white powder

[Zaphiel]

hey....
I've got a problem with my shinai.
There keeps falling some sort of white powder out of it......I know this isn't normal, however I don't know what to do and what it is.
Can you help me with this?

[louisvandalen]

I had the same problem with one of my shinai's. The actual powder is dried up oil or something. I sanded the inside (and outside) of the shinai and oiled it. Problem fixed.

[Migoto]

I don’t think oil dries into a power. I have read that bamboo can become infested with insects like some sort of boring beetle. And that when you first inspect a shinai before buying it, shake it to check if a white power falls out. This white power is the result of bamboo the beetle has eating in the shinai.



It is possible that the bamboo your shinai was made from was infested at some point and is now compromised. If you take your shinai apart you may or may not see damage to the bamboo. If you cannot find another source for the powder take it back to where you bought it and ask for another. They may say no they may say yes.

[LNGUYEN]

Call local Authority, it may be Anthrax. Actually, inside bamboo always have thin layer of skin which after dried out will give some thing like white powder. It usually see with new shinai.

[Zaphiel]

I don’t think oil dries into a power. I have read that bamboo can become infested with insects like some sort of boring beetle. And that when you first inspect a shinai before buying it, shake it to check if a white power falls out. This white power is the result of bamboo the beetle has eating in the shinai.



It is possible that the bamboo your shinai was made from was infested at some point and is now compromised. If you take your shinai apart you may or may not see damage to the bamboo. If you cannot find another source for the powder take it back to where you bought it and ask for another. They may say no they may say yes.

I've heart of this too...however I've got this shinai for about 3 month
....can it possibly be that the beetle did nothing until now....never before this happend!

[Bleda]

Perhaps the shinai you bought was actually a cocaine mule and the vendor recieved it by mistake. I advice you immediately snort the white powder and observe the effects to see if you may have landed on a gold mine.

As for a real answer, i've had some bamboo skin flake off as a white powder before, aswell as some oils that congeal after awhile. Always use a non-drying oil on your shinai to prevent it from congealing inside the bamboo.

[louisvandalen]

There are some beetles whom might:

Bostrychidae- species of Sinoxylon and Dinodems (only feeds on sprouds, so its not them) or

Powderpost beetles are so called because in high numbers they are able to turn the inside of a piece of wood into nothing more than a mass of fine powder. These wood destroying beetles can do significant damage to log homes (http://www.pestproducts.com/boracare.htm), furniture (http://www.pestproducts.com/powderpost3.htm#Beetle Control In Furniture), wood floors (http://www.pestproducts.com/powderpost3.htm#Beetle Control In Floors) and structural timbers (http://www.pestproducts.com/powderpost3.htm#Beetle Control In Attics).
Powder post beetles are small (1/8 inch) and the adult beetles are seldom seen. Most of the life cycle is spent in the grub or larvae stage eating wood. Damage is done by the larvae as they create narrow, meandering tunnels in wood as they feed. This stage can last between 1-10 years depending upon a number of factors; these include species of beetle, type of wood infested, age of wood, moisture content of wood and air temperature.

People do not realize that the wood is infested until the adult beetles emerge from within the wood. The exit holes are very small, about the size of a pin head. Newly emerged adults mate and lay eggs on or below the surface of bare (unfinished) wood. The eggs hatch into tiny larvae which bore into the wood, emerging as adults 1-10 years later. Infestations develop slowly, but wood can be re-infested year after year.

So check you shinai for small holes, but since these critters do not like treated bamboo (such as an oiled shinai) the chances are real small.

Good luck hunting,

Louis

[Zaphiel]

Perhaps the shinai you bought was actually a cocaine mule and the vendor recieved it by mistake. I advice you immediately snort the white powder and observe the effects to see if you may have landed on a gold mine.

As for a real answer, i've had some bamboo skin flake off as a white powder before, aswell as some oils that congeal after awhile. Always use a non-drying oil on your shinai to prevent it from congealing inside the bamboo.:D )))))))......lol!!!!
well....I didn't sniff it ..I did sell it right away....
now I can buy a new shinai from the money I made out of it!

[Kendoka]

hey....
I've got a problem with my shinai.
There keeps falling some sort of white powder out of it......I know this isn't normal, however I don't know what to do and what it is.
Can you help me with this?

A year or so ago the IKF advised affiliates of a batch of dodgy shinais that were made in China. They had some sort of white powder in or on the bamboo. They were banned to be used in competition that followed the IKF rules.

They were unsafe and unhealthy.

If you think you have one of those, best not to use it and even return it for exchange from where you bought it.

[Zaphiel]

thanks a lot guys!!!
I'll follow your advices!