new blade bent

[silentoutcry]

I just got a practice foil today and used it once and its already quite bent. Not extremely bad to where I cant use it but its a noticable bend. I was wondering if you all have the same thing happen with yours.

[Purple Fencer]

I just got a practice foil today and used it once and its already quite bent. Not extremely bad to where I cant use it but its a noticable bend. I was wondering if you all have the same thing happen with yours.

Well...all blades get tweaked, even when new. Where is it bent...near the tip, in the middle, etc?

It would help if you could describe the action and yourself/opponent...if you were both big guys who attacked simultaneously with a great deal of force (common in beginners)...you get the idea

[silentoutcry]

well its bent about 3/4ths the way down the blade closer to the tip. It bent after my friend attacked, i parried and went for a counter attack but when i hit he turned sideways and the tip stuck under his arm as he was turning and it just "tweaked as you said"

[Purple Fencer]

Hmmmmdoesn;t sound like the typical locomotive crash...3/4 down the blade is where they usually hold a bend. What make is the blade (look for the stamp on the underside of the blade next to the guard...it'll either be letters or a symbol of some sort) and how old is it??

[silentoutcry]

I bought it new off of www.physicalchess.com it was the beginner foil package. the make is FE5. Its not a quality blade and i didnt expect it to last long but i expected more than one bout.

[prototoast]

How exactly is it bent. I healthy downward bend on a foil is not a bad thing. The important thing is to make sure it always (or as much as possible) bends that same way.

[silentoutcry]

yeah its just a downward bend not extreme more like a slope.

[prototoast]

yeah its just a downward bend not extreme more like a slope.

If that's the case, it doesn't sound like a bad thing at all. It's just been broken in a little.

[o4aversob]

when a blade is properly bent, where should the natural curve be? is the lower the better?

[neevel]

when a blade is properly bent, where should the natural curve be? is the lower the better?

Ideally it'd be an even curve along the whole length of the blade, but since most blades are too thick to train near the forte, the curve will typically start somwhere around the middle of the blade, and be smooth and even out to the point. The maximum bend allowed for foil is 2 cm-- that's to say, if you set the weapon on a table with the guard just off the edge, the highest part of the blade shouldn't be more than 2 cm above the table top.

-Dave

[Swordmaster]

Note to poster, don't buy cheap blades if you expect them to last longer than one bout. And if you do insist on buying cheap blade, buy a lot of them because they are going to break and take some bad bends. It is because of the cheap metal that they are made of with little or no control of the steel that is used. That is why they are cheap. If you insist on starting out with a practice blade, buy a good electric blade and put a dummy point on it. It will give you truer cutover actions (the rubber tip won't get caught on your opponents blade) and when you get ready you will have a blade to practice wiring.

[silentoutcry]

lol *note to self dont buy cheap fencing equipment ever again* i will make sure every thing i buy now is quality, thanks.

[The0ne]

Sounds like it isn't a really bad tweak. . . I bent a practice foil to a 90 degree angle once. . .

[CarlKnoch]

....It bent after my friend attacked, i parried and went for a counter attack ...."

You're friend attacked, you parried and went for the riposte. Yours was not the counterattack.
C

[silentoutcry]

lol sorry man, im new i dont even know the correct names for positions, and i dont have a coach

[Masterurethane]

Ah don't worry, just rub your hand up and down the blade to warm it up, and bend it back into place, either in your hand or under your foot. I have to straighten my blades 2 or 3 times a bout sometimes, foils bend, but you can bend them back.

[noodle]

sounds like you're learning the hard way exactly how expensive fencing can be

anyway, extreme bends will happen no matter the blade. you and your friend just need to understand the fact that you can't charge each other. the blades will bend and break. have to use finesse. just touch with the tip enough to put a bit of a bend on the blade. not skewer 'em. and practice foils are like wet noodles (eh no pun intended) anyway. very weak and flexible.

edited to add this:

when a blade is properly bent, where should the natural curve be? is the lower the better?

that depends on the blade, really. some blades take a natural bend farther towards the tip, some closer to the forte. just as long as the bend is graudal, not a kink or radical in any way (lots of bend in a small area, no bend in the rest of the blade)

[Purple Fencer]

Ah don't worry, just rub your hand up and down the blade to warm it up...

WATCH FOR METAL SPLINTERS!! Ouch...trust me!

[Artisan]

Ah don't worry, just rub your hand up and down the blade to warm it up, and bend it back into place, either in your hand or under your foot. I have to straighten my blades 2 or 3 times a bout sometimes, foils bend, but you can bend them back.

That makes about as much sense as putting a spoon in front of the TV for Uri Geller to bend it telepathicly...

Maraging blades are "aged" 490+ deg. C to put the "mar" (martensite) into them, after being forged at cherry red temperatures (1200-1500 degrees). Tempering occurs by cooling from 800 deg. C. Do you really think that any heat you generate with your hand, or under your foot will have any effect on the properties of the steel before burning your hand or melting your shoe?

That said, good blades will develop a "memory" so getting the right bend and restoring it properly is important.

[esskreemr]

Honestly, stay with the cheap stuff for a while. As a newbie, strange bends are the norm, not a freakish occurrence. It happens to everyone. Unless your competing, no reason to kill a perfectly good fie blade. Once you've built up the fundamentals and start competing, start buying the highest quality gear you can. You generally get what you pay for.

Just put the foil on the ground and pull. It's hard to describe in text but not that hard to master. To get the bend out, place the foil on the floor with the highest part of the bend up. Step on the foil with your foot until you've pressed the blade to the ground. Now pull the foil out from under your foot while maintaining pressure. When you get to the bend, pull up on the foil. Once you've pulled the bend out, turn the foil over and put a proper curve it it. As others have posted, an extreme curve is no longer allowed, a slight smooth curve will find it's way into your blade with frequent use. A bend in the forte (thick part of blade) usually means the blade is toast. Bends in the top 1/3 of the blade can usually be bent out.