tip tape,

[outlawsteveoaos]

up until now i have been using eletrical tape, over my winter break i took a trip to blue gauntlet and other various fencing supply stores and noticed most of them are taped w/ something else, like a cloth tape,

is there a particular name for this? and can i only get this from fencing vendors? or can i go to my local home depot/walmart/trader horn to get this tape?

outlaw steveo aos

[CvilleFencer]

Gaffers tape and raquet/tennis/squash tape are two very popular choices of types of tape to be resold at a decent markup as "Fencing Tape". Electrical tape is not the best idea as the glue is very sticky, it has little padding, and if it gets very warm (trunk of car on a hot day) the glue can get inside your tips and cause all kinds of havoc. I just buy big rolls of Royal Blue 1" gaffers tape myself. Works great, just enough glue to hold it on, cloth texture makes it easy to tear cleanly and it is thick enough to protect the tips well.

[davtsung]

I put a base layer (layed vertically, not spiralled) of 'fencing tape' and then a single spiral of electric tape. This seems to have increased the duration of the tape.

[Pancakes]

I use white medical tape. Not too sticky, offers plenty of protection.

[kalivor]

Originally Posted by Pancakes

I use white medical tape. Not too sticky, offers plenty of protection.

Hurrah for medical tape!

Maybe it's a Hamilton thing?

[The Armourer]

I am lucky - on visits to france they sell rolls of cloth sticky tape 19mm wide that are perfect. Find this in any big supermarket.

[rsy]

1" gaffers tape is a good choice, it comes in lots of colors and does not leave a lot of glue on the barrel and blade when it is removed. It is not as durable as the racquet head tapes however. Goshen brand racquet tape was very durable, but I can't find it any more. Perhaps the company is out of business. Pink Tiger tape was very similar to Goshen, but I can't find that anymore either. The black Gamma tape sold by BG and others is probably the best choice. It is more durable than the gaffers tape, but is easier to strip off when needed and doesn't leave as much glue as the Goshen/Tiger tape variety. But like Model T's, it comes in any color you want, as long as it is black.

-r

[DHCJr]

I would avoid the Tiger tape because of the glue. Gaffer's tape comes in an array of colors. It also comes in 3/4" (19cm) and is called camera tape. Some camera tape is also 1". I usually have at least a half dozen colors with me. There are even some floresent colors and camoflage colors.

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by DHCJr

I would avoid the Tiger tape because of the glue. Gaffer's tape comes in an array of colors. It also comes in 3/4" (19cm) and is called camera tape. Some camera tape is also 1". I usually have at least a half dozen colors with me. There are even some floresent colors and camoflage colors.

I've been warning people off of Tiger tape for that very reason since I started selling gear...and let's not mention the neon orange tape a certain armorer asked me to buy in some quantity for LBI, shall we?? (his initials are Donald Clinton, tho!)

You should've seen the neon yellow i DIDN'T buy...Hellen Keller could've seen AND heard it!!

[Pancakes]

Originally Posted by kalivor

Hurrah for medical tape!

Maybe it's a Hamilton thing?

Eric Main suggested it to me, and he most likely picked it up while at Mac, so yeah, probably

[foilz]

Originally Posted by DHCJr

I would avoid the Tiger tape because of the glue. Gaffer's tape comes in an array of colors. It also comes in 3/4" (19cm) and is called camera tape. Some camera tape is also 1". I usually have at least a half dozen colors with me. There are even some floresent colors and camoflage colors.

DHCJr, I got a beautiful LP electric foil for Christmas, and really admired the tape job. It looked great. I borrowed some tape at the club and re-did my old foil. It looks awful. Your advice for taping a blade? Your preferred tape and width? How to do it properly, and in which direction? The amount of tape overlap? How far down the blade? Anything else?

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by foilz

DHCJr, I got a beautiful LP electric foil for Christmas, and really admired the tape job. It looked great. I borrowed some tape at the club and re-did my old foil. It looks awful. Your advice for taping a blade? Your preferred tape and width? How to do it properly, and in which direction? The amount of tape overlap? How far down the blade? Anything else?

I'll field this one...

Preferred tape: gaffers
Width: 1 inch
How: Take a 5" long strip. Place it on the barrel (short side of the tape up), BELOW the screws and run it down the blade on one side (any side will do). Run a thumb up &b down the tape slowly going around the blade until all the tape is down (there will be 1/8th to 1/4 inch overlap.) Take abother strip about 1" long and place it long side (the unripped edge) at the top of the barrel, then run it around until it covers the rest of the barrel. This means you can remove enough tape to get to the screws if you need to, but not have to take off all of the tape to do it.

Some people also advise putting a narrow strip around the screws themselves if they'er German, to cusion them.

[Kismet]

Oh my goodness I read the title of this thread as "tit tape" and I was so confused.

Anyway, purple fencer, thanks for that description, very helpful.

[DHCJr]

A couple of additions to Purple Fencers excellent description. Fencing tape is 19cm ~ 3/4". It is designed to go around 5 sides. You double cover the wire side. 1" gives a little leeway.

The other reason for not taking the tape all the way to the top is the side of the tape is machine cut. Someone will just tear off a piece, which is not perfectly straight.

The one exception to the instructions are Uhlmann tips. I tear off a piece only about 1/8" long. You may need to cut. This piece goes over the screws but under the 1" tape to give extra protection to the screws.

The first test for an Armorer is being able to tear the tape. It is faster than scissors.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by Kismet

Oh my goodness I read the title of this thread as "tit tape" and I was so confused.

I am scandalized.

[brtech]

Some more details for newbies

Start with a clean barrel and blade. If the previous tape left residue, clean it off. I use an alchohol soaked prep pad.

There is such a thing as too much tape, especially around the barrel. You can get so much tape on it that the director's weight actually gets sort of stuck on the tip, causing you to get a yellow card for failing weight.

There is a reason why we have the blade tape (the vertical tape) overlap the barrel to blade interface; it gives you a little protection against the barrel loosening up. DHCJr advises the blade tape come up to just under the screws. I usually set mine a little lower, just below where the barrel gets to the fullest part, but I also use 1" tape on the barrel.

Please note that if the 19mm tape (3/4") is designed for five sides, and the top (groove) side is the one that gets double coverage, then it matters where you start. In particular, start by trying to align the tape edge with one edge of the top. A little practice is needed to get a smooth application. The technique is much easier said or written than done. Start at the top, putting the tape on the barrel to hold it, then stretching it from the bottom to align it with the blade smoothly. Apply, run your thumb up and down to set it, and then you sort of hold the tape taught while you rotate the blade to try to get a nice flat lay on the next edge, run your thumb up and down and repeat.

The same is true of wrapping the barrel. Start the tape just over one screw hold it somewhat taught as you rotate the blade, and make sure you have two full layers (but not a lot more).

Just for fun, while I'm pretty decent at tearing tip tape (lots of practice taping strips will teach you that), I always use scissors on the barrel tape and make that the outer end. The reason is that you often get one or two strands of cloth flying loose from a torn part, and it can get jambed into the gap between the barrel and the tip. A scissors leaves a smooth edge, and that won't happen. Every armorer has his/her quirks.

Finally, remember, tip tape matters much more than it did with the new timing. Check your tip tape frequently! Tape is cheap, missed touches are expensive.

[Inquartata]

Or you could all just fence sabre and avoid the whole complicated issue...