Downspike
Kendama Entertainment Network

A community for the balanced lifestyle.

DAMA HACKS!!

Discussion in 'The Sesh' started by Jmaxymek42, Jan 12, 2017.

  1. Jmaxymek42

    Jmaxymek42 n00b

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2017
    Location:
    Tempe, AZ
    What are your little tips and tricks that help you out with your dama? Can be trick tips or not, doesn't matter.

    I like to put a little bit of super glue on my spike every once in a while to help preserve them! Also, my roommate just added a bunch of hooks in our kitchen to hang damas since that's where we usually sesh and we've accumulated too many for the counters anymore.
     

    Attached Files:

    Jan 12, 2017
    Ochee3, RyBoy, Jewbacca and 2 others like this.
  2. Ryalkid20

    Ryalkid20 Honed Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Haha that's cool. If one of my Damas has a choppy bevel I get a quarter and twist it inside the bevel and it opens it up. But my friend was
    Telling me isn't a choppy bevel what makes a dama good at birds? So that really made me think. But on the cup where you stall birds is kinda what needs to be broken in or a bit choppy I think
     
    Jan 12, 2017
  3. Jmaxymek42

    Jmaxymek42 n00b

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2017
    Location:
    Tempe, AZ
    I like the quarter idea, I'm going to try that on an old dama when I get home! I agree that you would want the outside to be broken in more for better birds and the inside doesn't affect the birdability but I'm definitely not the authority on the subject haha
     
    Jan 12, 2017
    Rutland likes this.
  4. 7Cabbages

    7Cabbages Slayer

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Location:
    California City
    I tie a knot on the string to prevent the bead from coming out
     
    Jan 12, 2017
  5. connor sullivan

    connor sullivan Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2016
    I rinse my damas under running water and use hand soap when they get extra dirty. It really makes the grain pop more and freshens the dama up more for a longer life. I also use sandpaper when I want to smoothen out the cup rims for better cup tricks.
     
    Jan 12, 2017
    Rutland and Jmaxymek42 like this.
  6. 7Cabbages

    7Cabbages Slayer

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Location:
    California City
    Water + wood??? Oh no I always heard that was bad
     
    Jan 12, 2017
  7. Nick Lectura

    Nick Lectura Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Santa Cruz, CA
    Rubbing your sweat into your natty tamas will give it more grip. This works especially well if it's a hardwood like birch or raw ash

    I'm always rubbing my hand sweat and sometimes forehead sweat into my raw ash tamas
     
    Jan 12, 2017
  8. azleonhart

    azleonhart Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    @myhotCaffeine detailed a hack to keep sarados from getting loose by just using a small piece of paper.
     
    Jan 12, 2017
  9. Vincent Dimaya

    Vincent Dimaya Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Saddle Brook, NJ
    Pencil sharpen flat spikes to a dull bullet shape, and use a nail file to shape to a nice rounded tip, @Zack Gallagher and @Nick Gallagher have done this I believe too in one of thier edits
     
    Jan 12, 2017
  10. Congarranza

    Congarranza DS Legend

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2017
    Location:
    Camarillo, CA
    I recently got a holster to help carry one everywhere I can take it.

    When I'm watching tv or doing some other activities where the clack can be distracting, I spin the ken around to practice gunslingers.
     
    Jan 12, 2017
  11. myhotCaffeine

    myhotCaffeine Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Duct tape works better, just a tiny piece will do
     
    Jan 12, 2017
    Pyromawn likes this.
  12. Aloysius_hung_

    Aloysius_hung_ Honed Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2016
    Location:
    Earth
    True
     
    Jan 13, 2017
    Duke Dean and 7Cabbages like this.
  13. Aloysius_hung_

    Aloysius_hung_ Honed Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2016
    Location:
    Earth
    I get alil of water and dip the rim of my bevel in so tat it gets better for stalls.
     
    Jan 13, 2017
    Duke Dean and Steezdiaz like this.
  14. lategreat808

    lategreat808 DS Legend

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2016
    Location:
    Eau Claire, Wisconsin
    When my natty kendamas get really dry I will clean them with a mixture of apple cider vinegar, water and lemon juice to get all the dirt off. I will then let them dry out and rub A LITTLE hemp oil into the grain, then let that dry and add a little more. As long as you sun dry it and rub in a little hemp oil at a time you can seal in the kendama really nicely. Might be a tad bit greasy for a few days but after that the grain feels really soft to the touch.

    I also use a small piece of rubberized sports tape on my ken to keep the Sarado from slipping. It seems to work really well and it cushions the Sarado nicely.
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2017
    Jan 13, 2017
    Rutland, Jasper B. and Graham Pehrson like this.
  15. lategreat808

    lategreat808 DS Legend

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2016
    Location:
    Eau Claire, Wisconsin
    Water and wood isn't always bad per se. If you submerge your ken in water then yeah you are probably asking for it but if you use apple cider vinegar and water together and just use it to clean the outside of the kendama you will be fine...as long as you use some type of wood oil like tung or hemp oil to seal in the kendama once it drys. Always use a food grade wood oil for your kendama though, the oil you use will transfer to your hand so make sure it's food grade.
     
    Jan 13, 2017
  16. Aloysius_hung_

    Aloysius_hung_ Honed Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2016
    Location:
    Earth
    Yeah u shld submerge and alil will be fine
     
    Jan 13, 2017
    7Cabbages likes this.
  17. Ryalkid20

    Ryalkid20 Honed Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    L
    thats cool
     
    Jan 13, 2017
  18. Ryalkid20

    Ryalkid20 Honed Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    You know when you open a fresh kusa string pack and the string is still crusty from sitting there for a long time? I just tie a Bunch of slip knots then pull them all out and it breaks in the string
     
    Jan 13, 2017
  19. 7Cabbages

    7Cabbages Slayer

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Location:
    California City
    I heard Jake Wiens say that you can rub the string a couple times across your pantaloons for the same effect
     
    Jan 13, 2017
    Jozh, Jedi_man, Jordan_MTB and 6 others like this.
  20. lategreat808

    lategreat808 DS Legend

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2016
    Location:
    Eau Claire, Wisconsin
    Jan 13, 2017