Re-tieing my shinai

[Idyllic]

Hello :D im new.

The day after i bought my shinai i decided to take it apart and sand and oil it, as my sensei suggested. That was over a week ago and since then ive re-tied my shinai 3 times, simply becuase i feel as if i can get the string tighter. But after my third attempt today it is still a lot looser than when i first got it.
So im asking if this is ok? Also, the slats move very freely after sanding it, is this also ok?

Thanks.

[sirius1906]

Leather will stretch, that's the reason of the string becoming loose. You should check and retie it as necessary.

[Martch]

Hi. Try holding the shinai with the sakigawa (tip end) touching a wall and the tsuka (handle) into your hip, leaving both hands free to pull the tsuru tight enough to twang, then tie it off.

[Idyllic]

Ive been pulling the string and taping it to the shinai so that it doesnt move, but still its fairly loose. Is it ok for a shinai to be a bit looser than brand new ones?

[dwez]

Ive been pulling the string and taping it to the shinai so that it doesnt move, but still its fairly loose. Is it ok for a shinai to be a bit looser than brand new ones?

Taping it really won't help much to get it tighter. Perhaps you are best approaching your sempai or sensei and asking them to show you how to get it tighter. It may help to see someone who knows how to do it do it instead of muddling along hoping to achieve enlightenment in the process.

[Idyllic]

I re-tied it and now its incredibly tight. It was bcuase i wasn't re doing the knots a few cms higher than the handle. And after watching a video of a guy putting a shinai togather, i noticed that he just had to pull the end, and the knot tightened itself. :D

[Maku-san]

I re-tied it and now its incredibly tight. It was bcuase i wasn't re doing the knots a few cms higher than the handle. And after watching a video of a guy putting a shinai togather, i noticed that he just had to pull the end, and the knot tightened itself. :D

Ah, Idyllic-san... you have discovered a Golden Truth. Yes, you are definitely on the True Path.

"Golden Truth?", you ask.

Yes.... "There is no try. Do, or do not. Then YouTube, you watch." -- Yoda-san.

Mark :silly:

[Taikatsu]

I actually thought that if it was alittle loose from the time you got it it was fine.