Kote Leather

[KhawMengLee]

Just wondering, with the leather palms of the kote, if it gets too dry how can we rehydrate it?

Is there oils we can rub into it to make it supple? If so what is safe to use?

Thanks
MENG

[Will]

I use water then stretch out the leather. Water won't hurt it seeing how it can only dry if it got wet in the first place.

[ben]

I've tried beeswax in the past, the only problem being that it can make the palm a little slippery. I was under the impression that hydrating with plain water was not a good idea, since it is the constant hydration/dehydration cycle that eventually makes the leather brittle. Must say I've never really found the answer to this one.

b

[Gorget-the-Frog]

Have you tried something along the lines of the lubricant used for baseball gloves? For example, http://outdoor-recreation.aubuchonhardware.com/games/shoe_polish_and_laces/glovolium_glove_lubricant-801298.asp.

It might just be what your looking for.

Gorget the Frog

[KhawMengLee]

Cool, thanks for the replies ppl:)

MENG

[ben]

Just had a thought - what about lanolin? You know, from wool. People make it into hand creams and stuff. It's cheap and easy to get hold of. Might try it myself...

b

[Sup]

try the oit you apply on baseball gloves, you know the ones
that loosen up the stiff leather.
I bet they'll

my kote is low grade, it has the artificial leather thingie..
I dont worry about drying up the leather,
wish I did :D

[Confound]

Uh, ben, that's the wrong bu...

Anyway, there are products for restoring leather, however, don't you have deerskin kote, Meng? If so, you may want to be careful with using products made for baseball gloves. I'd recommend e-mailing the bogu company from which you bought the kote, and askingt their advice. I've never seen anything over here for fixing the problem, but then again, it isn't one that I have had. I usually make a point of stretching my kote back out when their wet, if they ever get wet...

c

[Neil Gendzwill]

One of our members has had success in using mink oil, both on tsuka-gawa and kote palms. I don't use anything myself.

[mingshi]

MY KOTE STINKS SO MUCH~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!

After practice my hands feel totally disguising...... They just smell so rotten...... This only happen when the kote is wet, I guess. After every practice I air them out and put them under the sun, but once I put them on and start sweating in them they just...STINKS. YUCK!!! The first thing I do when I get into the changing room is usually just to wash my hands BECAUSE THEY STINK TO AN INTOLERABLE STAGE >:(.

In addition, my sweat in my palms makes my grip slips so much. There are a few occation that I feel it's because of the sweat that I can't grab the shinai and it flies out of my hands!!

Please, can someone help?

[ben]

Neil: "One of our members has had success in using mink oil."
ben: "Is that as in little-furry-animal-kind minks?"

BTW Confound- it's two characters.

b

[ben]

Ming-chan: Some people in my NOTW wear cotton inner gloves, inside their kote. I believe this helps them with slipperiness and sweating.

:)
b

[Neil Gendzwill]

Originally posted by ben
Is that as in little-furry-animal-kind minks?
Yes. It's oil from minks, not sure how it's obtained (fat? fur?). Anyways, if you google for it there's all kinds of commercial versions available.

[ben]

Neil said: "Yes. It's oil from minks."

Well colour me totally gobsmacked.
:0
b

[munenmuso]

Mingshi,

Mine are also sweaty, in fact their so sweaty that my shinai fly away from my hands during hyasuburi and the color of my shinai's tsuka is somewhat black from dirt and grime deposited/concentrated every practice. My kote smells like my feet from after a long walk without socks in them. In fact it smells so bad, from too much sweating I guess, that my kote and my old shoes are interchangeable without me noticing the difference.
But every practice, I spray them with a disinfectant, say LYSOL spray, and i noticed that its effects are so significant that even with the worst sweaty palms your hands will not smell the same again.

It's so effective that smelling your hands after practice will become a new habit .:).Try the nature variants.

HAPPY KENDO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

munenmuso

[ben]

"It's so effective that smelling your hands after practice will become a new habit ..Try the nature variants."

Munen, you certainly compose the darndest sentences. I doff my hat to you sir...
;)

b

[munenmuso]

My pleasure, Mr. Ben............

:)

munenmuso

[gill]

Originally posted by munenmuso


every practice, I spray them with a disinfectant, say LYSOL spray, and i noticed that its effects are so significant that even with the worst sweaty palms your hands will not smell the same again.



We don't have Lysol in the UK, but try Febreze (anti-bacterial is best) it is also good to stop your men becoming too smelly :cross_eye

Unfortunately 'Parfum de Kote' is pretty much inevitable - especially as your armour gets older

Gill

[mingshi]

Ah no... Gill,
I use Febreze too. I spray my bogu after every practice.
Before practice my kote still smell alright, but after 2 hours..... They stink like hell.

Is there anything that works after practice too?

[Tato]

Hi Mingshi

I don't have those problems, my hand don't sweat very much (I over compensate whit other parts of my body).

Some of the girls of the Vitoria dojo told me a trick that can help you. In fact they put small and thin white coton gloves (like the ones used in very good restorants/hotels) before puting the Kote, this way you won't lose much grip, and you've an intermediate surface to prevent your sweat to go into the Kote.

Something similar as the tenugi, but for your hands. And it seams that keeps the Kote in a better shape.

Rei

[KhawMengLee]

yep, I wear 'em as well. Grip feels fuller and better.

[Kendoboy]

mingshi, try using baking powder. It absorbs smells really well and won't pull too much moisture out of the leather and make it weak. Just sprinkle a bit in, or put some in a cloth and tie it at the top to make a small packet. I've done with good results.