Caring for Sai

[Sunrunner]

I have a pair of chrome sai that, though I've kept stored in a dry place, in a sai case, are showing signs of rust and wear. How do I clean up what is there and prevent it from happening again? Anyone know?

[Grenadier]

How deep is the corrosion?

 

If it's not too bad, go to Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware, or a well-stocked gun store, and get some metal polish. The two brands I recommend are Maas (available at Wal-Mart in the cleaning supplies section), or Flitz Metal Polish (available in some gun stores and Ace's). Apply a small dab to the corroded area, and take a soft, lint-free cloth, and start gently buffing, using a circular motion.

 

If the corrosion is pretty deep, then start with some fine steel wool to get the worst out of the way, and then use the Maas / Flitz polish.

[mindsedgeblade]

I've been looking at sai (mainly at Shuriedo and Century) and wondering. Is there any real difference between the chrome, stainless steel and old-style? Weight, Durability, Balance, Strength?

I like the look of the round stainless and old-style. Does either have an advantage over the other for a beginner? This isn't neccesarily a "soon" thing- but somewhere down the line I'd like to learn. I found one place here that does them, but I'd have to earn a black belt in their style first.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

I've been looking at sai (mainly at Shuriedo and Century) and wondering. Is there any real difference between the chrome, stainless steel and old-style? Weight, Durability, Balance, Strength?

I like the look of the round stainless and old-style. Does either have an advantage over the other for a beginner? This isn't neccesarily a "soon" thing- but somewhere down the line I'd like to learn. I found one place here that does them, but I'd have to earn a black belt in their style first.

Go for the stainless steel ones They'll last forever and never rust.

[Shorin Ryuu]

If you want quality, choose Shureido. If you want to have more money afterwards, choose Century. The more expensive ones like Shureido are better balanced, will last longer, and aren't pieces of junk. In the long run, you'll probably save more money by choosing Shureido, as they will last. I agree that choosing stainless steel is better, since you don't have to worry about rust.

I also bought a pair of custom, handmade stainless steel sai from weaponsconnection.com. I actually like the balance much better than the Shureido sai, in fact. It did cost me about three hundred dollars though. It's a matter of trade-off and investment, I suppose.

[mindsedgeblade]

I don't think I'm ready to spend three hundred dollars on a pair of sai. Century's are fifty, MAWarehouse was around forty. About how much are Shuriedo?

[Grenadier]

Shureido sai are wonderful. I have a pair, and find them to have the best balance, while simply "feeling" better than other, cheaper brands. I treat these in the same manner that I do with my folded blade katana; clean off with Breakfree-CLP once in a while, and keep them stored in a cool, dry place.

There's nothing wrong, though, with getting a set of 50 dollar Century sai. They'll do just fine for training purposes.

Go for the stainless steel ones They'll last forever and never rust.

Not to nitpick, Sensei, but that would depend on a couple of factors.

1) The alloy of stainless steel used. All stainless steels can corrode, despite the name of "stainless." It's just that some alloys are better at resisting corrosion than others. There was a pretty good discussion about this on swordforum.com.

2) Some people's secretions are more corrosive than others. One particular fellow who was quite the perspiratory type, trained consistently with a pair of stainless sai, and after a year, or so, started to notice some corrosion in the tines, where they were held in the hand. Keeping them in an all-leather case didn't help, either.

He'll be the first to admit, though, that it was his own fault for not even bothering to clean them off once in a while, as this could have easily prevented corrosion.

I've also seen this happen to various police officers who sweat a lot, and carried their stainless steel handguns in leather holsters that absorbed a lot of moisture and salts. Imagine their horror when they saw rust on the surface of their stainless Sig-Sauer K-koted handguns.

[mindsedgeblade]

Well, when I'm ready to start, I'll probably get a pair of the round black sai or the stainless from century. The chrome octagon look way too flashy, and any extra corrosion resistance really doesn't matter, as I'll be sure to take good care of them. So, what's the best way to store them? I'd guess wrapped in a cloth in a cozy drawer. As it is, my bo lives right next to my (clean, dry) snowboard in my closet.

I've been looking around their site, curios (sp?) about bo and other weapons, and noticed how impractical a lot of them seem. I can't see a good reason anyone would want a "holographic toothpick" bo. Maybe it's just personal style, but I think any demonstration would be more effective with a useable weapon. And any technique that might be used with an extremely lightweight bo could also be learned with a little more effort on a heavier bo.

[IRKguy]

There are two things you can do for any metal weapon if you work out with it or carry it. This has worked for me with MA weapons and guns, and I have some pretty corrosive sweat.

1) Wipe the weapon off when you are done using or carrying it for the day. The moisture, oils, salts, and sweat will even cut into stainless steel. I've had stainless pistols and knives I carry rust without regular care. Think "stain less" not "stainless." I carry a cloth in my gym bag for this, nothing special, just a dry rag, though you can use a silicon-impregnated cloth available at any sporting goods store, probably in the fishing section called a reel cloth. Those aren't too good for kobudo. They make weapons a little bit slippery.

2) Throw a dessicant into the case you use and replace it regularly. Those silica gel packs that come with your shoes, luggage, beef jerky, and vitamins will do it (the little bags that say "do not eat" on them). However, they do not last forever. Replace them regularly. If you don't buy shoes too often, go to a gun shop and buy dessicant packs. Many of these can be recharged in a conventional oven when they wear out, if the silica gel is packed in metal instead of brown paper. The brown paper stuff is clay and is disposable. However, it is cheaper, so the US military uses it. Either will work.

[Neo Dragon]

Not to change the subject or anything; but Ive got a pair of Sai and noticed that the wrapping is beggining to peel. Didn't start showing untill a couple of weeks after I bought them. Its not very noticeable right now; but in a few months it's probably gonna come off. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on replacing the wrapping. I was considering using the same wrapping used for a golf club. Id like to know if that would be a wise decision or if not what would be a good alternative.