Doh, broke the epee wire in the tip

[Lone Musketeer]

Ok so, I've had my first wire problem. I've read the forums and done my searches but still have a few questions.

Firstly, if I broke the wire at the nylon insulating block, and there is still a 4 or 5 mm of wire sticking out past the threads can I salvage it or do I have to do a full rewire?

Second, If a rewire is necessary, can I reuse the nylon block? Is there a way to get those little brass pins out or will I just frustrate myself and mangle it?

Third, various people have mentioned a jig to flex the blade when rewiring. What direction are you flexing it in? I think I know but want to be sure. And as a followup, how much of a bend do you want in the blade before gluing in the wire?

I've never done this before, but am fairly technical and would rather try it my self than give it to someone to do for me.

Thanks in advance.

[DHCJr]

First question, rewire. To try splicing the wire, insulating it, getting it back into the grove, without having excess outside the groove. Rewiring much easier.

You can reuse the block. Some warnings, some wires come in two pieces with a spacer, you must get that out. The pins, depending on the brand can be reused. Uhlmann, Allstar and Prieur all crimp, meaning they can not be reused.

Bend the blade down and as far as the amount that depends on how you fence. A rule of thumb is approximately the maximum you bend a blade on a hit normally.

[CvilleFencer]

You will need to rewire it. Don't worry about the cup. A new wire with cup is like 3 bucks and it is just not worth the effort to be a skinflint on this one. Check out the site at the bottom of this email. If you still have questions post them and I will try to answer them tomorrow when I am awake if someone does not beat me to it. Note, you do not need to use string or a wire to tension the blade, just stick it under a desk, table or workbench and you do not need the little plastic widgets LP sells for their epee's unless you are working on one of their epees, although they are handy and reusable.

http://www.leonpaul.com/armoury/epee/epee_repair.htm

***Edit*** DHC replied while I was typing all this! The man never sleeps! ***

[glowstix]

i just successfully completed my first re-wiring job myself. the things i did/learned:
1. clean the grooves really well; soak in lacquer thinner for at least 12 hours.
2. dry the blade then use the abrasive sponge to get it completely clean.
3. use fencing glue, NOT super glue.
4. you can afford to put a little glue in the groove before you set the wire.

for more tips, see the thread i started.

[sword_fixer]

CvilleFencer,
SOme additions to you post:-
I would recomend going much further in the bend than you normaly would, if you dont, the wires will stretch in the blade and start to lift. Sticking the blade under the bench is good, as long as you can gaurantee nothings going to dislodge it and ruin your hard work. I use the widjeet for rewiring most epee blades apart from the very flat ones, not just Leon Paul ones- they cost about 30p and you can use them again and again.
It is only necesssary to soak the blade in thinners when it is new on the first wire to remove stuff deposited during manufacturing. If you key the surface properly using a dremel or hacksaw blade Superglue adheres perfectly well.

Ime glad to see people using this site:-
http://www.leonpaul.com/armoury/epee/epee_repair.htm
How do you rate it?

[CvilleFencer]

I love the new LP armory site, and I think it is one of the best around for armoring tips and advice. You don't NEED the LP widget, I did all my blades the first year or so without them before some kind soul a LP sent one with a blade I had ordered. They are very handy, however they don't fit to well on some blades, like the Prieur, Fleche or BF. As to glues for foil I use Duro super glue just cause it is easy to find and works quite well if you prepare the blades ahead of time as was mentioned. For epees I use 3M plastic and emblem adhesive (clear). It is made to hold through hard whacks, vibrations, etc such as holding logos onto trunk lids for cars and such. It makes for ugly glue jobs the first coulpe of times you use it but it has a bit of give and it works very well, although it is long to dry.

[Lone Musketeer]

Ok, My blade IS a LP FIE blade so the little do-hicky (technical term) might be handy. I have to order some wires, but the LP site (both the US and UK one) have a little red block and mine is black. The FIE blade comes with the more expensive barrel, so I was wondering if the block is different too?
And I saw Alex Leon post here that the screws and springs are differnet too, so I guess I should get some of those. Oh and a gap tool and weight I guess would be handy also. Anything I'm missing?

BTW, I've read that you should use Acotone (sp?) to remove the glue on the blade, and then scrape the remainer with a razor blade or chisel. For the LP blades, what works best? And lastly, what is the "prefered" glue? Someone at my club recommended "Goop", but when people on here say "Super Glue", what do they mean? I always thought Crazy Glue was Super Glue.

[DHCJr]

I will answer your questions in reverse order. As far as glue is concerned you will get many answers. Each type of glue has it's advantages and disadvantages. I personally prefer Cementit, because it is forgiving and I can't put down a small bead and is very flexible. The disadvantage is the time needed to dry. Super Glue is almost as broad a term as Glue. There are so many different types. Crazy Glue is a brand name for a general purpose super glue that is designed for small applications and is not very flexible. Some like acetone, but since I travel a lot for tournaments, I don't make use of it.

Now on weights and shims. If you get a weight, make sure to check it and add some coins to it to make it heavy. It would be bad to have a weapon that passes your weight and fails the "Official" weight on the strip. As far as shims go, I tell fencers don't get fencing shims, get automotive shims. Fencing shims are Go/No Go guages. If they pass your guage you don't know if it barely passes for is barely working. Use automotive shims to get them within a range.

The blocks should be the same. They sometimes have different color plastic.