Here’s a quick video on how to make a basic Staff starting from a bare hard-wood stick, not primed and not previously coated. This process applies to brand-new sticks and sticks that need to be fully refurbished (where full means that old paint needs to be totally removed).
Please consider that bamboo, aluminium, rattan and other types of flexible sticks cannot undergo the following process.
The length of your staff should not exceed 4-5 centimeters above your head.
If you are using it for performing a dao-lu/kata, then your staff should be a bit flexible in order for it not to be broken during ground-impacts that may occur in some sections of the pattern (for this purpose, rattan is the best material). Note that some styles like Karate don’t involve ground-impact movements of the staff but rather impact-based techniques, therefore a heavier and more rigid material is recommended.
While officially we say that, for defense purposes, any stick is good, in the end the choice of the right staff is up to you. Conical staffs look more like ordinary sticks that you can find in the bush, since their shape follows the natural growth of the tree they come from, however, bi-conical staffs are purposely made for dramatically dropping the overall weight of the weapon, making them the best choice for acrobatic and fast-action movements.
Still, this is up to you. For application purposes, whatever is the material you choose, remember that if your staff is too weak you may end up hurting yourself, as your opponent's weapon may break through your weak staff and impact on the closest surface.
It depends: P-180 is a good start, but if the staff is not smooth like the one in the video, I recommend starting with a P-80.
Exactly, taking particular care of having no rush. This is the most important part, as if surface is not perfectly smooth, some movements will be affected after the job is finished (such as sliding the staff through hand).
Yes, but this applies only if you use oil or wax (rather than varnish) for your project.
Of course: you have to wait 24 hours between coats. It sounds like a time-consuming job, but time marks the difference between a good job and an excellent job.
