Hi guys! I was wondering, has anyone tried using any substance other than super glue to glue the spike? If so, what material was it and how did it hold up? Personally, I'm thinking of using Elmer's Multi-Purpose glue or wood glue. Thoughts?
Wood glue is made to seep well into porous substances, so i think it’s suitable as a base layer, but i don’t think it’s adequate by itself. Perhaps, a secondary layer of epoxy will help? IIRC a Japanese player used epoxy to completely rebuild a blunt tip.
I haven't really had that experience with wood glue. Generally you are gluing 2 pieces of wood together so if it soaked into the wood too much it wouldn't bond with the other piece. I ran into a gent from HK the other day who swears by two part epoxy but there are so many kinds it will take a bit of research to find what works best. I just tried one that was made more for plastics and flexible items and it put a rubbery tip on my kendama that created too much friction when spiking but it could be removed relatively easily so no loss. I've had really good luck with the Japanese super glue I've been using but not as good luck with Mighty Bond (available in the Philippines). Some of the new Mugen Musous are available with an resin coated tip and I'm guessing it's an epoxy of some kind. You can also check these threads for more input: Glue Tip? Yes/No Preferred Glue
I was referring to the typical use of wood glue; i.e. it generally doesn't soak into the wood since it tends to be thicker so it will create a cap on top of the wood if you're trying to use it for kendama tips. Though I'm not sure it would be that much stronger than Elmer's when it comes to impacts.
Thus far, i've had good luck using wood glue with my chipped pieces. Feels almost indistinguishable, and has not yet separated from the ken.
Great thread. Superglue saves your tip but destroys your tama. pick your poison i guess. Maybe just destroyalldamas and give it away sooner rather than later?
I'd rather a destroyed tama than a blunt tip. Makes it all the more unique, and shows the work you've put in it.
There may be a solution but I've not tested it yet. That first rubbery epoxy I used was applied over the whole "cone" of the tip. Maybe just halfway would add some cushioning to the blow against the tama but wouldn't catch in the tama hole like my first experiment.
Hello everyone, I was wondering if I could coat my spike with lacquer/varnish instead of superglue, and if any of you have any experience with this. I have bought lacquer that is used for wooden floors and for ships is it any good? Thank you, and good luck to all doing 28trickslater
You definitely could! The best materials for your spike are ones that will form some sort of coating on top of the wood rather than soak in. For example, I've found that the gel kind of superglue works far better than normal super glue for gluing damas. If the lacquer you've selected will do something like that, then you should be all set. That said, make sure to get as even and smooth a coating as you can. I've messed up a bit in the past and ended with weird an uneven surface on the spike that can catch on the bevel.
@Gustav Sørensen We had a similar thread so yours has been merged. As for lacquer or varnish I wouldn't think that they'd be hard enough to handle repeated impacts. I've had good results with super glue that soaks into the wood followed by a 2 part epoxy. You might also look here for ideas: Preferred Glue