The language of armory?

[foilz]

I wish I knew this, but I have a "French" tip (according to my coach) on a foil I love. I lost a screw tightening the tip before re-taping.

Am I right in assuming that any "French" screw I order, from anywhere, will fit? Or is there a whole other "sub-language" in armory that I need to know about? And how can I tell what's what, relative to tips and blades, one "country" to another?

Advice welcome!

[Purple Fencer]

You are incorrect re the screws.

The feature that distinguishes a french foil point from a german is how the tip is secured. On a french, the little collar around the bottom of the tip has 2 small holes...those are threaded and that's what the screws are catching on. The holes in the barrel are smooth.

On a german tip, that collar doesn't have holes...it looks like an empty tire rim. The holes in the barrel are threaded.

Most german pattern tips use the same screw...not so the french type.

I have seen three different french screws...Prieur, Sport 7 (the brand I sell) and a chinese one. There's also HPC, but I haven't dealt with them. The chinese is easy to tell...the screws are gigantic...bigger than an epee screw.

Prieur and Sport 7 are more difficult to tell apart...the truly important point is that the barrel walls are differing thicknesses, and that affect the length fo the screw. Sport 7 (I believe) is thicker, so the screw's longer than on a Prieur...and if you put a Sport 7 screw in a Prieur barrel and crank it tight, you'll jam the tip.

If you can tell us what vendor you bought the weapon from it'll help...most have a standard point they'll put on.

And yes....you shoudl learn about armory....for your own gear, if nothing else. I'll be happy to pass on what I know...as will about anyone here like Don Clinton, Dave Neevel, etc...but I'm pretty sure there are competent armorers in your area, too.

[foilz]

If you can tell us what vendor you bought the weapon from it'll help...most have a standard point they'll put on.

It's an old Santelli foil, with a Prieur blade. I can't tell you who made the point.

[Purple Fencer]

It's an old Santelli foil, with a Prieur blade. I can't tell you who made the point.

Well...the blade stamp means nothihg....but it DOES give a clue. Here are some questions:

Is the tip aseembly fairly narrow compared to a newer tip?
Is the shaft of the tip covered in metal or plastic (this is the tip insulator)?
If plastic, what color??

My guess (without having the Santelli site to refer to), is it's a narrow Prieur tip with an orange plastic insulator...I believe Prieur was Santelli's default point.

Ohhh.....something else to ask...does the tip even have the little collar for the screws?? If not, it may be a Leon Paul point. We don;t see them very much here in the States...