5 Signs You Need to Replace Your Kendama

 5 SIGNS YOU NEED TO REPLACE YOUR KENDAMA

If you have been playing Kendama long enough, you know that after a while, you have to retire your setup.  At some point, your Kendama is just going to get worn out.  Newer players may not know how to tell the signs of a defeated Kendama. so here are five major signs that will let you know it’s time to replace your Kendama and get a new setup.

1. The easiest sign that your Ken is beaten is when your spike is totally flat.

Yeah, maybe you can do a border balance now, but anytime you go to spike, in the back of your head you know that if you miss it’s because your spike is as flat as the screen you’re reading this on. If you didn’t add any kendama glue to the spike, it is inevitable that it will flatten out completely with normal play. Don’t even get us started if you yank spike often. If the spike doesn’t inspire confidence with every down spike attempt or gunslinger to spike, then it’s time to replace your Kendama.

2: If your base cup looks like it has been put through a woodchipper, it’s time to replace your kendama.

Look, taps are cool. In the past few years, the community has made taps a huge achievement in one’s Kendama journey. Two taps, four taps, nine ??? It’s crazy. All those taps are basically nibbling away at your base cup over time and just like water over a rock, your base cup will start to wear away. Chips in your base cup not only prevent you from landing a handle stall, but also makes tracking hard and lighthouses painful. That’s why experienced players shed a tear when their ken chips at the base. If your base cup is chipped and worn out, then it’s time to replace your ken.

3: If every time you play your Kendama you spend half of the time pushing the cups back down, get a new kendama.

Yeah, there are fixes for this, but not without consequence. Glue your cups together? Good luck if your string breaks. Sticky notes? Get ready for residue all over your ken if you do it wrong. Especially if you have a hardwood, the amount of time lost pushing the cups down while grinding a trick is annoying at best. If you’ve been playing a setup for a while and can’t get the cups to stay down, then it’s time to replace your Kendama.

4: If the tama paint is making your balance tricks suffer, replace the tama.

Experienced players know that every Kendama paint has a certain amount of time that it’s best for lighthouses, lunars, and technically even birds or stilts. The condition of the paint plays a big part in all of these tricks. While some paints may need a few hours of play to break in well, others might take just one or two sessions to get them to the right condition. That sweet spot is heaven for every Kendama player. The feeling of making your Kendama better just by playing it is like nothing else. All good things come to an end though. At some point, you can tell when lighthouses and lunars just won’t stick anymore. Considering people are lacing four-turn lunar flips like pull-up spikes today, you want to make sure your setup is honed for every game of KEN or lighthouse race. If the paint is well past its prime, then it’s time to replace your Kendama or get a new tama.

5: If the bevel is beaten to pieces, it’s time for a new kendama.

A well-beaten bevel is a beautiful thing. If the wood around the tama hole is slightly curved from play, then birds and stilts are twice as easy. Just like the paint though, the bevel will go beyond its playability. The edges will start to go beyond the curves of the cup, and the chipped wood will make spikes much more difficult from friction. An overplayed bevel can even make lighthouse flips challenging. So if your bevel is chipped beyond comfort, then it’s time to replace your Kendama.

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Artist Spotlight: Painted Bluu

“I never want to stop creating.  I hope I get to spend every day being an artist.” – Madison Morabito aka Painted Bluu

Madison Morabito aka “Painted Bluu” just dropped her newest custom “The Kaleidoscope”.  We took some time to talk about her life as an artist and to get to know her a little bit better.

What inspired you want to paint this design on a tama?

Painted Bluu: As an artist I’ve always tried to expand the surfaces I’ve worked on and to me a tama was the perfect challenge. Whether it be painting, drawing, wood burning. I wanted to apply my medium to this less common surface.

How many different designs have you done on damas?

Painted Bluu: I’ve done about 10 design lines since I started painting kendamas about 2 years ago, and I’ve painted countless customs!

How did you begin painting?

Painted Bluu: As a child I watched my father painting comic book strips, his talent made me want to be an artist. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that I picked up a paint brush and it’s been my passion since. 

Are you in school?

Painted Bluu: I’m currently a printmaking major at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, OR.   

What drives you to create paintings, drawings, and tattoos?

Painted Bluu: The endless possibilities. As an artist your job never stops. Everyday I am inspired to create something new, something better. While I do paint and draw nearly everyday, I’m excited to begin my tattooing journey!  Lately I’ve found my biggest inspirations in tattoo artist John Larsons work, and some of my favorite printmakers. I’ve been very into American Traditional style tattoo work, learning how to convert everything to that style. I also am heavily influenced by middle eastern art, I use a lot of organic shapes in my mandala works.

What’s the craziest thing you painted on?

Painted Bluu: The craziest thing I’ve painted on is either a saw or a skate deck, both were crazy sick to do! I love painting on unique surfaces! 

Do you have a muse?

Painted Bluu: Right now what’s pushing me to be my best is so rise above and beyond in the tattoo community, I want to hone in on my painting skills and be able to produce perfect flash pieces. 

What has to be going on while your creating?

Painted Bluu: Music for sure! Brand new and Tiny Moving Parts all day, nothing pushes me more than that! 

How would you define your style?

Painted Bluu: Id say currently my style is aimed towards the American Traditional tattoo style, but overall I’ve always had a very middle eastern art style to my work. Creating mandalas are a huge passion for me. The symmetry is comforting.

What is your Pokémon go team?

Painted Bluu: MYSTIC FOR LIFE, in my free time I run every gym I encounter. Often with P0WAH0USE 

When your not Painting or drawing, what are you up to?

Painted Bluu: In my free time I am hiking. I love being submerged in nature.

Favorite Players?

Painted Bluu: My favorite kendama players… Stephanie Lussier, she’s my favorite person on earth, Wyatt of course, and my DKT boys ❤️ 

What’s next for Painted Bluu? 

Painted Bluu: I never want to stop creating. I hope I get to spend everyday being an artist. 

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