Debris in saya

[animo]

Tameshigiri can be messy and it is easy to get debris lodged in the saya. Pieces of the target can cling to the blade and end up jammed in the saya. It tends to build up until the blade does not fully seat in the saya anymore. I gently tap the kojiri on the floor after each tameshigiri session to get anything out of the saya.

At the Shot Show I saw a booth selling bore inspection scopes for guns. They are fed down the barrel to inspect for wear and damage. Has anyone considered using one to inspect saya?

After accidentally jamming a piece of sandpaper into a saya, I had quite the time getting it back out. I had previously used a piece of wire to dislodge gunk from a saya, but it only managed to push the sandpaper deeper. I made a barbed jig from a piece of 1” x 1/8” aluminum bar stock. It was curved like the katana and managed to grab the sandpaper after being pushed past it. Has anyone found a better device for getting junk out of the saya?

Animo

[Lee]

I had often thought about getting a rifle cleaning kit for just such a thing.
They come with several different attachments for the head, which includes some stiff plastic and wire bristle heads, and slotted heads for holding cloth. The wire brush heads would probably not be the best thing, but if they are soft enough wire they just might do the trick for removing clinging particles way down inside but I figured the best one would be the plastic bristle.

Think I'll hit Wal-Mart this weekend and see if they have a cheapo kit to try.