Making my own nunchakus

[chiral]

Here's the source of the stuff I posted - great for re-stringing : http://www.seishinkan.com/seishin/sskbuki/howto/nunstring01.htm

[Gomets51]

Cool.  I'm starting to gather all the materials I need and hopefully I'll have them done within a week or two.

[Matt-Chez]

i have my own system for stringing chucks that i figured out last summer,
 you only need a single cord running from chuck to chuck,, no knots whatsoever.
 as far as i know im the only person to use a single cord combined with the traditional and easy to make template for the drill holes. so you probably wont find this system elsewhere.

 you will need a drill, and nylon cord  (and if youve got them, some needle nosed pliars)
the cord MUST be  slightly thicker than half the width of the holes or it wont work.

( YOU NEED TO CLICK THEM TO SEE A LARGER IMAGE)

heres my "amazing diagram's"
step 1.

 begin to thread the cord through the top hole, leave about a meter unthreaded hanging from the top hole.( we'll get to that soon)

step 2.

feed the cord in the direction of the arrows

step 3.

feed the cord back inside and around the inner block again so that the cord are tightly squashed against itself (follow arrows).
do the exact same on the other chuck too with the free end of the cord. (the meters worth of cord hanging from the top hole)


here is a description
once youve done forcing the cord through(thats where the needle nose pliars come in handy),.. the second time the cord crosses over itself you must leave a small length of cord (about 7 inches) hanging out at the end of the line, so you can adjust them properly to your prefered length by pulling and loosening it accordingly.

you should try to end up with the cord length in between the chucks at about an inch shorter than your want it.
 
(stay with me)

then PULL the chucks appart from eachother. if youve done this correctly and you used the right materials, the cords will tighten around the innner block of the chucks, pull until the connecting part of the cord wont stretch anymore. it should be almost perfectly the right size for you, (if not loosen it if you can and try again) when finnished just cut the exccess cord off leaving about 1 or 2 centimeters, then melt the frayed end of the nylon cord with a lighter (hot plastic burns, be carefull)
then after about 10 seconds it will have hardened and fused the strings forever. you can also use the bit of cord you cut off to burn, and drip on some melted nylon to make it extra safe,

its tricky to get used to straight away, but you'll never have to worry about the cords coming out because the force of your swings will only make them tighter and more secure!! you will now have chucks with just one cord connecting them as opposed to two or three (which sometimes seem too bulky to me) and no knots in sight! which means you wont have the bother of knots disrupting your spins.

i know its not the best set of instructions ever, but if anyones interested, the next time i re-do my cords i'll post a short clip showing you how on a cameraphone.
ive been using this method for about a year and the cords have never come loose on any of my chucks. and i view it as the best way to cord them. its not as easy... but the results are much much better if done correctly .

hope this helps whoever it can and if you need more info just ask, and i can talk you throught the trick bits!

peace out, happy chuckin.


hope this helps give veryone new ideas

[Matt-Chez]

Took me ages to write and draw all this!
please give it a look so i didnt waste precious time that could have been used nunchukin!


Thanks!

[chiral]

i have my own system for stringing chucks that i figured out last summer, ....
its tricky to get used to straight away, but you'll never have to worry about the cords coming out because the force of your swings will only make them tighter and more secure!! you will now have chucks with just one cord connecting them as opposed to two or three (which sometimes seem too bulky to me) and no knots in sight! which means you wont have the bother of knots disrupting your spins.

Cheers Matt. It makes more sense than peeps might assume at first sight. We are so used to man-made fibres, we forget that natural rope is nothing more than a bunch of short cords twisted together, relying entirely on friction for its strength. Given that, it's easy to see how your system works.

You are right about knots. Even skinnyish cord can make a helluva knot. I have also figured a way to avoid these. Basically I untwist multistrand chord and tie each strand separately so that each strand knot is separated by a knots width. As I use 3 strand chord that means three knots. I tie these not at the chux, but in the link space between the chucks. Then I pull all three inside the ana (top and largest hole). Works great. Nonetheless, will be giving yours a go.

[Exmortem]

Nice way of stringing them Matt 

I don't own a suitable drill to fix my cord like that so I have to wait a while to try all these techniques.
Then I'm gonna my make my first real wooden nunchakus (My current technique is drilling a hole in a 45° angle.
Very simple but I have to change the cord once a month)

[Kriztov]

I use the same system as Matt, except I still use three cord. I tried it with just one cord once, but when it snapped one stick went flying - same as when you pop a chain headset. With three cords, one tends to somehow be a tiny bit shorter and take the strain more, and when that pops you feel it but no sticks go flying dangerously.

[Gomets51]

Kriztov, what were the chucks you used in the youtube tutorials?  I think they had like a green chord on them and were red

[Matt-Chez]

I tried it with just one cord once, but when it snapped one stick went flying - same as when you pop a chain headset.

depends on what cord you use, i use a nylon cord i got from Mica. 33p per meter.
it says on the reel of cord when you normally buy them about the tensile strength, the one i bought can support  210lb's
with one cord alone, not much chance of that snapping. i can hang my weight from it!

its all about choosing the rightstrength and thickness of cord, ive seen ones at the same thickness, but they werent nearly as strong.
i think i was just lucky that i found the one that i did.

[Kriztov]

The chucks in my vids are graphite, currently strung with green sailing rope.

The cord I was referring to was nylon cord too, and it didn't snap because of the weight of the chucks, or the impact of the snap - but rather becasue the inside edges of my graphite set aren't entirely smooth, and over time they tend to slowly saw through the cord untill one day - pop. That's another reason I prefer thicker, three-cord stringing, it leaves less room for the cord to move and rub inside the head.

[Matt-Chez]

probably because mine are hardwood. i sanded the edges down so it probably doesnt fray as much as graphite.

[-Sp!tfire-]

don't the nuts sticking  out  the side  f**k up you hands  can you recess them 

I just thought the same. I made my first nunchakus the same way long time ago , but then I realized that you dont need those nuts. You simply drill the hole to the metal (all way trough) and just do a thread to it (I dont know is that the right word, hope you understand). When the hole and the thread(s) are ready, take a threadstaff ( )  (I mean like this:)



Measure of diameter of you metal pipe and cut just the same lenght of peace from that threadstaff. Twist is half way in and put it trough your rope or chain and twist the other half. Now you have metal nunchakus without annoying knots. 

I hope that you understood even something. I'll put some pictures or make a whole new DIY from the idea.

[Rellizate]

Holy crap you have some heavy chucks... 1kg. :O