This is a guide to carrying out the task of preparing, wiring, and assembling foils and epees. It’s not the first one written by any means—if you talk to a number of experienced armorers, you’ll find that all have their own, slightly different methods and tricks. The basics, though, are going to be the same no matter who is giving you advice. If you’re just starting out, the best way to ensure that you succeed is to take things slowly—even the best armorers can tell you about times when they bollixed things up by rushing to get a weapon ready. I’ll point out the most common ‘gotchas’ as they come up.

Always have the proper safety signs by your workbench.

Tools

The essential tools and supplies for wiring blades are:

• Pliers or vise grips
• Utility knife
• Small (Jeweler’s) screwdriver for point
• Jig for bending blades (more below on this)
• Point setting tool (a small bolt, Q-tip shaft, or something similar can substitute)
• Tip tape
• Wire
• Complete point (if rewiring a blade, the old point parts can be re-used if they’re in decent condition).
• Insulation tubing
• Glue (more below on what types can be used)
• Fine-grit sandpaper and Scotch-brite pad
• Electrical tester (Ohmmeter is preferable, an LED test box will suffice)
• Test weight and shims
• Paper towels or rags

Other useful tools or supplies are:

• Vise to hold blade
• Sanding sponge or abrading block
• Hand-removable threadlocker (e.g., Loctite Blue)
• Dremel tool with cut-off wheels and wire wheel
• Acetone bath
• Acetone, nail polish remover, or super-glue remover gel
• Small diameter (30 gauge) wire stripper (Micro-Mark sells one)
• Bench grinder with grinding wheel and wire wheel
• Flat bastard file
• Set of riffler files
• Plastic dish scraper or putty knife (to seat the wire in the groove without damaging the insulation)