what exactly is rattan-example rattan bo staff

[username4]

i see rattan weapons every were on the net but what exactly it the stuff?

[Drunken Monkey]

it's a kind of bamboo.

 

it's light, springy and a pain to look after if you intend to give it heavy use.

 

hard clashing causes it to 'splinter' easily and you need to sand it to save your hands.

 

unless i got a duff one that is.....

 

and it doesn't behave quite like regular wood when you clash weapons.

 

and errr..... i've only ever seen a 'short' chinese staff made from rattan.

 

what else is there?

[Shorin Ryuu]

Hmm...I've heard of rattan shields being used against the British back in the 1800s...but yeah, not much else.

[username4]

well i just wanted to find out what it was.

 

i have seen a bo both burned and plain

 

and a short staff along with a cane.

 

so there are three that i know of

 

enough to be pural

[White Warlock]

frakis, just noticed your Sig. Stainless steel is good for display, because it will stay shiny and pretty, but it is a brittle metal and not recommended for 'actual' use.

[username4]

im a welder so i know about some metals but that i did not know so mebby ill change it what is a good metal to use?

[DLopez]

We use rattan staffs, but they undergo a "special" treatment of soaking submerged in linseed oil for 3 months and then a good couple weeks of drying out before they are actually used.

 

This makes the rattan MUCH more resilient and less prone to splintering.

[White Warlock]

An informative link on metals for you frakis- http://www.angelic.org/highlander/metallurgy/grades.html

[username4]

thanks it was inforamtive but do sword steels appy to Bos?

 

[White Warlock]

Steel is steel, so yes. The fragility of stainless steel does not suddenly take a leap off the high tower of physics merely because it is being used for something other than a sword.

 

Seriously though, for knives and such, things used for every day utility, stainless steel is a good route to go. But, for long blade/shaft weapons, the influence of torque plays a far heavier role. A durable, resilient metal is needed for such. The chromium in stainless steel prevents oxidation, but weakens the molecular bonding, or some such drivel. A high carbon content, however, does the opposite... on both counts.

 

Anyway, yes, it's an informative site. Learned a bit from it myself.