Cracking goban?

[sumiyaka]

I have a slotted go board that I bought from YMI imports a couple years ago. I got it out of its case tonight for the first time in a while and it is separating along one of its seams. It also appears the wood is cracking in that area too. Anything I can do fix and/or slow this process down? I have no idea why its doing it, I've had it stored in the case for a while, and in a normal room, not too dry, not too humid. My "real" board is doing fine in similar circumstances. I'm a little sad, but whatever. I'd like to prevent further damage though.

To add insult to injury the handle on the carrying case also decided to break tonight! Although I see why this happened. The bits holding the handle on were only held on by about 2 threads from a self-tapping screw. Chinese goods

[judicata]

That is sad . Out of curiosity, what kind of wood is it?

My experience with trying to prevent wood cracking is from acoustic guitars. You named the primary culprit - humidity. Your other goban may be more resilient, but this may be a sign that you need to protect that one too.

Certain cases can exacerbate humidity issues, so you may want to store it out of the case, or with the case open. IF there is some room in the case for a guitar-like humidifier, it might be a good idea, but I don't you have the room. Wood, at least with guitars, can bounce back surprisingly well. I would leave it in the bathroom with a hot shower running for awhile, just make sure you don't get water on it--just the steam.

Make sure that it is being stored FLAT without any pressure that may warp it, as that will also exacerbate the problem. Don't stack heavy things on it either--believe it or not, it would probably make warping worse.

The other option would be some kind of wood conditioner, but since I wouldn't go near a guitar with such a thing, it is beyond my experience.

[sumiyaka]

Hi-

Thanks for the tips. I'll try a bathroom "sauna" for it. It was labeled "kaya" wood, but its nothing like my kaya table-top board in terms of smell or texture. I think it could be shin-kaya though.

I'll look into wood conditioners if the sauna doesn't help. Relatively speaking, this was an inexpensive board so I'm not devastated by this development. But, its time to try to introduce people to Go again, so I'd like to keep it in presentable shape.

Thanks!

[kex]

But, its time to try to introduce people to Go again, so I'd like to keep it in presentable shape.

I would think that often the people that actually go in for something instead of just having too much money, buying stuff, have gear that is worn down or otherwise broken but still functional.

So, actually, without knowing how bad your cracks are, you might earn some street credibility with a cracked board.

Btw. I doubt a sauna would help if the wood has already cracked.

[judicata]

So, actually, without knowing how bad your cracks are, you might earn some street credibility with a cracked board.

Nah, you need a ball-peen hammer to make a thousand little indentions on the top for street cred.

Btw. I doubt a sauna would help if the wood has already cracked.

No, dead wood does not heal itself. But the wood may expand slightly to decrease some very minor cracks--dunno, worth a shot.

[cthomas]

The splitting results from a slapdash manufacturing process where the board is not pressed for long enough while the board joins. Before I started my business I actually bought a shin-kaya board from [competitor name redacted] as a gift for a good friend of mine. It's showing splits in the seams also, even though it's been treated very well.

This doesn't have to happen with a joined board, and isn't a particular fault of shin-kaya (nor is the cracking). They just have to get these things off the assembly line quickly to make room for making kitchen tabletops and cutting boards. Basically, it's a cheap cutting board with lines on it, although the cutting boards will be made a little better since they must withstand water.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[sumiyaka]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the input. Like I mentioned, I'm not trying to fix the board, just keep it from getting worse. I may drip some white clue into the ends of the crack, to keep it from spreading. The seam issue, I will just live with. The case itself... I think I'm going to tear apart and put my own handle on it. The case is why I bought this one instead of a folding board, or I wouldn't bother fixing it.

My table board has street cred... little stone pock marks all about it. I also have a handful of busted stones. My son, about 2 at the time, scaled a shelf and pulled the bowls over. Even I needed a step stool to reach them (I'm 6' 2" give or take) so.... Those, I'd like to replace someday, but I don't want to buy a full set.

Besides, my son just turned 4. I kinda want to wait to replace all the stuff he has broken in the last few years... some my fault, some things in order to use them need to be in harms way, and some things (like the Go stones) he worked really hard to break (of course, not on purpose).

[redponey]

You can get "glue injectors" which are basically just syringes that can be used to squirt glue into small cracks, so it gets in deep. I don't think they are too expensive at places like Lowes, but I haven't bought one in quite a while, so I don't remember the price.

[cdybeijing]

I want to revive this threat by asking a question about preventing cracking.

The board in question here appears to be a shin kaya board made from multiple pieces of wood pressed together.

My board is a single, solid piece of Tibetan or Yunnan spruce, about 10 cm thick. What is the best way to care for this board and prevent future cracking or warping?

[mohsart]

My board is a single, solid piece of Tibetan or Yunnan spruce, about 10 cm thick. What is the best way to care for this board and prevent future cracking or warping?

Avoid too much fluctuation of temperature or moist, at least for a longer time (having it in a hot car while driving to the club is probably OK, but leaving it in the car during a cold winter night may not be).
Store it on a flat surface, in a horizontal or vertical position when not in use.

/Mats

[gowan]

Failed glue joints, cracking, and warping can be due to the wood not having been dried sufficiently before being made into a go board. A long period of air drying can stabilize the wood and make it withstand seasonal temperature and humidity changes. Making a sudden radical change in climate, e.g. moving from a tropical climate to an arid desert, can be bad for wood. Japan has a fairly humid climate and I know people who had trouble when they brough wooden items from Japan to Arizona in the USA, no fault of the manufacturing process.

[cthomas]

Failed glue joints, cracking, and warping can be due to the wood not having been dried sufficiently before being made into a go board. A long period of air drying can stabilize the wood and make it withstand seasonal temperature and humidity changes. Making a sudden radical change in climate, e.g. moving from a tropical climate to an arid desert, can be bad for wood. Japan has a fairly humid climate and I know people who had trouble when they brough wooden items from Japan to Arizona in the USA, no fault of the manufacturing process.

Arid-zona can be a cruel mistress to all Go equipment. Even solid boards must be kept in a humidity-controlled environment there.

[Magicwand]

FYI, in order for you to creat quality goban from a tree it takes 10 years of prep and treatment (at least 5 years).
if it is not treated 10 years then it will crack and bend. that is why good goban is so expansive.

[Ketsa]

I have a similar experience with a bamboo go board I bought not even 1 year ago, on a french website.
The board started to crack and bend after just a few months.

I wonder if all those bamboo boards suffer from the same problems ?

[mohsart]

I have 20-30 Bamboo Boards is stock since the beginning of this year and they all seem to be ok, and I haven't had any complaints from customers yet.
I'll have to wait and see, but so far they are fine.

/Mats