the simulated bamboo doh as well. Heat from a hairdryer I’m sure would help the process. With about 30 rental sets I have to do a lot of size adjustments.

One thing about resizing, if the doh is at the extreme opposite end of the size you need then reshaping it for size may not be good. It may not shape to the size you need and fit correctly.

[kancho]

Thanks.. I give the hair dryer a try.