Major blade crisis going down over here!

[Scaramouche]

Guess what! Vinnie, my practice foil, has a screwed up tip! The top has come off and now the blade is sticking through and there's no protection for the people I'm fencing against (which means I won't fence until I fix it!) Has this ever happened to anybody? Why would this happen? And most importantly, HOW CAN I FIX THIS BEFORE TUESDAY NIGHT?

[edew]

That was your "major" crisis? Thank god you don't work in the State department when the WTC incident came over. Put some tape on it and go at it. Better yet, get a real electric blade and throw away the practice. The balance and flex of a practice blade has no relation to an electric wired one. Go with something that you will be using in competition. That is, unless you only plan on competing in classical visually judged bouts.

[Scaramouche]

Originally posted by edew:
<STRONG>That was your "major" crisis? Thank god you don't work in the State department when the WTC incident came over. Put some tape on it and go at it. Better yet, get a real electric blade and throw away the practice. The balance and flex of a practice blade has no relation to an electric wired one. Go with something that you will be using in competition. That is, unless you only plan on competing in classical visually judged bouts.</STRONG>

Hey cmon cut me some slack here! Woulda bought an electric but ya know the coach told us what to order before we knew what was worthwhile I'm sorry I'm such a spaz I just want to fence without seriously injuring someone. OK I admit it I don't really care I'm a heartless ***** I just want to be able to fence

[Konstantinos]

At our club, more than half the blades have lost their tips. We put in an order for a box of new ones. Till that time, you can just cover it in tape as was already mentioned, or even cloth and tape.
Happens all the time with practice
No one gets seriously injured...just stings a little more...extra insentive to not get hit

[Scaramouche]

OK OK now I feel stupid for even posting! I just spaz over everything. I'll do the tape thing and wait to hear from my coach about getting a new tip! I am definitely getting an electric blade after Christmas just so I can get used to it!

Thanks for the advice all! I feel sooooo much better now!

[edew]

Yeah, chill on the spaz. That'll mark you as an easy prey on the strip. Over half of the practice foils we have at Stanford are not even taped over. Just a blunt metal tip. The kid and adult beginners all use them.

[HilandDoug]

I had to chuckle reading this post. It never fails that every first day of my beginners classes, someone will invariably ask, "If you take off the little plastic tip, is it sharp under there?"

And if no one ever does, later in the term during drills, someone will pop through the plastic tip, and come to me with ashen face like they almost killed someone, "My tip broke and I noticed it just in time to stop my attack!!!" I must be a bad guy, because I can't resist the smarmy retort, "Good thing you didn't kill anybody!"

[three_hundred_fifty_five]

Originally posted by Scaramouche:
<STRONG>Guess what! Vinnie, my practice foil, has a screwed up tip! The top has come off and now the blade is sticking through and there's no protection for the people I'm fencing against (which means I won't fence until I fix it!) Has this ever happened to anybody? Why would this happen? And most importantly, HOW CAN I FIX THIS BEFORE TUESDAY NIGHT? </STRONG>

First, remain calm. Sit down and take a deep breath. Just relax. Everything is going to be all right.
There, are we relaxed now? Now, get a roll of tape: electrical, cotton, duct, etc. Start wrapping it around the tip so that it makes a ball.
After you are done, get a file and start sharpening the edge of the blade. Keep on filing until you get a good edge. Then, to get a razor sharp edge, use a sharpening stone and some honing oil. Work that edge. Nice and smooth. Let the stone work its magic. There you go. Nice n' easy.
Test with a sliver of hair. Now yer all set. Yee haw!!!

[ 11-19-2001: Message edited by: three_hundred_fifty_five ]

[Scaramouche]

I'm so happy I've brought so many people on this board so much amusement! I'm actually glad I posted and made myself look like a total *** because some of your replies have been so full of sarcasm and wit that I just have to laugh. I'm not worried about it anymore actually I could care LESS I'm just worried about how I'm going to smuggle my foil back to Charleston without getting it confiscated.

[HilandDoug]

Well, JJ, we've ALL said things on this board we wish we would have edited out before others have seen them, so you're just another member of a not-so-exclusive club! Don't feel bad about it, it just means you're one of us!

[edew]

I think this thread has the highest smiley icons per posts. Just to be sure....



Howzdat?

[Scaramouche]

It's lovely, edew, just frickin' lovely. I shall abstain from using smileys in my post because they'd be totally shamed by your post. Aagh it's harder than you think! Want...to...put...a...smiley....

[Scaramouche]

I'm sure you all will be happy to know that I GOT A REPLACEMENT TIP FOR MY FOIL! Now whether or not this will lend closure to the whole tip thing is anyone's guess....I am guessing NOT! Thought I'd inform you anyway!

[three_hundred_fifty_five]

<img src="graemlins/jawa.gif" border="0" alt="[Jawa]" />
I am my phazer at your arse... set to stun.