telling the difference

[suregrip]

I need some help here. I assist my fencing mates by repairing their stuff, but lately I've been having trouble telling the difference between the different vendors. BG, Santelli, Uhlmann......some of the screws and tips just don't work with one another.

For foil and epee, is there a chart or something for visual reference? Most of my fencing pals have no idea what parts are in their blades. (I CAN tell the difference between German and French stuff, it's just the different manufacturer's that drives me nuts).

Is there such a reference out there?

[CvilleFencer]

If you find one, let me know as I would love to have something like that as well! I am the armorer for our club and I have a simple rule. If I did not put it on, or if you did not by it from the club or one of the clubs vendors, I generally don't work on it (armory services are free for club members so I can be a little picky). It saves a lot of time for people who want to buy strange stuff off e-bay that is made in Elbonia or have weapons that are older than I am. They usually see the light and just have it re-wired with a sport 7, Uhlmann, or Leon Paul tip and it makes it much easier for ye old club armorer.

I guess I could be a real despot and say that I only work on one type but that is a bit much even for me and I use all three of the above for differant things so I can't complain to much if they do as well!

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

I still cant tell german tip screws and springs apart. I need to get my entire club on to one system.... it gets too confusing too quickly. When billy uses french, and tommy uses german, and they trade tip screws, and then buy some from a friend who has had those springs in his basement for 10 years and you have no idea what brand they are..... dammit! Its so annoying! How do you reccomend getting the club to switch parts and stuff so that everyone is on the same page. People at my club either buy PBT, PChess or santelly or BG...... which of this stuff is compatible with others?

[CvilleFencer]

One good solution is to sell the stuff yourself, as a club, and keep the prices the same or less than they are on the website. If you are smart you can get German patern tips for between 4-7 dollars and BG offers discount program for fencing clubs that runs about 20% or so. We sell things at the club with just enough markup to cover shipping so that it is actually cheaper for fencers to buy from us, we know what they are using, how to work on it and that its safe, and it gives them another benifit of being a club member. That being that they can get their kit for cheaper.

Lots of vendors offer a good discount for clubs and if you check around overseas you can find some awesome deals on things like body cords, German tips, bells, grips, ect.

[suregrip]

Unfortunately, selling the stuff at doesn't work because like DFP-H indicated earlier, you have fencers buying from friends and fencers with old stuff lying around, then someone quits fencing and sells his stuff.....it's horrible. Once, I had no less than 6 different tip screws from different manufacturers lying next to a tip and barrel that NONE of them matched. Very frustrating.

[fencerchica]

Hi!

Has anyone else experienced difficulty in mating Leon Paul foil blades to German foil barrels? I always have had the impression that the *TIP* threading should be just the same between the two, despite the fact that LP *TANGS* are 12x24 and German tangs are always 6mm metric.

But when I put German tips (which I prefer) onto LP blades (which I also prefer), what'll happen to me is that, while they will thread together just fine at first, it's always only a matter of (seemingly far too short) time before the barrel totally loosens up, no matter how tight I crank it down, or how much lock-tite I dump in when I'm putting it together.

It's been suggested to me that the actual shape of the threading is just incompatible between the two, even if the pitch and diameter are the same, and that therefore too low of a percentage of the overall surface area is in contact to grip with.

Does anyone know for sure / do other people have this problem too?

--Marie

[DHCJr]

Let me start with the last question and then go forward. All tips and blades have the same specifications but as with most of the rules they are vague in many areas. For example the number of threads, placement of the threads and a few other items. You will notice on most 'German' tips, the threading does not go all the way. Unless the thread do not get to small, you should not have a problem, but you may find on you blades a sharp decreasing of the threads and possibly a shoulder where the threading ends.

If you do have a shoulder, remove it so the barrel can tighten down, but make sure to use a 5mm (Foil) or 6mm (Epee) wrench so as not to crack the barrel.

As for screws, that is a whole different story. They subcontract much of that work. I have bought screws directly from manufacturers and received what appeared to be from someone else.

I will try and give some generalities.

Foil, Prieur the screw is shorter than the width of the head.
Sport-7 will be slightly longer than wide.
Leon Paul uses their Epee screw.
Uhlmann/Allstar a smaller version of their Epee screw.

Epee, Prieur are usually threaded at the way and slightly rounded on top.
U/A usually is not threaded all the way.