loose tip barrel... need advice

[aikijohn]

Greetings, All...

I have this loose barrel problem on my best weapon (BF FIE Maraging) and wonder if anyone else is familiar with it... i.e. the barrel has about 1/8 inch of play in it and no matter how much I tighten it down (crank it down, really), it still becomes loose again during bouts. It's gotten to the point where I manually tighten it with my fingers between each touch. Is this a candidate for a re-wire job? My coach suggests just tightening it and super-glueing it, but I don't want to affect the blade in any way... any suggestions or experiences with this problem out there?

[Purple Fencer]

Sounds like the threads are stripping...you'll have to replace the barrel, which means a rewire.

[DHCJr]

Another possibility, but less likely from the description is a shoulder. It stops tightening when you reach the shoulder, not when it is tight. Also I would say you have an Epee from how you described it. Loc-tite would be better than super glue as it is less likely to whick up into the tip. In Foil, I am less likely to suggest that as it is possible to interfere with the circuit.

[The Armourer]

Listen to the coach! Squeeze a dab of glue in the thread then tighten - hold the blade with a pair of pliers and turn the barrel with mole-grips.

The Armourer

[gojujay]

I agree with Donald on this. His route is the proper one, the others are quick "on the strip" fixes. Do it right and you won't have to worry about it again. Yeah it will take more time, but in my opinion its well worth the investment.

[mollusk]

If you don't want to rewire you could try green Loctite. It will penetrate the pre-assembled threads so you don't have to take the barrel off and hence rewire. It will make a bond a bit stronger than blue loctite, but not as strong as red. I've always been able to get a barrel that has been treated with green loctite off with just hand tools (and without an excessive amount of torque), but I have made sure to apply the green loctite sparingly. I've had no problems with the loctite gunking up the point or noticably changing the electrical resistance from the point to the blade. My experience is with foils so your mileage may vary for epees.

[aikijohn]

Thanks, All...

Over the weekend, I did use the Locktight glue (blue, I believe) and last night's bouts went off w/o a hitch... nothing like bouting with your best/lightest weapon again... I know the glue idea is a temporary fix but until I have to absolutely rewire (which I've never done...), the glue seems to be the "fix"... thanks again....

[Purple Fencer]

Thanks, All...

Over the weekend, I did use the Locktight glue (blue, I believe) and last night's bouts went off w/o a hitch... nothing like bouting with your best/lightest weapon again... I know the glue idea is a temporary fix but until I have to absolutely rewire (which I've never done...), the glue seems to be the "fix"... thanks again....

I just noticed you're in Santa Clarita...about 15 miles from me. If you wanna see how to wire a blade, drop me a line. I'd be happy to show you.