diff --git a/src/rocksdb.rs b/src/rocksdb.rs
index c855918..02db25e 100644
--- a/src/rocksdb.rs
+++ b/src/rocksdb.rs
@@ -54,10 +54,21 @@ impl RocksDBOptions {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn add_merge_operator(&self, name: &[str], merge_fn: for <'b> fn (String, Option<String>, &mut MergeOperands) -> &'b [u8]) {
+    pub fn add_merge_operator<'a>(&self, name: &str, merge_fn: for <'a> fn (String, Option<String>, &mut MergeOperands) -> Vec<u8>) {
+        let cb = box MergeOperatorCallback {
+            name: name.to_c_str(),
+            merge_fn: merge_fn,
+        };
+
         unsafe {
-            let mo = MergeOperator::new(name, merge_fn);
-            rocksdb_ffi::rocksdb_options_set_merge_operator(self.inner, mo.mo);
+            let mo = rocksdb_ffi::rocksdb_mergeoperator_create(
+                mem::transmute(cb),
+                destructor_callback,
+                full_merge_callback,
+                partial_merge_callback,
+                None,
+                name_callback);
+            rocksdb_ffi::rocksdb_options_set_merge_operator(self.inner, mo);
         }
     }
 }
@@ -356,7 +367,7 @@ fn external() {
     assert!(RocksDB::destroy(opts, path).is_ok());
 }
 
-struct MergeOperands<'a> {
+pub struct MergeOperands<'a> {
     operands_list: *const *const c_char,
     operands_list_len: *const size_t,
     num_operands: uint,
@@ -405,118 +416,80 @@ impl <'a> Iterator<&'a [u8]> for &'a mut MergeOperands<'a> {
     }
 }
 
-struct MergeOperatorState<'a> {
-    name: &'a [str],
-    merge_fn: for <'b> fn (String, Option<String>, &mut MergeOperands) -> &'b [u8],
+struct MergeOperatorCallback {
+    name: CString,
+    merge_fn: for <'b> fn (String, Option<String>, &mut MergeOperands) -> Vec<u8>,
 }
 
-struct MergeOperator<'a> {
-    mo: rocksdb_ffi::RocksDBMergeOperator,
-    state: MergeOperatorState<'a>,
+extern "C" fn destructor_callback(raw_cb: *mut c_void) {
+    // turn this back into a local variable so rust will reclaim it
+    let _: Box<MergeOperatorCallback> = unsafe {mem::transmute(raw_cb)};
+    
 }
 
-impl <'a> MergeOperator<'a> {
-    pub fn new<'a>(name: &'a [str], merge_fn: for <'b> fn (String, Option<String>, &mut MergeOperands) -> &'b [u8]) -> &'a MergeOperator<'a> {
-        let state = &MergeOperatorState {
-            name: name,
-            merge_fn: merge_fn,
-        };
-
-        let ffi_operator = rocksdb_ffi::rocksdb_mergeoperator_create(
-            state as *mut c_void,
-            state.null_destructor,
-            state.full_merge,
-            state.partial_merge,
-            None,
-            state.mergeoperator_name);
-
-        &MergeOperator {
-            mo: ffi_operator,
-            state: state,
-        }
+extern "C" fn name_callback(raw_cb: *mut c_void) -> *const c_char {
+    unsafe {
+        let cb: &mut MergeOperatorCallback = &mut *(raw_cb as *mut MergeOperatorCallback);
+        let ptr = cb.name.as_ptr();
+        ptr as *const c_char
     }
 }
 
-impl <'a> MergeOperatorState<'a> {
-
-    extern "C" fn null_destructor(&self) {
-        println!("in null_destructor");
-    }
-
-    extern "C" fn mergeoperator_name(&self) -> *const c_char {
-        println!("in mergeoperator_name");
-        let name = self.name.to_c_str();
-        unsafe {
-            let buf = libc::malloc(8 as size_t);
-            ptr::copy_memory(&mut *buf, name.as_ptr() as *const c_void, 8);
-            println!("returning from mergeoperator_name");
-            buf as *const c_char
-        }
-    }
-
-    extern "C" fn full_merge(
-        &self, key: *const c_char, key_len: size_t,
-        existing_value: *const c_char, existing_value_len: size_t,
-        operands_list: *const *const c_char, operands_list_len: *const size_t,
-        num_operands: c_int,
-        success: *mut u8, new_value_length: *mut size_t) -> *const c_char {
-        unsafe {
-            println!("in the FULL merge operator");
-            let operands = &mut MergeOperands::new(operands_list, operands_list_len, num_operands);
-            let key = from_buf_len(key as *const u8, key_len as uint);
-            let oldval = from_buf_len(existing_value as *const u8, existing_value_len as uint);
-            let result = self.merge_fn(key, Some(oldval), operands);
-
-            let buf = libc::malloc(result.len() as size_t);
-            assert!(buf.is_not_null());
-            *new_value_length = 1 as size_t;
-            *success = 1 as u8;
-            let newval = "2";
-            ptr::copy_memory(&mut *buf, result.as_ptr() as *const c_void, result.len());
-            println!("returning from full_merge");
-            buf as *const c_char
-        }
-    }
-
-    extern "C" fn partial_merge(
-        &self, key: *const c_char, key_len: size_t,
-        operands_list: *const *const c_char, operands_list_len: *const size_t,
-        num_operands: c_int,
-        success: *mut u8, new_value_length: *mut size_t) -> *const c_char {
-        unsafe {
-            println!("in the PARTIAL merge operator");
-            let operands = &mut MergeOperands::new(operands_list, operands_list_len, num_operands);
-            let key = from_buf_len(key as *const u8, key_len as uint);
-            let result = self.merge_fn(key, None, operands);
-
-            let buf = libc::malloc(result.len() as size_t);
-            assert!(buf.is_not_null());
-            *new_value_length = 1 as size_t;
-            *success = 1 as u8;
-            let newval = "2";
-            ptr::copy_memory(&mut *buf, result.as_ptr() as *const c_void, result.len());
-            buf as *const c_char
-        }
+extern "C" fn full_merge_callback(
+    raw_cb: *mut c_void, key: *const c_char, key_len: size_t,
+    existing_value: *const c_char, existing_value_len: size_t,
+    operands_list: *const *const c_char, operands_list_len: *const size_t,
+    num_operands: c_int,
+    success: *mut u8, new_value_length: *mut size_t) -> *const c_char {
+    unsafe {
+        let cb: &mut MergeOperatorCallback = &mut *(raw_cb as *mut MergeOperatorCallback);
+        let operands = &mut MergeOperands::new(operands_list, operands_list_len, num_operands);
+        let key = from_buf_len(key as *const u8, key_len as uint);
+        let oldval = from_buf_len(existing_value as *const u8, existing_value_len as uint);
+        let mut result = (cb.merge_fn)(key, Some(oldval), operands);
+        result.shrink_to_fit();
+        //TODO(tan) investigate zero-copy techniques to improve performance
+        let buf = libc::malloc(result.len() as size_t);
+        assert!(buf.is_not_null());
+        *new_value_length = result.len() as size_t;
+        *success = 1 as u8;
+        ptr::copy_memory(&mut *buf, result.as_ptr() as *const c_void, result.len());
+        buf as *const c_char
     }
 }
 
-fn create_full_merge(provided_merge: for<'a> fn (new_key: String, existing_val: Option<String>,
-    mut operands: &mut MergeOperands) -> &'a [u8]) {
-
-}
-
-fn create_partial_merge(provided_merge: for<'a> fn (new_key: String, existing_val: Option<String>,
-    mut operands: &mut MergeOperands) -> &'a [u8]) {
-
+extern "C" fn partial_merge_callback(
+    raw_cb: *mut c_void, key: *const c_char, key_len: size_t,
+    operands_list: *const *const c_char, operands_list_len: *const size_t,
+    num_operands: c_int,
+    success: *mut u8, new_value_length: *mut size_t) -> *const c_char {
+    unsafe {
+        let cb: &mut MergeOperatorCallback = &mut *(raw_cb as *mut MergeOperatorCallback);
+        let operands = &mut MergeOperands::new(operands_list, operands_list_len, num_operands);
+        let key = from_buf_len(key as *const u8, key_len as uint);
+        let mut result = (cb.merge_fn)(key, None, operands);
+        result.shrink_to_fit();
+        //TODO(tan) investigate zero-copy techniques to improve performance
+        let buf = libc::malloc(result.len() as size_t);
+        assert!(buf.is_not_null());
+        *new_value_length = 1 as size_t;
+        *success = 1 as u8;
+        ptr::copy_memory(&mut *buf, result.as_ptr() as *const c_void, result.len());
+        buf as *const c_char
+    }
 }
 
 fn test_provided_merge<'a>(new_key: String, existing_val: Option<String>,
-    mut operands: &mut MergeOperands) -> &'a [u8] {
+    mut operands: &mut MergeOperands) -> Vec<u8> {
+    let mut result: Vec<u8> = Vec::with_capacity(operands.size_hint().val0());
+    match existing_val {
+        Some(v) => result.push_all(v.as_bytes()),
+        None => (),
+    }
     for op in operands {
-        println!("op: {}", from_utf8(op));
+        result.push_all(op);
     }
-
-    "yoyo".as_bytes()
+    result
 }
 
 #[allow(dead_code)]
@@ -528,13 +501,13 @@ fn mergetest() {
         opts.create_if_missing(true);
         opts.add_merge_operator("test operator", test_provided_merge);
         let db = RocksDB::open(opts, path).unwrap();
-        let p = db.put(b"k1", b"1");
+        let p = db.put(b"k1", b"a");
         assert!(p.is_ok());
-        db.merge(b"k1", b"10");
-        db.merge(b"k1", b"2");
-        db.merge(b"k1", b"3");
-        db.merge(b"k1", b"4");
-        let m = db.merge(b"k1", b"5");
+        db.merge(b"k1", b"b");
+        db.merge(b"k1", b"c");
+        db.merge(b"k1", b"d");
+        db.merge(b"k1", b"efg");
+        let m = db.merge(b"k1", b"h");
         assert!(m.is_ok());
         db.get(b"k1").map( |value| {
             match value.to_utf8() {
@@ -548,7 +521,7 @@ fn mergetest() {
 
         assert!(m.is_ok());
         let r: RocksDBResult<RocksDBVector, String> = db.get(b"k1");
-        //assert!(r.unwrap().to_utf8().unwrap() == "yoyo");
+        assert!(r.unwrap().to_utf8().unwrap() == "abcdefgh");
         assert!(db.delete(b"k1").is_ok());
         assert!(db.get(b"k1").is_none());
         db.close();