Guess I can thank the Covid-19 pandemic for this gem.
A lot of us never toss out old fraying rattan sticks. Instead we just keep wrapping them in black electrical tape. Then the tape gets battered and shredded, and we put on a new layer. Rarely, a few of my sticks actually break and get tossed, but most just accumulate multiple layers of tape and settle down to the bottom of my sports bag, or get pushed to the back of the plastic bins in the studio, where they can hang out for years.
Personally, I find this very useful. If I ever have a new student or visitor to the class, I can always lend them one of those old taped-up beaters, or grab one myself. The problem is, that after a while, the tarry adhesive on the black electrical tape degrades, especially if they've been left sitting in the sun or the hot trunk of my car.
So by the end of a demo, you look down and your hands are covered with black, sticky, tarry gunk. And it doesn't wash off easily. You've got to scrub and scrub with soap and really hot water.... If you even have access to a washroom. On the other hand, if you are training out at a park or somewhere ...then you're screwed.
Unless, ....you happen to have a bottle of hand sanitizer around and some paper towel or napkins. The alcohol based sanitizer cuts right through the tarry gunk and it wipes right off with a napkin. No more sticky steering wheel and gummy gear shift lever on the way home from practice.Yay!
Anybody else have a practical tip to share?
A lot of us never toss out old fraying rattan sticks. Instead we just keep wrapping them in black electrical tape. Then the tape gets battered and shredded, and we put on a new layer. Rarely, a few of my sticks actually break and get tossed, but most just accumulate multiple layers of tape and settle down to the bottom of my sports bag, or get pushed to the back of the plastic bins in the studio, where they can hang out for years.
Personally, I find this very useful. If I ever have a new student or visitor to the class, I can always lend them one of those old taped-up beaters, or grab one myself. The problem is, that after a while, the tarry adhesive on the black electrical tape degrades, especially if they've been left sitting in the sun or the hot trunk of my car.
So by the end of a demo, you look down and your hands are covered with black, sticky, tarry gunk. And it doesn't wash off easily. You've got to scrub and scrub with soap and really hot water.... If you even have access to a washroom. On the other hand, if you are training out at a park or somewhere ...then you're screwed.
Unless, ....you happen to have a bottle of hand sanitizer around and some paper towel or napkins. The alcohol based sanitizer cuts right through the tarry gunk and it wipes right off with a napkin. No more sticky steering wheel and gummy gear shift lever on the way home from practice.Yay!
Anybody else have a practical tip to share?
