Caring for Wooden Weapons

[sirdarksol]

Alright, so now that you have a weapon that's made out of the right kind of wood, how do you care for it?

The first thing you have to think about is storage. If a wooden weapon isn't stored on a flat, horizontal surface or perfectly vertically, it will begin to warp. All weapons will warp a little, but they can get really bad if stored poorly. It is important to note that "leaned up against a corner" (which happens to be the way that my bo are currently stored) is NOT perfectly vertical. Believe me, they will warp in this position. The best place to store a bo or jo is in a vertical weapon rack. A bokken can be kept in a sword rack, blade "edge" facing up. Shorter weapons, such as nunchaku, nitanbo, and tonfa, aren't so picky. Because they are short, it doesn't matter so much if they get warped. Also, it's much easier to find a surface to store one flat.
Bo and jo can be stored on a rack similar to a sword rack, but you want to be sure that there are several support points to distribute the weight evenly, or the weapon will end up bowing.
Try to keep your weapon in a dry place, and out of direct sunlight. You'd also do well to keep it away from heat vents. Excess moisture, heat, or cold can unevenly contract or expand the cell walls of the wood, causing it to warp even if it is otherwise properly stored. Further, this can weaken the wood, making it susceptible to breakage.

The second thing to think about is transportation of the weapon. For longer weapons, if your dojo or school has a communal storage area and you trust your fellow students, I would suggest buying an extra weapon for home use and leave the other at the dojo. Even half an hour in a warm car can warp a bo.
Any weapon, bo or not, should be held in a carrying case when being transported. I prefer leather bags, because I live in a place with a widely varying climate, and the leather protects from frost, humidity, rain, snow, etc...

The third aspect of care is oiling. There are many schools of thought on this. I am going to give you my opinion and reasoning.
Wood weapons usually come with a veneer on them. This is to keep moisture out of them during storage and shipping. The veneer can be left on if the weapon is for display only. However, if the weapon is going to be used in practice, I would suggest removing the veneer and oiling the weapon. I have found that the veneer has a very low burn speed, and have received some nasty blisters from such weapons. The only exception that I can think of are nunchaku, which don't seem to need to be sanded and oiled, probably because there is less sliding of the weapon, due to the articulated joint.
I use boiled linseed oil. It is said to react well with the oils that our own skin produces. The downside is that it contains known carcinogens. I don't know, however, in what quantities it is dangerous. Others use tung oil, orange oil, or a combination of orange oil and beeswax.
To oil the weapon, there are two possibilities.
The first is to find a container that completely encloses the weapon. Immerse the weapon in the oil and leave it there. After a few hours or a day or however long, pull it out and wipe it off and wipe it off and wipe it off and buff it. Your weapon will be saturated with oil, which is a good thing, as long as it isn't also coated with oil.
The second is to coat the weapon with oil and let the wood soak it up. You can use a paper towel or an old rag towel. Coat the weapon and let it sit until it seems to have absorbed the oil. Don't let it sit for more than a day, because the oil could become gummy and is a pain to remove. Wipe the weapon off and buff it with a dry cloth. Repeat this until it seems like the weapon won't absorb any more oil. It may need to be oiled periodically.
Oiling a weapon fills the cells with oil, which has two effects. First, it protects the weapon from humidity to some extent, making it more resistant to randomly warping. Second, it helps the weapon absorb impact, making it less likely to crack or break in training. It also leaves a minute layer of oil that helps keep the weapon from sticking to your hands during training. It raises the burn speed of the weapon, meaning you're less likely to get friction blisters.

The fourth aspect of care is respect for your weapon. You must realize that even the simplest weapon is a deadly object. It is not a toy. If your weapon has a mock blade on it (as with a wooden kama or a bokken), treat it as a real blade. Before and after practice, carefully examine the weapon, running your hands over it (this is the only time you should handle the "blade" part of such a weapon). You are looking for any cracks or breaks. If there are any cracks, it is time for the weapon to be retired. A bo might be turned into a jo or a jo into a nitanbo, but if the cracked wood can't be removed from the weapon, it cannot be fixed. Tape or wood putty can't handle the stress of training.

While this is a lot of information, it doesn't take very much effort to care for a wooden weapon. However, taking that little time can extend the life of the weapon and make its use that much easier.