Hello everyone! I have couple of trashed kendamas, but I really like playing with them... (Yellow Ozora is a beast) I have a problem with uneven cups, which sometimes messes up lunars or lighthouses. My base cups tend to be more blunt and worn in from the side below big cup, and big cups are more worn in at the top (if you look at a standing kendama facing big cup to you). So if a kendama stands on a flat surface it wobbles a lot. Is there a way to fix this, and should you do it even? Like sanding it a little or something... Was just wondering. Kacper
http://www.rockler.com/sculpwood-moldable-epoxy-putty You can use a small amount of epoxy wood putty to build it up and then sand it down to your liking but I would honestly just buy a new kendama when you break down material and time costs for repairing old ones.
If you go to kendamasyndicate.com you can buy new Kens for $10 plus shipping. They have some nice ones there
for the basecup, rotate it. So if it's an oozie the seal will be on the side. This will let you break in the sides better and even it out while adding lots of grip
Put sandpaper on a flat surface, then carefully pull the base cup along it, keeping the spike straight vertical. You'll have to remove material, but it will true it back to flat. Related: this is why kendamas with shallow cups are poorly designed. Once you wear down the rim at all, the tama will bottom out
So interesting. Are there some kendamas specifically designed with shallower cups? Is there a perceived advantage, or is it just people who don't know what they're doing?
i've noticed that most of the smaller companies that are cheaper usually have shallow cups. I bet it's the latter.
I've seen it marketed a few different ways, but I don't think its a good thing. I've never been in a conversation to design a dama with shallow cups, but maybe someone out there has been. I've always been amused when people mention cup depth as if it is some sort of feature. In my opinion, once it is 'deep enough', small changes aren't going to affect too much. Sure you can core it out real deep, that'll change the feel of a dama. But a mm or two isn't going going to change much.
Have you used this technique on any of your damas? I have been wondering if there were a way to fix some of the uneven gaps that some of my base cups have besides sanding it down