Building my own toy

there are lots of threads about self-made staffs BUT what i want from u is info on:
What is the best way to tone down the dammage it will do to me:)
I have a 140 cm wooden broomstick right now and thought of taping something softish at it's ends and/or sticking an old tshirt on its ends.
any ideas what the least dammaging material is?
i don't mind the bumps but i DO need my glasses intact:)
Morgy

Hmm, I've been thinking a little about this myself. Currently I have a pair of socks tied to the ends using cable ties. It's pretty soft, but I've found it's not nearly heavy enough. I've been toying with the idea of making pouches to fit on the ends, then filling the pouches with beans (like the bean bag variety) and again tying it tight on the ends with cable ties. My only worry about this is that the shifting of the beans is eventually gonna make the whole thing go out of place and I'll end up with lots of beans on one side of the staff and none on the other, so it'll bulge out on one side.

Anyone tried something like this yet?

Damia

Never twirl with your glasses on. I speak from experience when I say this. Every time I do it, I wind up regretting it.

No matter how well-padded your equipment is, your staff has a lot of momentum behind it, and if you accidentally clock yourself in the face, you will screw up your specs.

Anyhow, to pad the ends, try getting some pipe insulation, which is high-density foam. Slip it on and tape it down with duct tape.

adam's advice sounds wonderful...

I personally use tennis balls with coins for weight, a lot of people seem to complain about the noise tho. they are mucho less damaging then flat ends tho.

You all have it wrong. Make the staff more painful, this way you'll learn faster and be much less inclined to hit yourself.

I suggest a lead core bee hive. Or pointy steel weights with broken glass glued to the sides.

grin bees huh?
the poor things.
anyways there's no way i can practise without my specs...am blind as a mole without them.
thanx for the tips though.
Morgy

I know the feeling. I'm pretty blind myself. Guess it just makes you practise not hitting yourself in the face more though.

Damia

I'm sure all of us can spin with our eyes closed, throws may be a little harder to catch, but we should be able to handle low throws as well.

Take off the specs and see...You will be pleasantly surprised!

In My Opinion anyways...

I mostly twirl poi with my eyes shut, and am getting to the point where I prefer to with my staff. I can *almost* do one kind of throw with my eyes shut--and catch it reliably.

With most of this stuff (throws excepted), if you're reacting to what you see, you're too late already. It's mostly tactile.