White Vs. Blue Blades

[Pepster]

Okay,

So in discussions amonst colleagues I've heard it mentioned that If I want the equivalent of a BF blue blade, I need only invest in a bottle of "Gun Blue" to blue the steel of my blade.

In this conversation I asked the next question that came to mind: "Does this mean that the BF FIE White Epee Blades are the same as the Blue ones, only not Blued? " or " Are there any other differences between a BF Blue and White other than the color? "

So Question #1) Is it worth trying to Home-Blue Epee Blades with a standard Gun Blueing kit? ANyone try this and care to comment on their results?

And #2) Anyone know the White vs. Blue comparison?

-Pep
- Who is already feeling Blue...

[keith]

So Question #1) Is it worth trying to Home-Blue Epee Blades with a standard Gun Blueing kit? ANyone try this and care to comment on their results?

It has been alleged that certain indivuals may have done this to increase their profit on blade sales. The 'proper' colouring process (gold blue or whatever) is more complex than slapping on a coat of gun blue. All that might do is help prevent rusting.

And #2) Anyone know the White vs. Blue comparison?

Personal preference.

[telkanuru]

The bluing lends nothing to the metal, but is merely a convenience to denote different blade tempers. You can home blue whatever you want, just don't expect it to do much.

Blues tend to be more flicky than whites, in my experience.

[noodle]

read the armoury section

[Alain]

Hi,

I've no idea about Question 1, but as far as Question 2's concerned I much prefer traditional blades to the blued ones.

keith is right, it comes down to personal preference. In my experience, blued blades tend to be a little stiffer, so I prefer tradition the traditional ones. I also find that traditional blades have a better 'memory'; if you get a bad kink in the blade, it's a lot easier to salvage with a traditional blade than with a blue.

Mind you, coloured blades look kinda cool...

Hope this helps

[Army Fencer]

This is from Noodle's FAQ. Seriously, he's got a lot of good stuff in there.

Armouring Questions:
What is Maraging Steel?

Maraging Steel is a type of steel that most FIE blades are made of. It is known for its superior strength, resilience, and resistance to corrosion. Here are a few other points about Maraging Steel:

Ultra-high strength at room temperature

Simple heat treatment, which results in minimum distortion

Superior fracture toughness compared to quenched and tempered steel of similar strength level

Low carbon content, which precludes decarburization problems


What are the differences among the colored Blaise Freres Maraging blades?

BF Blue blades are the most flexible, most resilient, and the lightest. They are also the most expensive. They, though, are much more likely to take a radical bend if it deals a hit that has enough force behind it, for whatever reason.

BF White blades are much more stiff and a little heavier. They are slightly more succeptible to the everyday bends, but when they take a big hit, they're much less likely to take a radical, deforming bend.

BF Gold blades are a happy average of the qualities of the above two.

The colors of the blades are a result of the gaseous environment they are tempered in. The colored coating is also helps to prevent oxidation of the underlying metal. Other information can be found in the Fencing.Net Equipment Review Section

[misha]

In my experience with BF FIE epee blades - they come in
all stiffness/flexibility levels you can possibly imagine.
I think it does not really depend on a color of the blade.
You can have super flexible white, or super flexible blue,
you can have super stiff blue.....
I guess BF does not have an established way to control
weight/flexibility during their manufacturing process.
They would made a batch of blades and then
"ops, this month we have very thin flexible ones,
probably we have to add more metal next month"

Do not get me wrong - all those are GREAT blades, I use them myself.
You just do not know what to expect by saying
"BF FIE epee blade", no matter whether it is white or blue...

Main advise: if you are not willing to play "heads or tails" game,
buy it only if you can try the particular blade you are buying.



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